Harvard Scholar Arrested for Being Black

[The Dean]

Transcript....

 

"

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Recently Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested at his home in Cambridge. What does that incident say to you and what does it say about race relations in America?

 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I should say at the outset that "Skip" Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all the facts. What's been reported, though, is that the guy forgot his keys, jimmied his way to get into the house, there was a report called into the police station that there might be a burglary taking place -- so far, so good, right? I mean, if I was trying to jigger into -- well, I guess this is my house now so -- (laughter) -- it probably wouldn't happen. But let's say my old house in Chicago -- (laughter) -- here I'd get shot. (Laughter.)

 

But so far, so good. They're reporting -- the police are doing what they should. There's a call, they go investigate what happens. My understanding is at that point Professor Gates is already in his house. The police officer comes in, I'm sure there's some exchange of words, but my understanding is, is that Professor Gates then shows his ID to show that this is his house. And at that point, he gets arrested for disorderly conduct -- charges which are later dropped.

 

Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge Police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact. "

 

 

 

Can't say I disagree.....I worked/lived in Cambridge/Boston quite some time ago.....there are more invisible lines in that city than an outsider can fathom.

Obama lived there too.

 

 

Obama's response was close to perfect, IMO. We have to stop playing around with the wording when it comes to racism.

[Kelly the Dog]

My break in happened at 1:30 in the afternoon, through the back door. The neighbors who noticed "three black girls" saw them in another neighbor's back yard. In the middle of the day.

 

And they were driving a new, silver Altima.

 

Sometimes things really are....excuse the pun....."black and white."

I don't think that's true, unless both the front door and the back door locks were jammed. Here is Gates version of that moment...

We flew back on a direct flight from Beijing to Newark. We arrived on Wednesday, and on Thursday I flew back to Cambridge. I was using my regular driver and my regular car service. And went to my home arriving at about 12:30 in the afternoon. My driver and I carried several bags up to the porch, and we fiddled with the door and it was jammed. I thought, well, maybe the door’s latched. So I walked back to the kitchen porch, unlocked the door and came into the house. And I unlatched the door, but it was still jammed.

 

My driver is a large black man. But from afar you and I would not have seen he was black. He has black hair and was dressed in a two-piece black suit, and I was dressed in a navy blue blazer with gray trousers and, you know, my shoes. And I love that the 911 report said that two big black men were trying to break in with backpacks on. Now that is the worst racial profiling I’ve ever heard of in my life. (Laughs.) I’m not exactly a big black man. I thought that was hilarious when I found that out, which was yesterday.

 

It looked like someone’s footprint was there. So it’s possible that the door had been jimmied, that someone had tried to get in while I was in China. But for whatever reason, the lock was damaged. My driver hit the door with his shoulder and the door popped open. But the lock was permanently disfigured. My home is owned by Harvard University, and so any kind of repair work that’s needed, Harvard will come and do it. I called this person, and she was, in fact, on the line while all of this was going on.

That, to me, sounds like it was the front door. He and his driver carried their bags up to the front door, tried the keys, the door was jammed, they went around the back to the kitchen porch, walked right in, then returned to the front door, opened it from the inside to see why it was jammed. They couldn't get it unjammed after they opened it from the inside, so the driver put his shoulder into it.

[bills_fan]

"what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact. "

 

Just wondering here...is that because they commit more crime, are thus identified as possible perps (e.g. "possible purse-snatching, be on the lookout for a black male approx age 25, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and Yankees cap in the vicinity of 125th street"), so the police look for a suspect matching the description given by the victim?

 

Its absurd that Obama got into this and commented the way he did.

[Magox]

Obama's response was close to perfect, IMO. We have to stop playing around with the wording when it comes to racism.

[The Dean]

Where is the racism? Please explain.

 

 

I think this makes it clear:

 

"...I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge Police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact. "

 

I will believe it isn't racism when I find out the police are arresting White people on their own porch for saying things they don't like. Or, perhaps, when they arrest White players on the local pro sports teams, simply for being outside at night.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

I do not disagree with this....but if one reports a "black male" forcibly entering a house and the police respond to the call and find a black male IN the house and then question him.....where does the "racial profiling" come into play here?

 

Look at my case. Multiple reports of "three black girls." Was this information being distributed between me, my neighbor and the cops "racial profiling"?

 

Profiling is when you ASSUME its a certain race of people doing worng and scrutinze them without cause. When you SEE a person of a certain description doing something...THATS "CAUSE" and there now is no profiling!

 

The cops got a report of a man of a certain description doing a specific activity. They then questions a man fitting that description. Where is the profiling here?

 

Exactly. If Gates were 6' 5" and his neighbor called in about a "tall guy" breaking into the house...would it be height profiling?

[GG]

So, according to Gates' logic, he's ok with his white neighbor calling the police because there's a black man on his porch trying out the door locks, but he's not ok for the police to come out to investigate a call about a black man on his porch trying out the door locks?

[The Dean]

Exactly. If Gates were 6' 5" and his neighbor called in about a "tall guy" breaking into the house...would it be height profiling?

 

 

No, and neither is using race as a descriptor. Questioning or arresting someone, based solely on their race is, however. And doing the same solely based on someone's height would be "height profiling".

[X. Benedict]

"what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact. "

 

Just wondering here...is that because they commit more crime, are thus identified as possible perps (e.g. "possible purse-snatching, be on the lookout for a black male approx age 25, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and Yankees cap in the vicinity of 125th street"), so the police look for a suspect matching the description given by the victim?

 

Its absurd that Obama got into this and commented the way he did.

 

He could of dodged the question, but there is nothing particularly inflammatory about what he said.

 

Police dropped the charges. Why was that? Probably because it WAS a stupid arrest.

[Alaska Darin]

Well, had Gates stayed inside, he wouldn't have been arrested.

 

It was when he went outside, as the officers leaving the scene, and started yelling that was the problem. There's really no excuse for his reaction. If he had a problem with the officer(s) the proper thing would have been to file a complaint, not screaming and disturbing the whole neighborhood's peace.

Liberals love the rules until they break them.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

No, and neither is using race as a descriptor. Questioning or arresting someone, based solely on their race is, however. And doing the same solely based on someone's height would be "height profiling".

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree that the cops had no right to arrest Gates. However, I've talked to people over the last couple days who were including the neighbor as one of the "racist parties", and that just isn't right.

 

It's frustrating living in Ithaca, where everybody explodes over the smallest social issue. We've had protests today, blocking up the roads.

[Alaska Darin]

He could of dodged the question, but there is nothing particularly inflammatory about what he said.

 

Police dropped the charges. Why was that? Probably because is WAS a stupid arrest.

They dropped the charges because nothing ever comes of that stuff anyway.

 

I wasn't there but in my experience with police, if you give respect that's what you get. If you're a douche bag, they'll haul you in just to mess up your day. They don't care if the arrest is stupid and will be invalidated a few hours later. They've proved their point.

 

Now this "Professor" could learn a valuable lesson but he'll probably continue to be a whiny douche bag liberal hypocrite. Power to the state, good educator.

[The Dean]

So, according to Gates' logic, he's ok with his white neighbor calling the police because there's a black man on his porch trying out the door locks, but he's not ok for the police to come out to investigate a call about a black man on his porch trying out the door locks?

 

 

I'm thinking he's OK with the neighbors (black or white) calling the police when they suspect a break-in is occurring (whether the suspected perpetrators are black or white). I'm guessing he is more than OK with the police responding to the call, as well. I'm guessing what Gates objected to was what was said/done in the exchange after the police arrived.

 

The charges against Gates have been dropped. That says something right there.

[Alaska Darin]

That says something right there.

Go ahead and let us know what it says.

[Magox]

So, according to Gates' logic, he's ok with his white neighbor calling the police because there's a black man on his porch trying out the door locks, but he's not ok for the police to come out to investigate a call about a black man on his porch trying out the door locks?

That is exactly his logic. The police officer investigated the possible burglary, asked the suspect for ID, and the suspect refused. Gates then became offended that a white police officer asked him for ID in his own home, and specially since he is a prominent black man, then cried out Racism in America. This guy does nothing but move us backward, not forward

[KD in CA]

Obama's response was close to perfect, IMO. We have to stop playing around with the wording when it comes to racism.

Does 'stop playing around with the wording' include not invoking "racism" as the excuse in every story involving a black person?

 

 

I will believe it isn't racism when I find out the police are arresting White people on their own porch for saying things they don't like. Or, perhaps, when they arrest White players on the local pro sports teams, simply for being outside at night.

Have you considered that white people get arrested on their front porch all the time but you don't hear about it because the media doesn't make a federal case out of those stories?

[DC Tom]

He could of dodged the question, but there is nothing particularly inflammatory about what he said.

 

Police dropped the charges. Why was that? Probably because it WAS a stupid arrest.

 

The arrest was probably just to do nothing more than stop the disruption. Gates followed the policeman, who was leaving, specifically to make a scene and be disruptive. If I, as a an upper-middle-class honky did that, I would expect to be arrested.

 

The only thing racist about this story is Gates using race as an excuse to be an !@#$. And I'll even admit that it's a pretty good excuse. Still just an excuse.

[Alaska Darin]

Does 'stop playing around with the wording' include not invoking "racism" as the excuse in every story involving a black person?

 

 

 

Have you considered that white people get arrested on their front porch all the time but you don't hear about it because the media doesn't make a federal case out of those stories?

Shut up! The charges were dropped and that obviously says something!

[Nanker]

He could of dodged the question, but there is nothing particularly inflammatory about what he said.

 

Police dropped the charges. Why was that? Probably because it WAS a stupid arrest.

For the same reason the Boston Globe wiped his arrest record from their website, no doubt.

Of course The Dean will also no doubt attest that there is such a thing as a stupid arrest.

[Magox]

Have you considered that white people get arrested on their front porch all the time but you don't hear about it because the media doesn't make a federal case out of those stories?

You mean it's not news if a white man get's arrested on his front porch?