Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 07/23/09
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The one question I want answered regarding police procedure is this: Once a man shows you his I.D. that he is the resident and no one else is in the home for him to threaten, shouldn't the police just leave. Even if the person is verbally upset, but not threatening the police officer, shouldn't the police leave? What was the "correct procedure" that the Cambridge police followed with Dr. Gates?
@Joe, Once Gates continued his abuse and tirade outside it become disorderly conduct. As long as he was in the privacy of his home he could say what he wanted. By the way, according to the police report he could have been charged with resisting arrest too.
Gates was at fault because he was "fussing"? The man was in his own house!!! The officer should have just left him alone.
I don't think he's a racist, I think he lost his temper because Gates got on his nerves because he felt Gates should have been grateful. Maybe it's just best to shut up and file a complaint later.
As a human being period, I have been mistreated by rude/arrogant officers,
My dad always said"color is only skin deep" Its what you make of your life is how you should be graded. Careing for each other is #1
I believe that if neighbors get to know who their neighbors are, a call to the police would not have taken place when the professor was trying to get into his home.
People of color are profiled and discriminated daily... professor's Gates situation has just enhanced this
Walter Cronkit had a passion for the news and the places it took history.
I have respect for police officers, but the police officer in the Gates case should have just apologized on the scene and left the property.
I understand why Professor Gates was upset – he was a suspect in his own home. Forget where Dr. Boyce is trying to take this. The average citizen would be upset .... Citizens should be able to voice their opinion in the presence of police officers without the fear of being arrested. So what if it was a war of words.
We should be real and acknowledge that racial profiling exist when we as African American appear to be in places where police officers and others believe we do not belong.
You can not blame the cop... he was just doing his job. I think Skip provoked the cop.
Although I do not know Gates personally and just through a friend, I think that people should realize that this man is no angel. Gates walks around with a sense of pompous entitlement and arrogance that was bound to get him into trouble-case in point, disorderly conduct. People are also forgetting that he was not arrested for breaking and entering but rather for disorderly conduct. If he was yelling loud enough when the officer was attempting to give his identification, I am not surprised he did not hear him.
I was a police officer for almost 20 years in a large city. On more than one occasion, I was said to be racially profiling African Americans and I'm an African American myself. Gates arrest was not associated with burglary. He was arrested for causing a disturbance. Having the right circumstances present, anyone can be arrested in their own home.
Anyone would be set off or upset if they are at there home and after proving they belong, an officer is treating them like a criminal. While the officer's job was to investigate, once the proof was given, he should have stepped off. I feel that the officer was trying to throw his weight and prove that he was the boss, even though he is not boss. Right is right and wrong is wrong.
Did it ever occur to anyone that the professor became vocal and out of hand when asked for identification? Why does everything turn out to be a racist situation? Racism works two ways, and maybe the professor was being racist because a white police officer was questioning him
I am a black female in Mississippi. What happened with common sense in just taking a look around the residence of the Profeesors home and "maybe" photos, plaques, mail etc. would have clued the officer in that the Professor was indeed the homeowner. It is so hard to believe that the officer does not believe that an apology is due when 2 id's were presented. Given the professor may have been irrate, but think about how many of us (american citizens) would not have been if we were not in the same situation.
Regarding the Harvard professor who was arrested, I' ve noticed that stress is placed on Harvard professor. Black people deal with situation similar to this or worse everday but it doesn't raise a question until is happens to an affluent black person. Now the media wants to use this situation as a postal case for rasical profiling.
But there was witnesses who are they? and what they say?
Professor Gates is an intelligent man. He should have co-operated with the police. I am not saying there are not problems, but sometimes we make issues which are not there. Why did the professor become offensive. Why did the police feel he had to arrest the Professor. Blacks are not above the law of the land. We have to learn how to work with the police without getting all emotional and out of control.
What is not being addressed is what was the crime? Why do we seem to take for granted that the police can arrest you for merely pissing them off? There does not seem to be any justification for an arrest. The officer just said " okay you are getting on my nerve, I don't care if this is your house, because you are now annoying me you are now under arrest. That the point that people should be looking at. The police are public servant not our disciplinarians.
I enjoyed the portions of the second part of Black in America I saw...Tyler perry was featured...cool
I agree Kathy. After Gates showed ID the cop should have spoken with the neighbor that placed the call. 911 operators always ask for a description.
One day the police are going to be afraid to stop a black because of incidents like this and that person may end up being a criminal and harming someone. Do we want our law enforcement officials to be afraid to do their jobs?
Just like we should not tolerate racial profiling, we should not tolerate those who would use the race card as a weapon.
I live in the Bahamas and don’t see racial discrimination at all; but after watching CNN about the professor this is a clear case of racial discrimination.
I think the police was doing his job if Professor Gates was out of control that the office had a right to do his job. We can't call every thing racist.
It often interests me when an african-american male will defend the actions particularly of white males, considering the oppression of the past. I want to feel that I'm not racist, but then even I question me sometimes...I ask have we really been set free...if so, why would a black man be arrested in his own home?
The question the officer needs to ask in his self-evaluation would anything have been done differently in terms of the action he took if the person in question was white. As a white person how comfortable would you feel with being arrested in your own home after providing proof you reside there. If this is standard operating procedure perhaps the standard needs to make more sense, especially if the person is no threat to anyone in the house.
We dont really know what took place within Mr.Gates home...which makes this so difficult to judge.....what can be said is 'its a difficult situation to have someone with such power and feel power-less'...my question would be 'how often does a person feel such a way and how does one react to such a situation'??
When you are in your home and you give the officer you id that shows that you live, there that should be the end. It should be. However, sometimes emotions get involved. We never know what we would say if someone invades our home with some asinine idea that wedon't belong there. I'm sorry but I don't believe that this happens to white people...
The arrest of professor Gates may not have started as racial profiling but his treatment would have likely been different if he were a white older man. The thing that makes it worse is the officers attitude when stating he will not apologize. He would have been better to state that he did nothing wrong; just followed procedure.
AC you asked a great one. Couldn't the cop have just left after being inform that the person was the home onwer
What person would not be upset when your are charged with breaking into your own home? When he told the cops that was his home and provided proof, the only statement by the cop should have been, "we are sorry, we had a report of a break in – thank you and have a nice evening". All of the stats of ex-boyfriends do not outweigh common sense.
The 2nd half of Black in America was good too. I especially like the Tyler Perry bit. Worth a Watch.
wasn't there a black cop in the arresting video , wouldn't he know if it was racially motivated??????
I have to agree with Mr. Watkins on his counter to Mr. Martin. We cannot make Gates, as distinguished as he may be, project himself as the poster child for racial profiling. I think that the cop made a mistake, but followed procedure. He may have arrested him because of the energy and tension associated with the event.
@ Anderson
Yes, I agree with you.
It is knowing who is telling the truth and who is the reason. 🙂
In regards to the black officer present...he's in a tough spot. If he chooses to support Gates's accusation he'll be blackballed from every police station from here to Calamazoo...he's stuck dead center between being black AND blue.
The case of Dr. Gates may not be racial profiling, but the officer did not use his discretionary powers, there is a documented history of the Mass. police having a negative relationship with people of color, this is where the fuzziness of the events comes in.
Why is it so difficult to believe that racial profiling exist? If Dr. Gates were a white professor, with the same set of circumstances, would the neighbor have called the police. Moreover, would the police have made an arrest for disorderly conduct? I think if it were two white men and a white officer, this situation would have played out very differently.
Racial profiling is a major issue in this country. Why is it when a black man is pulled over in the suburbs five police cars arrive at the seen?
Just be mindful the COP should have ran the Professor name through the national database to see if he had any type on police matter on file. Therefore Mr. Boyce statement about the cop might have thought he was breaking into his own home is very shadow
I feel that it has become so common in America for police to question, detain, and arrest black men without cause in many situations that most people are split as to if this was just cause or racial profiling
Savannah, ga
Although racial profiling has been banned in several states, it's a very difficult accusation to prove. Unfortunately, this case rest with two people's word that will never coincide with each other.
Should Mr. Gates let it go?
Professor Gates has lived a long life and has probably seen many things in regards to race over his years. He has also probably seen many incidences in the Cambridge area where Blacks are wrongly accused by those sworn to protect and serve (all regardless of race). Before condemning him and his possible actions, Americans of all races need to be more understanding of a man of Professor Gates years and experiences as a Black man in the U.S.
It's that old adage, Anderson. There are three sides to any story, his side, your side, and the truth.
Finally,to hear someone say that the policeman may have been profiled. Profiling exists,most definitely,and white people are profiled,too. I don't understand why Mr. Gates jumped to the conclusion he was being profiled when asked for his ID. If anyone,including myself,was using their shoulder to push in my front door,the police are welcome to come here and ask for an ID. Please.do.
There is a root cause for racial discrimination and sterotypes. I don't hear anyone talking about why these sterotypes exist. That's the real conversation, and what accountabilty should exist to overcome these sterotypes.
...the fact is... race has always been an undying issue in the united states..the cop clearly arrested the professor because of his skin colour, i mean common people! its an obvious case of racial bias.
this is stupid cos a woman once said do not use racisim as an exuce 4 everyhiing so i believe dat cop was doing his job tho am black
I totally agree with Rowland Martin that there are two perspectives to the Prof Henry Gates story. The argument that the officer involved is a trainer in racial profiling doesn't wash with me at all. While I am not contending that the cop was racist in his encounter with Dr. Gates, it is a truism that you can teach or espouse a concept that you do not really practice in your own life. So let's be realistic as we analyze this unfortunate incident.