A witness, 40-year-old Lucia Whalen of Malden, had alerted the cops that a man was "wedging his shoulder into the front door" at Gates' house "as to pry the door open," police reported.Now, we can all agree that she was not at fault to call the cops. But it is erroneous to say it was "neighbor." It was someone who, apparently, works in the neighborhood.
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i was wondering about the community in general...it seems like Gates was yelling and being loud on his porch, on purpose to draw the community's attention to his arrest.
did anyone at all speak out in support of Gates? ...question the police gathered on his lawn? wonder out loud about why their neighbor could have done to warrant that treatment?
did anyone on the street try to vouch for him?
i apologize if its garbled...thinking goes faster than fingers
"did anyone wonder out loud about why their neighbor was in handcuffs, and what he could have done to warrant that treatment"
I just am reminded of my friend who plays guitar. when police harassed him for playing in a commercial district for, of course, "disturbing the peace." he would have just been hustled off -- except that others started to question the officer, tell him they enjoyed his music, and that he was welcome to play -- and the officer backed off. they saved my friend from a ticket or possible arrest.
I live in Cambridge, but I'm not sure exactly where Gates lives. If he lives in certain parts of Harvard Square(seems like he does), he might as well live in the suburbs. Things can be very secluded, very spread out. Remember, too, that this is the North and we tend to be a little less neighborly here.
i live in the North as well, ohio. we have our share or segregated urban centers.
but i think making a stink in public is a strategy for dealing with injustice and i believe that it rightfully might have spurred some onlookers to go one extra step and keep him from being arrested and going to jail -- instead of being interpreted as being "disorderly.' the officer's decision to call the Harvard police AFTER verifying his ID, was out of order...To me.
Ware Street is right next to the Harvard campus: two blocks over from the Fogg. It's a mix of mid-rise apartment buildings, single-family homes, and big buildings owned by Harvard (including Harvard Magazine headquarters, apparently). It's not terribly secluded.
But it is leafy.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Professor Gates was ridin’ wordy.
Skippy was lippy.
Shawty was uppity.
Is this a crime? Not necessarily. The heated debate in the media and the blogosphere proves it is a gray area. This is definitely not a clear case of racial profiling, which by definition is black and white. Racial profiling and police abuse of power are too serious for this flap with Professor Gates to be held up as the poster child for them. This is not Sean Bell. Gates is not Abner Louima. This is not Jena 6. The litmus test should be clear -No Rev. Al? No racial profiling. Gates and those who take his point of view are trying to make this a bigger racial Rorschach test than the OJ case. A blow against the post-racial society, a referendum on the state of the Black American Dream and a barometer of Racial Justice. Naw bruh.
See my fullpost at http://newsone.blackplanet.com/nation/the-jailhouse-conversion-of-henry-louis-skip-gates-jr/
"Is this a crime? Not necessarily. The heated debate in the media and the blogosphere proves it is a gray area."
Well, no, I don't see any "necessarily," myself. Being lippy/uppity/etc. is NOT a crime - whether it's a smart call given the way police often operate is another question entirely. The talk in the blogosphere proves nothing about legality. (As I recall, there was "heated debate" about whether Rihanna had it coming or not, too... Doesn't change the illegality of beating someone's face in.)
Since you bring up racial profiling, I don't know if anyone mentioned this elsewhere, but the cop who arrested Gates was a police academy instructor on racial profiling -- and was handpicked for that job by a black police commissioner. It looks like Skip Gates picked the wrong cop to pull the race card on, and Barack Obama and Deval Patrick would have been better off not opining about this without knowing all the facts. From the AP:
More on Sgt. Crowley, from that same article:
We have a black Harvard professor, living a city with a black mayor, a state with a black governor, and a country with a black president, claiming that he was unfairly treated by this white cop?
What facts are you talking about? The facts are all there in Sgt. Crowley's report!
He arrested someone in his own home for being arrogant and obstreperous. That is what the Sgts own report says.
As I'm someone who is arrogant and obstreperous in his own house almost 7 nights a week I find that pretty chilling!
After time for everyone to come forward, the averages are still:
Number of white professors who got arrogant with police (though they had committed no crime and were in their own homes) and wound up arrested for disturbing the peace: 0
Number of black professors: Gates. Plus the doctor picked up for crossing Harvard Yard while Black a couple of years back; again, no white professors seem to run into this issue.
It is possible to look at this coincidence and say "yeeaaah...seems if you want to be an arrogant prick you better be white."
It's not so much about the specific officer--I'm quite willing to believe he is not racist--as about the overall tone: that this is something that happens to blacks (I'm sure Obama and Patrick have their own Driving While Black experiences) and not whites.
And the point is less "is he racist, or not" than "is this an abuse of authority with unpleasant racial overtones (because the white faculty isn't exactly humble, but never seem to deal with this) that make me a tad nervous about this guy carrying a badge, not bothering to defuse situations, and feeling free to run in anyone who pisses him off?"
No, by the standards of police behavior, Crowley was fairly good.
Which calls into question the standards of police behavior, in a big way.
The arrest was gratuitous, a waste of time that could have been better spent -- perhaps repairing traffic cameras.
Crowley may not be abusive or arrogant, but he garnered himself international attention by performing an arrest that he knew darn well would never see trial.
And that is, as Obama said, stupid.
He can't be racist because he trained cops on racial profiling. That's pretty funny.
He arrested him and cuffed him for something that isn't a crime. He's a bad police officer and if he was following policy then they're a bad police department. Simple as that.
Well he was yelling inside and the cop asked him to step outside (my guess is he did that so that if he continued to yell he could get him on disorderly) so he was probably angry rather than trying to draw attention to himself.
This makes more sense. One would hope a neighbor would be able to recognize HLG, especially since it was his own home he was macguyvering his way into.
of course she was correct to call the cops. if someone witnessed someone breaking into my house, i'd hope they'd call the cops. HLG is probably glad to know someone would do that. the anger is with the cops, not the witness.
btw, there's a hilarious Reno 911 scene similar to this: the officers spot a black man jimmying a cardoor and ask him what he's doing. he's dressed in a suit and goes off on them for racial profiling. they back down, apologize profusely, and let him drive away. about that time, a black dude wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and some bling comes out to the parking deck and sees that his car has been stolen, and the officers realize they made a mistake.
Gates lives at 17 Ware St 1 block from Harvard Yard (google it) according to news reports. There are just a few single-family residences on the street and lots of big apartment buildings. While it's not unusual for people in single-family homes to have no clue who their neighbors are (a sad part of contemporary American attitudes towards privacy), that might not play into this much even if she is technically a "neighbor."
Well not only that, but Gates seems to travel a lot for his job, so I don't know how much you'd see him around anyway, neighbor or not.
More Cop Fun! from BoingBoing "Slap on the wrist for cop who assaulted paramedic" : http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/23/slap-on-the-wrist-fo.html
Am I correct to be perplexed that Ms. Whalen's name was released?
It's in the police report, I believe.
I'm fairly certain a witness's name is supposed to be redacted on a police report before being released to the press, but I could be wrong on that.
No idea. It's in the report, and for whatever reason, wasn't redacted.
There were two appearances of the report (and a brief "dead link"). Did I notice rightly that in the second appearance, Ms. Whelan's name _was_ redacted? Need to double check.
Certainly the standard procedure would have some bearing when you think about "when to call the cops."
And if CPD is fumbling this procedure... I think they've walked themselves into 'stupid' territory, even leaving aside whether arresting Professor Gates was a well-considered expenditure of labor hours and taxpayer money.
Heads up, TNC: important new info from the AP
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/23/obama_stupidly_comment_disappoints_mass_cop/
Sgt. Crowley has been teaching a class on racial profiling (in the interests of discouraging, not encouraging) for five years.
Yeah, good for him. But teaching a class on racial profiling doesn't make you immune from doing something stupid.
Indeed, that news is pretty much the opposite of comforting. ("Cambridge police don't racially profile! They take a class on why they shouldn't do it!" "Who teaches it?" "Um, this guy.")
So you don't think there is any way that this officer would be suitable to teach a class on racial profiling based on this incident? Or do you think that the very fact that a class is needed says something that's not comforting?
The police department is saying he did exactly what he should have done though. How were his actions stupid if he did what he was supposed to do?
You've made a judgment call based on your view of the police report, I know... but I'd avoid the use of the word stupid to describe the standard operating procedure of a clearly racially sensitive police department (black mayor/black police department head).
Obama and Gates are forcing America to take a step backwards on race, I think.
a step backwards? I didn't know we moved forwards...
Are you reading the same report as I am? If that's an example of SOP then I'm glad I don't live in cambridge.
If somebody yells at you in the kitchen, you should run them in for disorderly conduct? Seriously? Then why didn't they leave the charges in place?
Electing President Obama was not a step forward?
Lyle,
I think you're wrong; a black mayor and black police department head don't equate to a racially sensitive police department. Black civilians haven't suffered from the consequences of racial profliing from white cops only; black cops can also be guilty of racial profiling of African-Americans. Moreover, having a black mayor, black police chief, and a white cop who teaches about racial profiling is no guarantee that said cop won't make bad judgements of the sort that Officer Crowley made in this situation. It's still possible that Officer Crowley, despite his training and background, allowed racial thinking to color his judgement in this situation. Moreover, even if we agree that racial profiling played no role in Officer Crowley's decison-making process, he is still guilty of being a stupid asshole cop; he simply not a racist one.
Yeah his actions were stupid and their policies are stupid as well. Arresting someone for something that isn't a crime is the opposite about what cops are supposed to do.
It isn't a crime under Mass law therefore there should have been no arrest.
As far as a step backwards, that's the fault of the white cop who falsely arrested a Black man who could actually get the attention of the media. However, we haven't taken a real step forward when it comes to law enforcement so I can't accept the framing anyway.
True,
But do a little more reading on this guy. He didn't just teach the class -- he was hand picked to teach it by a black police commissioner. It looks like all of his peers who have been interviewed so far, black and white, have nothing but the highest praise for him. And he performed mouth to mouth on a black man in cardiac arrest in an attempt to save his life. Adding all this together, it doesn't fit the picture of a racist cop, does it?
Why does the internal mental workings of this officer matter?
What is the relevance of whether he is racist or not, to the question of "was this an example of good police work?"
I think you've proved that he isn't racist - but for me I just don't find that question interesting. Maybe it is to Skip Gates and other commentators, but if we are interested in stopping bad police and bad police work like this I don't think its the question that matters.
It matters because Gates made a racial issue of it.
I don't really have an opinion on this. It was a stupid arrest. I don't think much more needs to be said. I don't think it's a smart idea to arrest people for yelling at you in their own home. Whether it was racist or not is an irrelevant question that I have no way of answering. Hence, I don't much care what course he taught. It really has no bearing.
None of that shows that he isn't racist. Racist docs save the lives of black people. Racist firefighters do as well. So do racist cops.
It's a little late in the day to say that though, isn't it? Gates made this a racial issue, and race is why the president commented on this and why it has generated so much attention. In reality though, a white man acting the way Gates did would likely have gotten arrested too. Gates having a big chip on his shoulder about being "a black man in America" is just exhausting at this point. He's not riding in the back of the bus in the segregated South. He's a Harvard professor who summers in Martha's Vineyard and lives in a city, state, and country run by black people who were elected by white majorities. And, for the cherry on top, the top law enforcement official in America is black. Maybe it's time for Gates to take the chip off of his shoulder.
I'm not even sure if it was a stupid arrest. It was a borderline arrest. There are laws on the books that let cops arrest you for essentially being worked-up and obnoxious, and, in the scheme of things -- even though it may rub us the wrong way as civil libertarians -- that's probably a good thing. Sometimes people need to have some bracelets put on them and be taken downtown, to prevent them from hurting themselves or others in their agitated state.
Here's a handy tip to avoid getting arrested (or shot) in the future: be polite and non-threatening to the cop. When I've gotten pulled over by cops, I put my hands on top of the steering wheel, palms up. It doesn't cost me anything to do that. If the cop asks for my registration, I tell him it's in my glove compartment and say, "I'm going to reach for it, OK?". Again, costs me nothing, and they appreciate my consideration. The last couple of times they let me off without tickets, probably because of that. If I had an attitude or a chip on my shoulder, I definitely would have gotten tickets and possibly worse.
I guess you and I have different views of what matters. What matters to me is bad policing and how to stop it.
I only speak for myself here, I have my own reasons for thinking very little of Prof. Gates none of which I care to share. I have zero interest in defending him (or attacking him).
Its not that I don't agree with what DaveinHackensack is saying - I just don't think it matters that much. What matters is that our communities need and deserve good police work - and crap like this is BAD police work.
Seriously, how much better would everyone feel if the officer just said he overreacted to the professor's reaction and just made a mistake himself. Maybe Gates would even come talk to his class...
... but Gates is the one who made racist comments. Why should be talking to a class about racism, when he's the one who assumed the white cop was racist?
Saying the cop's actions stupid does not take away from the fact that the kindly, not a racist Prof. Gates made racist comments.
If Gates had respected the officer's authority, none of this would have happened.
The officer doesn't have authority in Gates' own home, I don't believe.
And Gates, for his part, decided that the officer had forfeited whatever respect was due.
And what, exactly, did Gates say that was racist??
I disagree with your argument, Lyle, for much the same reason that I think 'Political Correctness' was something of a dead end.
Indeed... calling for political correctness in order to protect servants of the state -- this wanders into Orwell's home turf.
Chilling.
They officer's authority extends to basic obedience, to be sure. But we are talking about speech.
We don't have to assume the cop is racist (I certainly don't) nor do we have to assume that Prof Gates ISN'T an arrogant arsehole (i have my own reasons for thinking that he is) to see that Sgt. Crowley is the guy in the wrong here.
Why should anyone have to "respect the officer's authority" in ones own home?
What racist comments did Gates make?
He kept yelling about being questioned because he was black. He interjected race into the dialogue, not the Mr. Crowley. Gates projected racism on to the man without knowing him, and that is racism itself, i.e., racist comments.
Umm, wow. So if I suggest that I am being subjected to sexism, then I am being a sexist? I have brought up discrimination, and thus I am injecting sex into the debate and I must be a sexist? Even if, objectively, sex seems to be an issue because I'm treated differently than men in the same situation.
Gates "injected" race because he thought he was being treated differently as a black man. Statistically the dearth of white professors (and Cambridge has a few) who have had similar experiences suggests he is correct--even if you argue that this particular officer would have acted the same with a white professor, it is clear that for the community as a whole this doesn't happen.
I'm with Sanjuroku. Assume the cop is not a racist and the professor was a jerk; the cop is still in the wrong. Provide that badge number, say "sorry to have bothered you" and leave. Arresting Gates is overkill.
Deborah,
Yeah, you would being sexist if you projected sexism onto someone you knew nothing about or where they were coming from. At the least, definitely a bigot.
And Officer Crowley gave Prof. Gates his information. Gates seems to not have heard him, doesn't remember the officer giving it to him, or he's fibbing the events a bit.
Lyle-
Nobody yet has said the obvious to you, so I will take the bait. I think it would be wise for you to look up the definitions of the words racial, and racist. You are aware that they are two different words with two different meanings. I think this is what is so frustrating about the race discussion, calling someone a racist is not the same as actually being racist. I think Prof. Gates probably overreacted, but at the same time I understand how somebody as accomplished as him would be frustrated and irate over being accused of being a criminal. No doubt there were some heated words exchanged, and I don't think the officer has a track record of false arrests. But at some point, when the situation is clear that no crime has taken place, is it unreasonable to hope that the officer would turn around and leave and let cooler heads prevail? Why escalate the situation and arrest the guy? There was only shouting taking place, and clearly the guy wasn't inciting a riot or threatining violence. The dude walks with a cane for christ sakes!
Like I said, I don't think the cop was racist, at the same time we don't know what words were exchanged between the two. Prof.Gates does not have a history of just throwing out the race issue lightly and for every injustice. But I don't understand how anyone can read that report and not see something wrong with the way the cop handled the situation. Now everyone is bowing up to each other and turning this into a partisian, racial, class, power structured issue where nothing will be gained from it. Hell, it was just a few days ago where TNC was posting about how this seemed to be more of a power trip by the officer. Which it probably was, that's not to say that Gates was coming outta left field for feeling like he was being targeted because of his color. I think Stacy said it best above, had the officer stated he overreacted by arresting Prof. Gates(which he did) I can't help to think this would have been an actual teachable moment on the importance of cooler heads...on both parts. You have to admit that its extreme weaksuace for the Chief to say that this instance provides an oppurtuniy to learn from, yet also say the officer did nothing wrong. This is very reminscent to the NFL player who was pulled over trying to get him and his wife to see his mother-in-law before as she was dying in the hospital. At least that officer didn't arrest the guy, only giving him a ticket. At least the police Chief in that instance had the good sense to come out and say his officer was wrong.
"Saying the cop's actions stupid does not take away from the fact that the kindly, not a racist Prof. Gates made racist comments."
Wrong. You can say that Professor Gates made inflammatory comments, and rushed to judgement about Officer Crowley's motives for treating Professor Gates in a manner that Gates found unwarranted and unfair and disrespectful to Gates's authority as the homeowner, a taxpaying citizen whom Officer Crowley is supposed to serve, and as a prominent member of the institution that serves as the economic and cultural engine of Cambridge. You cannot call them racist, however. Suspecting someone if being a racist is not the equivalent of racism and you know it; you are simply arguing in bad faith when you make stupid equivalencies like that.
Did you ever consider why Gates might have thought Crowley was being racist? Gates was in his own home, not somebody else's, and he had proven his identity as the homeowner. He was tired from his long trip, upset about his front door being jammed, and then annoyed about having to deal with a cop in this situation, especially when the cop didn't pay proper deference to a homeowner who had proven his identity. Gates must have wondered why is this guy still bothering me in my own home? Would someone like Alan Dershowitz have to put up with this crap? I bet he wouldn't, so why do I have to? This reminds me of other times in my life when I have been treated differently in a negative way than my white peers and colleagues, times when racial bias affected how a white person treated me. Maybe this guy is a racist also.
Did Gates misjudge and misevaluate the motives of the arresting officer? Probably, assuming that Crowley indeed practices what he teaches about racial profiling. However, he was right to object the officer's behavior in this situation, even if he was wrong about the officer's motives for his misuse of his police power (sometimes a white cop is simply an asshole for reasons that have little or nothing to do with racial bias).
What racist comment did Gates make?
Saying that you're being treated in a racist manner =/= racism. You're very confused.
Guys,
If you don't get how Prof. Gates made racist comments to the police officer, you just don't get it. I'm probably not going to be able to convince you, but he made racist comments.
Projecting racism onto someone with a statement is racist. Accusing someone of racism when they've done nothing to warrant such comments, that is racist. Prof. Gates made racist comments towards the police officer. That's the truth. It doesn't matter if he was wrong about it or had good reason to say what he said, it was racist.
He doesn't even know the man and he's like "bigoted white cop". Racism!!!
Lyle,
This is the definition of racism:
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
It's not a sin to be wrong, man. I do it all the time. It's not a sin to stop digging.
As they say, those who can't 'do,' teach.
More seriously, it would give some insight on why Gates pushed his buttons in the way he did -- especially if he was proud of his teaching, and had built up a self-image as one of the good guys.
If that's the case, God grant him the humility to walk himself back. And thank God nobody was hurt.
Word! The media is acting like it is impossible for the cop to have behaved appropriately in one situation and inappropriately in another. After all, wasn't the cop who recently tazed the elderly white lady, the same person who was responsible for training fellow cops about "appropriate" use of tasers?
When I've lived in mixed use neighborhoods, I considered businesses in the neighborhood to be neighbors. We often speak or write about a neighborhood business being a good neighbor or a bad neighbor.
I'm not sure why the semantic distinction TNC makes is important. Could TNC or someone explain it to me?
In terms of "she didn't even recognize that guy who lived down the street, her neighbor." A street with two dozen houses and they've both lived there a long time, maybe she should know him at least to recognize. A street full of apartments, where she works, she wouldn't know him.
Now, since I regularly wrestle my front door in the humidity I wouldn't think twice of someone else doing it. But I'm not going to beat up on the caller.
I used to live on the second floor of a building and whenever I locked myself out I would go into the neighbor's yard, climb the fence into our backyard, walk up the back stairs then push open a window of our laundry room that didn't latch properly and climb inside. This all would have been in view of someone from several of the nearby houses and from the street. Probably happened half a dozen times in four years. Either no one saw me that didn't know I lived there or I just lived in an area where people are less likely to call the cops if they see something like that. I think it is the later.
For what it's worth, the guy who took the picture of Gates in handcuffs, yelling, does live nearby but also did not know who Gates was.
Gates apparently has said (in a TV interview with Soledad O'Brien) that he plans to send the 911 caller flowers. Also that if someone's currently breaking into his home, he hopes that she's calling the police right now.
The thing that everyone seems to be overlooking here is a clear case.
1. The police were called to investigate a break in
2. When they arrived Gates (no matter how long it took) gave his ID which showed his address, it was now clear he was home.
3. At this point Gates made it clear he didn't want the officer at his house.
4. Even if there was a break in, Gates asked the officer to leave.
5. If we live in a free society the officer is obligated to leave.
6. Somehow the officer decided he needed to arrest Gates.
No matter what was said this incident should have ended at Gates' home, with the officer leaving. Instead the officer arrested a man that seems to me to be guilty of being at his house and talking "badly" to a cop when asked what he was doing at his house. The problem is that cops have too much power, this cop arrested Gates because he could (in my mind to get even) not to "uphold the peace"
End of story. Obama is right. This cop was abusing his power, he never stated that Gates physically accosted him and therefore he should have simply left. I do agree that this was related to race but in the end the problem is with cops in general and not isolated to blacks, cops can do as they please because they are assumed to be in the right and they abuse their power often.
This isn't the ending or beginning of the story. Prof. Gates made racist comments to the police officer. It much more than, the cop just acted stupidly. The esteemed and kindly Prof. Gates who is not a racist, made racist comments. He assumed from the get go that this cop was a "rogue" cop and had it in for Gates because Gates is black.
Gates was wrong in his judgement. Nothing about this guy says "rogue" or "racist". Yet Prof. Gates can get away with belittling this officer's character because he is some esteemed, African-American intellectual.
It's so much more than the cop should have just let the angry black man be. Gates is now going to try and profit and build on his intellectual calling because of this. As nice and accomplished a man as he is, he's no more prepared to talk on race than anybody else is, including officer Crowley who probably knows things Prof. Gates doesn't even know.
Lyle,
It doesn't matter whether Sgt. Crowley is a racist or not (I don't think he is).
It doesn't matter whether Prof Gates is an arrogant prick (I personally think he is).
The fact is we all have a right to be arrogant pricks in OUR OWN HOMES! We have a right to be arrogant and racist in our homes WITHOUT police harassment.
I'm sorry, but its not. "Leave the angry black man be" was exactly what this cop needed to do.
Man, I have to disagree. I think being disrespectful to cops is wrong and asking for it. It's shameful to demean any human being, especially because of the job they're doing.
Furthermore, the police officer did not "harass" Prof. Gates in his home. He was investigating a possible break in and asking Prof. Gates questions. That's not harassment, I think.
Being disrespectful to a cop means you are asking for it? Asking for what? To be arrested for a non-crime? That's insane. Being disrespectful to a cop may be 'wrong' in the sense that not tipping your server is 'wrong.' But it does not mean that you are asking to be arrested for bullshit.
No one said the cop 'harassed' Mr. Gates for coming to his home to investigate a possible break in. He harassed him by not leaving and asking him to step outside after Gates proved it was his home.
The cop's ego was hurt and he wanted to teach this asshole a lesson. He made a mistake. Mr. Gates made a mistake by assuming he was a racist.
Being arrested for something that is not a crime is not harassment?
I guess we are getting nowhere here. Its obvious we aren't going to convince each other of anything.
And that pretty much sums our fundamental difference.
I pay the guys salary, he has the power of life and death over me.
The restraint HAS to come from his end, and that seems so obvious to me that I don't know how to communicate it any better.
Gates was right. Crowley lured him outside to arrest him. That was cold and calculating and he still failed as even in public Gates committed no crime. Police work for us, not the other way around.
I wasn't going to comment on the Gates' arrest, dropped charges, cops and their over-arching dominion, until "40-year-old Lucia Whalen of Malden" came up. It seems to me that a discussion of who called the cops, and what she might or might not have said, etc., is creating a circus of what is a de minimuslegalistic event, e.g., disorderly conduct, dropped charges, stupid, apologize, support the police, etc. There are bigger mountains to die on.
I don't know the facts of this incident anymore than any pundit, president, poster, or anyone who assumes/presumes to extrapolate anything from the arrest. The attention mocks the daily events of unwarranted police violence against minorities across the United States. There is ample factual evidence for that assertion, as posters here have pointed out.
The reality is that police have weapons and are supported by a powerful judicial system. When I was young and stupid, I used to argue with police about small things. It got me arrested, beaten up, and driven out of my small boyhood town. I was never convicted of anything, was ACD'd a couple of times, but as time went by I learned that yelling at cops, no matter where, or when, was unwise. It doesn't matter if they want to talk to me in my bathroom while I'm taking a dump.
I think it is folly to argue with cops. Gates should have known that, if he did argue or yell at them. But, no one I know or have read about, other than Gates or Crowley, has any first hand knowledge of the event. And, for some odd reason, even they don't agree. Whatever happened, with all the contradictions out there, it's not even a small deal, it's no deal.
As Billy Preston sang, "Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'" [apologies to BP].
That's all folks.
All fair points... but it is worth emphasizing because we tend to forget:
What's best for the individual may not be best for the society.
Gates may have been stupid, but his actions didn't reflect on a sponsoring institution. We can judge the individual morality of Crowley v. Gates in any way we wish.
But more important for us, Crowley was wearing a uniform paid for by the city of Cambridge and acting on 'our' behalf. He should be liable to be called to account for those actions taken in our name.
Carrington, I agree that "What's best for the individual may not be best for the society." There are many times that those interests are congruent, however.
It makes no sense to antagonize the state sponsored, armed, and supported police over a small matter. A Gates lawsuit would have been far better for both the individual and society. It seems that Gates is not pursuing that avenue. Too bad. It would have made a good case, and pushed the CPD to answer for any alledged criminal behavior.
As Dredd suggests, flying back from China, changing planes in Newark, landing at Logan, driving home, and finding the door to your home Locked, doesn't put you in a good mood. Maybe the cop was lucky just to be yelled out...
Exactly. People seem to be arguing who was the bigger dickhead here. That is totally irrelevant!
One is a civilian, who has the right to be a dickhead in his own home. The other is a public servant, with the power to arrest, physically hurt, and even kill.
Good that you pointed out one of the "false-facts" about the matter.
Gates had been driven home by a guy from a car rental place, after turning in his rental car.
He had been to China working on a documentary, and had a long trip back, was tired, and older fellow who found his front door had been damaged while he was away.
It was damaged such that his key did not work. He went to the back door and it opened with the key.
He asked the guy with him to help open the damaged front door so the luggage could be carried in by the other fellow.
The call to the police happened. When asked Gates produced ID to show he owned the house.
His being upset at the entire matter was misinterpreted by the police sergeant as hostility toward the officer evidently, who then repeatedly tried to get Gates to the front porch, which is a "public place", where he could charge him.
Gates had done nothing wrong and this was an abuse of police power and the officer should be sanctioned accordingly.
I just remembered something. When I was about 17 I was out drinking and toking until the early morning hours, so I didn't want my father to know, because he would have killed me. So, I pried up a window in the back, and after about 10 minutes got it up high enough to squeeze in. Home free.
Not quite. As I was half in the house, a shot rang out and the glass window just above me shattered into a million pieces. I looked up, not knowing wtf happened, and there was my old man, holding his .25 caliber pistola with a shit eating look on his face. He kept fookin' with me until I was 19 when I could beat him up. Then he left me alone for good.
But he wasn't a cop.
Your father sounds crazy/awesome.
It was slightly surreal to read about the original arrest on TNC's blog, to follow the discussion (which swam through race, cops, prejudice, racism, elitism, et al.), and then to mention it in conversations with friends, who have no idea what I'm talking about... Only to find when the President forcefully comments on the situation and it's non-stop "cable catnip," all of a sudden my friends know what I'm referencing.
You (and your blog) ahead of the curve, TNC. WTG.
Also, is it just me, or does the media get lazy in the summertime? Feels like they can only handle one or two story lines and most of those are quite weak to begin with. This summer: Obama's failing healthcare (and now maybe, Obama hates cops/whites?) Previous summers: Obama's just like Paris Hilton, Imus hates the black Rutgers girls, Who killed Chandra Levy?, John Kerry likes windsurfing... I can't provide more examples off the top of my head, but I feel like it's this way every summer. Anyone agree?
(Slightly) OT:
Regarding the comment above, I did a Google search to find out about "summer media story lines," looking for articles that supported, muddled/did nothing,or disproved my thoughts.
And from that Google search, this is what I came across (and here is where the OT comes across): August 26, 2008: regarding the "financial crisis": before Obama's speech, before the Palin pick, before the "Lehman Brother's meltdown," pre-Obama's win, & pre-Geinther pick: OMG.
Read this:
OMG, This reminds me of the punishment for people that got the Iraq War wrong... oh yeah, Nevermind!
There should be a whole thread devoted to furrying out these bad "reporters." I agree, you can get one or two or three wrong here or there... What I disagree with is the people who get it wrong, and wrong, and wrong, and wrong, and are paid REALLY high salaries.
I would agree if you said the media is lazy all the time. I don't think it's confined to summer!
I have real conflicts with this story the more I think about it.
I keep hearing that if Gates was white, he wouldn't have been arrested (or at least less likely). But the real opposite scenario is this:
what would be people's reactions if a white Harvard professor mouthed off to a black cop (including, possibly, insulting the black officer's mother), in his house or on the porch? Would the same people claiming Gates has a right to be a jerk to a cop still feel that way if it was Larry Summers insulting some black guy just trying to make a living for him and his family? Or would the reaction be that the white prof who got hauled in deserved it?
I honestly don't know. Just trying to think it through. Don't have all the answers.
I don't know how many black cops Cambridge has. But white college professors who can be arrogant pricks if ticked off, there's no shortage. So I think, just statistically, this has happened before (cop investigates minor call, prof is flabbergasted that he could be a suspect and gets rude) without the prof being arrested.
Fair hypothetical, I think. I certainly think the reaction here would be slightly different, but that has to do with the history of this country.
Oh boy, what we have here is lots of people ranting based on the chip on their own shoulder in one of those situations that is nothing but a clusterfuck of foolishness.
The racism here appears to be entirely on the part of Gates. I've been locked out of my house and had to break in once or twice over the forty years I've been around. Of course it happened first when I was a teenager and my parents locked me out figuring they'd catch me sneaking in. They didn't but the old lady next door saw somebody and the cops showed up. Fortunately it was after I'd brushed my teeth and wolfed down a sandwich or two and get rid of the booze smell.
But anyhow anytime I've been in that situation I always think about the eventuality of the cops maybe showing up if somebody seeing it didn't recognize me. That's the most logical conclusion to come to if they do show up and start grilling me. Going right to the assumption that they are doing only harassing you because their skin color is not the same as yours IS the definition of racism. And yes I know all about the history and experience. Coming to a stupid, illogical racial conclusion based on your cultural experience is no better for an elite Harvard Professor who struggled up than a redneck who grew up on the wrong side of town getting beat up by gang-banger wannabees.
Of course just like I've said when its a dumb cracker with rebel flags all over the trailer mouthing off being an obnoxious racist is not grounds for arrest. That was just a temper tantrum on their part and a particularly stupid one.
So any of you jumping in feet first, are you more irritated with ranting buffoons who scream prejudice at everything or our history of institutionalized racism?
Well based on the facst they are both entirely beside the point here. These situations happen all the time between cops and civilians of all shades and colors and from all walks of life. A loud mouthed holier than thou asshole having a bad day decides to pass it on to the cops. They get pissed and cuff him and arrest him for no good reason.
Just how is this exceptional enough to be the subject of all the ink spilled right now? How many times a day in America does this happen with some mullet headed loser without comment from anybody?
On that note let me add reporters and talking heads who think that this was a question worth bothering the POTUS with during an important policy talk to the list of racially motivated along with Gates and all the other ranters.
I mean really, "Lets ask Obama, he's black" and "this is important because he's the first black president".
Please, how transparent.
Show me an instance where a rich white person was arrested under similar circumstances.
I know plenty of white people who have been verbally abusive to police, in public, and have not been arrested.
The arrest was unwarranted as no law had been broken. Therefore it was a false arrest.
As Gates was most certainly aware that he had committed no crime claiming that he was being harassed because of his race isn't racist, it's common sense.
"Show me an instance where a rich white person was arrested under similar circumstances."
Sorry, Jay. I can't send you a link, but if you don't think rich white people get arrested for berating cops, then you've been missing out.
I'm white, and I've been falsely arrested for something more ridiculous than what happened with Gates. You will not convince white people that this crap doesn't happen to them when the first hand accounts are numerous. Cops treat most people like shit unless they kiss the badge. Period.
Wait: A Harvard professor is accused of being arrogant? Really? I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
That aside, and from all the attention this incident has drawn, I come down on the side of believing that this is more about an officer who decided his personal authority was being challenged, and that it was less about race than about him being offended and over reacting.
Gates sounds like a typical professor to me, though. I work at a big U. and this sort of "I am the center of the universe" mentality is pretty common. And as someone observed above, this feels like a typical clash of class. The racial component is there, of course, but this sort of thing happens all the time. It just isn't subject of a question at a presidential press conference very often, that's all. And we all know why that is.
And I agree with one poster above: while I often do stupid things, I am not stupid enough to admit it very often.
Carry on.
"So I think, just statistically, this has happened before (cop investigates minor call, prof is flabbergasted that he could be a suspect and gets rude) without the prof being arrested"
And statistically lots of times many different sorts of people have been arrested for mouthing of to cops. As Marc Ambider points out over on his blog its particularly classic for elite know it all college kids.
Sorry, the racist here is Gates.
"what would be people's reactions if a white Harvard professor mouthed off to a black cop "
In the exact same circumstances personally I would have the very same "he's a racist asshole but why is that grounds for arrest?"
Of course I'm scratching my head trying to come up with a time reporters thought it was important to ask the white president about the white guy getting arrested for mouthing off to cops. I don't think they even went there with Bill Clinton.
It's racist for a black person to call a false arrest by a white cop racist when cops disproportionately arrest black people on false charges?
Please expand on that thought.
I don't necessarily disagree with you, Jay, but let's not distort the facts. He accused him of being racist before the cuffs were ever put on him.
At least according to the police report's side of things, Gates was yelling racism from the time the officer asked for ID.
"Show me an instance where a rich white person was arrested under similar circumstances."
A guy I knew in college with the last name "Forbes" got arrested breaking into his parents summer home and being total asshole when the cops showed up. My daughters boyfriend with the wealthy architect father got arrested for being an obnoxious jerk after he got pulled over going 105mph on the freeway. It happens all the time everywhere between all kinds of different people who think their shit doesn't stink and cranky cops who think everyone stinks.
"The arrest was unwarranted as no law had been broken. Therefore it was a false arrest."
Yes, and it happens a lot. Yawn.
"As Gates was most certainly aware that he had committed no crime claiming"
He was arrested for going off like a paranoid lunatic claiming that the cops were only there because they weren't black like him.
Sorry, that's racist period. Its a stupid, illogical conclusion based on erroneous racial assumptions in a situation where the most obvious conclusion is that someone way somebody trying to break into a house.
AhYup: You do realize that breaking into someone's home, even your parents' home, is breaking the law, right? In addition, going 105 mph on the freeway is breaking the law. And yes, cops can take you to jail for speeding, even if they normally wouldn't. The differences between the examples you cite and Gates is that he was not breaking the law and he was in his own home. Those differences are not insignificant.
I'm sure some white person some where has gotten arrested for mouthing off to the cops before, but the examples you cite are not good ones.
Once, when I was about 11 years old, I saw a (white) guy using a crowbar to get into a neighbor's house. My parents weren't home, so I called my friend's mom, who called the police. Turns out that it was really my neighbor, who worked in construction (hence, the crowbar), who had been locked out of his house. I know that the Gates story is completely different (no crowbar...), but I wouldn't blame the woman for calling about what looked like someone messing with the lock. I do, however, blame the cop, for dealing with the situation in every wrong way. The incident with my neighbor ended up with a full explanation and everyone going on their way, and probably some friendly laughs. There is no reason why the incident with Gates should have ended with an arrest and jail-time.
"There is no reason why the incident with Gates should have ended with an arrest and jail-time. "
Indeed. But growing up white trash I can't count the number of times I saw white fools bringing trouble on themselves by mouthing off to irritable cops. It happens all the time.
No, they had no good reason to arrest him. But he was still being a racist asshole.
I'm reminded more than anything of all those times I've heard of some paranoid white supremacists getting hauled off to jail for nothing more than pissing cops off going on and on like a paranoid lunatic when they showed up on their property for something completely unrelated to their hysterical fears.
We've heard a lot more about the ones where the paranoid guy starts shooting but cases like this big and small happen a lot. Most of the time I've heard about an older upper class white guy getting hauled off after going off on cops like Gets did it involves road rage in their fancy mid-life crisis car. But still there is nothing exceptional here but Gate's flair for self promotion.
Professor Gates does not need this for self-promotion. His career has done that for him.
I'm surprised more right-wing gun nuts have not taken this up as their cause--the police state invading a private home. If only Dr. Gates had been a redneck in a trailer park in Texas.
Let's be clear abut one thing here. Every time that the police arrive at a scene their lives are in danger. Police get shot/stabbed over everything and nothing. So their 1st order of business is to secure the scene which means to get everyone out in the open where nothing sneaky/dangerous can happen. That's why they want to see your hands for instance at traffic stops and may even ask you to step out of the car. In the account that I heard by Gates' rep. Gates not only refused to step out into the open but he went back into his house, out of sight of the officer, who to Gates' "surprise" followed him. If this is how it went down than this is more to the point of Gates' offense than anything that he could have said. Your 'right' to be free of being hassled in your house, which in these circumstances of a call being made doesn't exist, does not trump the safety of a police-person. Now should a cop be able to adjust to such a possible threat and get back to the business at hand when it becomes clear that things are ok, yes, and this is why back up is helpful to defuse such tensions. But the threat of violence goes both ways in these circumsatnces and so compliance with police procedure doesn't trump civil rights but it is a serious competing interest.
The cop going into the house alone completely belies the "his life might be in danger" argument; if he thought that, he would have waited for backup.
that doesn't add up, cops make these kinds of risky on the fly choices all the time. again for cops there are no "safe" calls.
Really, the fact that she works for Harvard Magazine (which you didn't mention here, but I've read elsewhere) makes the fact that she didn't recognize him more bothersome to me than if she had been a neighbor.
I live in a town that borders Cambridge. I previously lived in a different town that borders Cambridge. Other than the people upstairs at my previous apartment, who I already knew (they were former dormmates of mine), I sure didn't know any of my neighbors in either case. I wouldn't recognize any of them if I ran into them on the street. I wouldn't be able to pick any of them out of a lineup. Almost everyone I know living in Cambridge/Somerville/Arlington/Medford is in the same situation with their neighbors. People around here don't know or recognize each other just because they live on the same street or block. I didn't get the whole "OMG, how could his neighbor have not recognized him?! This is clear evidence that she's racist!" thing.
But with the information that she's not a neighbor, but an employee (with a reasonably high-profile job) of Harvard Magazine...you have a fairly high-profile for your institution's magazine, and you don't recognize one of your institution's most famous figures? I mean, this is not clear evidence of anything either, she might have just not gotten a good view of him. Or she might be bad at remembering faces. But it seems a LOT stranger to me, at least in a Cambridge context, than not recognizing a neighbor.
Oh, and also, to provide a bit more local context: With the quality of the doors and locks on many houses around here, I wouldn't think anything of someone struggling with a door unless they were exhibiting some sort of additional suspicious behavior. I was constantly struggling with the door at my old place.