Sharpton Vows To Crusade For Harvard Prof Gates

Some folks say Gates was calm but Gates never actually says he acted calmly and that seems to suggest even Gates knows he was wigging out. I'd side with Gates more if he hadnt had a big hissy fit right from the start of things.

If you want the other side of the story and not the daytime TV show side...

READ THE POLICE REPORT HERE:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html

When asked by Crowley to speak with him outside the residence, Gates replied, "ya, I'll speak with your mama outside."

Read the police report at the smoking gun.

I could absolutely see Gates saying the things the officer wrote about in the report. "I'll talk to your mama outside!" That sounds like something a hoodrat would say.

Gates appears to be real racist here. He clearly has a problem with white people and his comments towards the officer are appalling (He said "you don't know who you're messing with"?)

This incident also says a lot about Gates' relationship with his white neighbors, or more like the lack thereof. It's the ultimate case of the kettle calling the pot black (seriously, no pun intended.)

The arresting officer has nothing but praise from fellow officers (black & white), performed CPR on Reggie Lewis (a black man) and was even hand-picked to teach a course about racial profiling.

It seems like once again, Obama is speaking about something he knows nothing of; the number of states in the USA, what P/E means, Israel, etc.

the cops are fucking out of control these days. if gates was a columbia professor trying to get into his UWS apartment, the NYPD probably would have shot him on-site and made up a story about gates charging them with a knife later.

fuck the po-leece, 2009.

And the President gave a major address tonight. Headline on CNN.Com : That the cops "stupidly" arrested Gates. Sad to say, but business as usual continues. Hundreds of years ago, Machaivelli, in his "Discourses", laid out the function of politicians in the U.S. Although I am vehemently non-party, it appears we will continue for many years in a quagmire of diversion. The party tools will prosper, progress will founder, we will all be worse off, and it is quite the shame. Very sad.

Prof. Gates this evening has stated that he will keep this issue alive. He obviously feels that his little hissy-fit with a local gendarme is so much more important that everything else that is happening in this country. The healthcare debate, the economy, the war in Afghanistan, heroin surging in the US, the deterioration of the inner-cities with its impact upon all. No better than Rev Al, he does us all a disservice in his protected-status self-centeredness. Harvard or not, he is a wonderful example of why there will never be racial harmony. He thrives upon the hate and bigotry of himself and others. MLK he is not. Gandhi he is not. Rosa he is not. Just another race-baiting POS who interferes with us all getting along.

Exactly. Memo to cops: if someone uses all three names or a hyphenated name, you just might be dealing with an arrogant jerk. Cuff away.

and Harvard thought that Cornell West was a liability! ha!

And being a dick should not be an arrestable offense. Most of the time when cops arrest somebody for 'disorderly conduct' and no other associated charge, it's harassment, pure and simple. Whatever Professor Gates said, the cop was being a vindictive prick and should have disengaged.

You can always count on Sharpton to set back race relations. Thanks Al!

I bet the neighbor doesn't like him and did it as a prank.

Sharpton Vows To Crusade For Harvard Prof Gates

Blacks should make a light similar to the Bat Light used to summon Batman only put a stencil of fat Albert with his bouffant hairdo over it. "What's that up in the sky? Oh, that's the Al Sharpton summoning beacon! Someone with lots of melanin must be in distress."

racism stories attract the dumbest commentators... in droves.

The guy was stopped because it looked very much like he was breaking into the house, not because the guy is black.

So, now if the cops see someone trying to pry open somebody's door they are supposed to ignore it if the person doing it is black?

I don't think anyone asserted that should be the behavior of the police.

agree, I don't think the police presence is "wrong" as much as the arrest. The police disregarded the proof of property this guy presented of having all rights of being there; proof that made their "case" non existent.

Valeribo is a fool, he should at least read the article and know the facts before he spews his nonsense. He should use his mind but he lacks one obviously.

THIS is what you contribute to the comments? I'm flattered you started right up on me. You are my biggest fan!

What does it say that this post has 12 comments on Bostonist, but more than 60 here, other than that Gothamist is the flagship property?

something like this happened to Dee Brown.

and you'd think the lady calling it in would know who prof gates was and where he lives.

what's this lady's name again? whelan??

EVERBODY ALWAYS lies in these types of situations. Cops. Harvard professors. Never an absolute, complete lie, but, you know, just the inconveeeeeeeenient parts.

"I wonder what Gates thinks about Sharpton in general."

"Don't come up here and ruin my street cred."

- Gates

"Don't come down here and ruin mine."

-Reverend Al

Henry Louis Gates' chip on his shoulder is enormous and a bit sad too. I suspect with no proof that he's the one lying here and not the cop. I love how Harvard made it all go away as fast as possible.

terrible situation! The neighbor's actions were misleading by her/his own ignorance. The police overacted with no real case, and the man was in his right to feel abused!

I do think the police owe him a BIG apology!

Police are not above people's rights!

Sharpton is simply offering unrequested help whenever, looking simply opportunist; Not strategic moves.

Hey, whatever gets him out of town.

Did he have on his doo-rag and Timbs at the time in question?

The civil rights movement has come to an end when they are combating minor inconveniences in the name of racism.

"they"? as in "those people"? how dare you! racist alert!

c'mon the guy was acting rather suspiciously. anyone under these circumstances should have been detained/arrested.

Again, he wasn't arrested because he was suspected of breaking and entering. Both Gates' account and the police report agree that Gates had already proved that he was the resident of the house.

You are forgetting why the officer was there to begin with. You can't just ignore that!

"The officer indicated that he was responding to a 911 call about a breaking and entering in progress at this address."

And you can't ignore that Gates proved his identity and residence to the officer, a fact agreed on by both Gates and the police report.

Says Gates.

it is obvious that he show the officer proof of his residence otherwise Gates would have been arrested for breaking and entering.

HAHA! valeriob and longacre owned. Idiots.

100% Idiots.

And the officer CLEARLY wasn't on a vegan diet, so he's just a prick with a badge. Right Felix, buddy?

you are in dire need of a mind since you spew so many idiotic comments. LEARN TO READ PROPERLY. Gates had his keys and he showed his IDs, these are facts undisputed. No one stated the officer shouldn't respond to the call. THE ISSUE is whether Gates was arrested for being black or for being disrespectful to the officer. I think that the officer shouldn't have arrested Gates even if he was disrespectful since Gates was in his home. Gates was probably upset that he was mistaken for a burglar and lost his cool. The officer didn't do anything wrong and responded to the call and should have let the matter go. Instead he arrested him and now the issue is blown up.

But I want to know more about the supposed health benefits of a vegan diet. Eating meat is sooo 50,000,000 BC!

xoxo felix and valeriob bffe

you are so uneducated that I won't respond to you anymore. The oldest known hominid, or humanlike species, has been dated at 4.4 million years old. Another species, which is yet to be confirmed as a hominid, has been dated at 6 million years old. Scientists estimate that the hominid lineage diverged from the ape lineage 5 to 8 million years ago. So how is it 50 millions ago???????

That's right, because no species ate meat during the Mesozoic era. They were all vegan! Rawr!

Can we still be bff's?

Hey asshole, next time bring your keys and have some respect for authority who were called to investigate.

If someone were really breaking into your house you'd want them to be questioned by police too, wouldn't you?

You weren't arrested because you are black. You were arrested because you looked like you were breaking into a house. You are not above the law you piece of shit.

So it's against the law to appear to be breaking into your own house?

It only looks like it's against the law. It gets worse when you call a cop a racist for accusing you of doing exactly what it looks like you were doing. Refusing to provide identification doesn't help. Oh, and saying "do you know who I am" definitely doesn't work.

This guy is a washed up closet racist who just wants you and I to know that he had a successful career. Now we do. You are welcome, Gates.

Now I know for certain that you're merely a troll trying to spread lies.

Show me anywhere in either Gates' account or the police report where it says Gates refused to show his identification. Go ahead, we're all waiting.

I know why I've skipped over your comments before.

Right here:

"When Sgt. James Crowley arrived, he said Gates already was inside. But when he was asked to provide identification, Gates allegedly snapped, “No, I will not!”

I want to know the exact source of that line, not just that the Boston Herald quoted it. Corroboration by witnesses is essential. It sure wasn't in the statement from Gates' lawyer, who wrote that Gates immediately turned and headed for the kitchen for his wallet when asked for ID. Of course, if it came from the police report, it absolutely must be the unvarnished truth, because we all know that police would never lie on such reports. *cough* Patrick Pogan *cough*

Alright, I'll stand corrected.

But regardless of those allegations, he proved his residence to the officer.

I will say this for the last time: His arrest had nothing to do with whether or not he was suspected as a burglar.

I get tickled by this "respect ma authoritie!" business. Failing to be polite and respectful to a police officer is rude and socially unacceptable. (Just as it is rude and socially unacceptable for a police officer to fail to be polite.) But...does being a dick violate the law? Not in the good old US of A.

If he was a dick AND he did something that violated an actual law (and not this "disorderly conduct" bullshit), then he should be arrested. But if he was just being a dick...well, don't invite him to your next dinner party. We're all grown-ups here -- we should be able to take rudeness without resorting to arrest to get rid of the big, name-calling meanie.

Where this all crosses the line is where the officer arrests him for, as far as I can tell, just being a dick. Being a dick is, fortunately for many of us here, not illegal. Now, your view is that this'll teach him a lesson. But "teaching you a lesson" is explicitly not the job of the police -- the police are guardians of the law, not super-citizens out there acting like parents. It's too bad this professor apparently doesn't know how to behave in polite society -- but until he breaks a law, it's his parents' job to deal with that, not the cops'.

"Hey asshole", why don't you read what actually happened then make an informed comment on the situation.

Hey asshole #3: just because he's "an esteemed Harvard scholar" (a point repeated every two seconds in every report I've seen about this incident) does not mean he's not a liar.

What did I miss jibbly? The part where Gates immediately pulled the race card, or the part where the cops did nothing wrong?

1) You wrote: Hey asshole, next time bring your keys and have some respect for authority who were called to investigate.

All accounts and police reports agree that Gates had his keys, found his front door damaged and unable to be opened easily so entered through the rear door. He and his driver managed to pry open the front door and brought in his luggage. Gates showed respect for the law by providing Officer Crowley with appropriate identification.

2) What you wrote: If someone were really breaking into your house you'd want them to be questioned by police too, wouldn't you?

Straw man argument, but I'll bite - yeah, no shit, Sherlock. This controversy is about why Gates was arrested.

3) What you wrote: You weren't arrested because you are black. You were arrested because you looked like you were breaking into a house.

No, he wasn't arrested for being black nor because he looked like he was breaking into a house. He was arrested for "disorderly conduct", a charge that was ultimately dropped.

4) You wrote: You are not above the law you piece of shit.

No, he never claimed to be above the law. In fact he followed the law and proved his residence to the police by showing two forms of ID. When he asked for the PO's identification - name and badge number - he was ignored and ultimately arrested for getting pissed off about it in his own home. It seems to me that the police thought they were above the law by refusing to provide him with information he is legally entitled to.

But you would know all of this if you had actually read the article.

You're acting as if the cops were looking for trouble.

Have you ever heard of probable cause?

I guess “This is what happens to black men in America!”

Why don't you ask Chief Ziegler about it?

What are you talking about? Probable cause for what?

Gates was arrested for getting pissed off at an officer that would not provide him with a name and badge number.

The DA dropped all charges against him because it was an obviously embarrassing case of "bullshit reason to arrest someone".

The Sgt had probable cause to arrest Gates because of the 911 call, damage to the door, and initial refusal to show identification.

I would like to thank the officer for arriving so quickly.

"Professor Gates attempted to enter his front door, but the door was damaged."

"Professor Gates immediately called the Harvard Real Estate office to report the damage to his door and requested that it be repaired immediately."

Maybe dumdum should have called the police to help him gain entry?

Oh but then we couldn't read all this.

Since when does a broken door on a private residence fall under police purview?

Do you call an ambulance for a paper cut?

Dude, the neighbors called 911 about a breaking and entering and the officer responded. What are you talking about?

Do you see the top of my comment where it says "replied to comment from etypical"?

Do you see etypical's comment where they say "Maybe dumdum should have called the police to help him gain entry?"

Now try again, moron.

I have no idea how that became a reply to you. It was for libby's last comment on the bottom of this that reads:

"I will say this for the last time: His arrest had nothing to do with whether or not he was suspected as a burglar."

My intended reply:

"Dude, the neighbors called 911 about a breaking and entering and the officer responded. What are you talking about?"

My bad Politiburo

it would have been more fun if someone got lashed with a bike lock.

I totally agree with Valeriob. Gates acted like a moron and then was treated as one. I'm so damn sick of the race card already. I have so much more respect for those that never pull it. Sucks for Gates and Sharpton... the second you align yourself with Sharpton I know I can write your crazy ass off.

Has Reverend Al settled his tax issues yet?

>>> "I’ve heard of driving while black, and I’ve heard of shopping while black...."

but if you're prying open a door to a house while ANY color, you're gonna get someone asking you questions. and really, how much of an inconvenience is it to just flash your ID to prove you live there? this is less about color and more about, if a guy actually was breaking & entering and the cops just let him go they'd be in hot water

I'm glad this is all being dropped as it should but, I couldn't help but feel something else was going on. I read the police report filed by the officer. Gates seems to have been extremely agitated before the officer even got there. As soon as he arrived, Gates was yelling about not showing him his id, how this was racist etc. Which makes me wonder, what really happened before the cop arrived? It also seemed that Lucia Whalen, the caller, was present while Gates was being questioned. Is there some personal beef between Whalen and Gates? Did they argue before the cops got there? It just seemed to me that Gates was already worked up and then escalated his anger as the scene progressed.

there are always three sides to every story. Gates, the policeman and the truth.

and if you're black, Sharpton's..

I just read on the bostonist story that Gates provided his Harvard ID. Well how the hell does that help the cop figure out if the guy actually lives there. I'm assuming that the guy's Harvard ID probably does not have his home address on it like perhaps a driver's license or state ID might. I'm pretty sure a Harvard ID is also not considered a valid form of ID by the state of Massachusetts or any other state for that matter. How can you be sure it's genuine? What's the process involved in obtaining a Harvard ID? What background documentation do you have to provide to get one? Can you make one on your home computer easily?

At least with a driver's license the person generally had to provide a birth certificate or passport or some other known forms of identification to get it so it can be generally relied upon as true ID and police are generally well-trained in spotting counterfeit versions.

Harvard ID: not gonna cut it in this situation.

According to Professor Gates, he also showed his driver's license. Also according to Gates, the officer asked him to prove that he worked for Harvard, hence the Harvard ID.

You didn't read the article through. I'll excerpt the important part here: "The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University identification and his valid Massachusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both include Professor Gates’ photograph, and the license includes his address"

Look, I'm not saying that Gates didn't raise his voice or say something stupid. But that's actually his RIGHT in his own home. He verified that no crime had been committed. The cops could have given him the info and gone home and this would have been just a footnote for him to blog about rather than some kind of uncomfortable crusade.

But it is what it is.

According to the police report, the police were leaving and Gates followed them outside, yelling.

Also according to the police report, there were several witnesses. So it should be quite simple to determine whether or not he was yelling (Gates claims it wasn't physically possible).. yet I haven't seen any witness statements in any of the press reports.

From The Root article posted by turkishjade above:

The officer indicated that he was responding to a 911 call about a breaking and entering in progress at this address. Professor Gates informed the officer that he lived there and was a faculty member at Harvard University. The officer then asked Professor Gates whether he could prove that he lived there and taught at Harvard. Professor Gates said that he could, and turned to walk into his kitchen, where he had left his wallet. The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University identification and his valid Massachusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both include Professor Gates’ photograph, and the license includes his address.

Yes, I read that Root article after posting my comment. Still not sure which version, if either, is true though.

Both Gates' account and the police report say that he provided proper ID.

Unless Gates threatened the police physically why was he arrested? The official reason was "disorderly conduct". Even if that were true, does that means he was arrested for being an asshole in his own home? Sorry, that seems like a bunch of bullshit to me. It obviously seemed like a bunch of bullshit to the DA too because they dropped the charges against him.

sounds like everyone overreacted to this from the witness, to the cops, and gates himself.

yeah yeah everyone is a racist, ho-hum.

I wonder what Gates thinks about Sharpton in general.

This is a ridculously overblown non-story. Neighbor witnesses this guy (apparently not a good enough neighbor to recognize her fellow neighbor but that's beside the point) breaking into a house. Recognizing that someone breaking into a house is a problem, she naturally calls the police, who respond to a report of what appears to be a burglary.

Frankly if someone was observed breaking into my house I'd want the neighbors to call the cops. If it turns out it was just me because I locked myself out, no big deal, explain it to the cops and life goes on. That would have been the same situation here except this guy went on some kind of ridiculous tirade about racism in America, blah blah blah.

Look if the guy was just hanging out on his stoop or something and got harrassed by the cops because he's a black guy in a predominantly white area, fine, he's got a legitimate grievance.

BUT HE WAS OBSERVED BREAKING INTO A HOUSE! The responding officer had no way of knowing it was his own house until after completing some preliminary investigation, which would include ID'ing the guy who was witnessed breaking into the house to ensure that he is telling the truth and really does live there. It would be dereliction of duty if the cop just took the guys' word for it.

I certainly don't know what happened after that and I don't know if the guy's arrest for disorderly conduct was justified or not. All I'm saying is if you break into a house, you should probably not be surprised if the cops show up to investigate and all that was needed on his part was to explain what happened. It sounds like this guy has a huge chip on his shoulder and it diminishes true examples of racism to cry "racism!" on something like this.

You should do a little more research before posting 5 paragraphs writing someone off as a nut. Here: http://www.theroot.com/views/lawyers-statement-arrest-henry-louis-gates-jr In his own words. I'll brass tack it for you....

After he got into the house, a police officer showed up at the door, they spoke, he walked into the kitchen and showed the officer his ID, his License with the residence's address on it. The officer acknowledged that the call must have been a mistake. He asked for the officer's badge and name and was arrested after that.

So, the question becomes, what would prompt a police officer to arrest someone for disorderly conduct in their own home on an apparent non-break in? For asking for their information? For not being polite enough?

Research is not limited to quoting from a "Statement on Behalf of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- by Charles Ogletree

"This brief statement is being submitted on behalf of my client, friend, and colleague, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr."

I'm fascinated by what went on in the house, because experience has taught me that two people occupying the same couch at the same time can describe an event in different ways, in different sequences, etc. The whole story is more complex that Mr. Ogletree's quaint, friendly, simplification, saying this, police reports have been also known to be less than accurate.

Was Mr. Gates measured and polite with the officers? I suspect he wasn't. Why? The man had just returned from a trip from China and came home to find his door jammed. As anyone who has traveled across the Pacific, he would have arrived exhausted, jet-lagged and more than a little anxious (as anyone returning from a trip would be) to find his front door "damaged." Gates also claimed he had been treated, in China, for some viral infection. I'd like to ask what medication the man was on and what side effects it might have, say irritability.

Then, there's the matter of police procedure. Were the officers required to have Gates step outside while they investigated the 911 call? Perhaps there was a burglar in the house, or had been. Perhaps the police were required to make sure not only Gates was who he claims to be—after all, almost anyone can acquire false ID;, I'm certain even those who would defend Gates to the death will acknowledge the phenomenon of Identity theft, but also that a robbery had not occurred.

All these are assumptions, but aren't assumptions all that 99.99% of us have to work with here. As for Reverend Sharpton. Well, what can one observe but that the man's opportunism is beyond calculation. I do suspect that should Sharpton gets his photo-opt with Gates, Gates will lose a large measure of the sympathy he currently enjoys at the moment.

I appreciate your comment but I'm not sure I buy Gates's story in its entirety because it just doesn't make sense. It's way too self-serving and I don't buy for a second that the officer would have arrested him merely for asking for the officer's badge number and name.

Again, I'm certainly not saying his arrest was necessarily justified at all but I'm simply saying that there's undoubtedly more to the story than what his lawyer has put in that statement.

"I don't buy for a second that the officer would have arrested him merely for asking for the officer's badge number and name."

You've never had a run-in with a police officer, have you?

Predictable! I don't think that Professor Gates really needs Al Sharpton to bring attention to this. I think that the Black community around there is pretty fired up.

Fat Al is back. And looking for a "contribiution" to the NAN.

Hey, hey, hey! LOL

You gotta admit, that's a pretty hilarious quote from Sharpton.

Cambridge Police Dept.: just go back to ticketing the hell out of parked cars.

if this happened to a regular guy, all the comments here would be something along the lines of "that hipster shouldn't have been belligerent. now he's learned his lesson."

do you have a point?

that comments in blogs are almost universally dumb.

so the comments that try to provide commentary on blog comments are just as dumb. what's your point?

You are a rambling fool. You should go back to bed.

who's the bigger fool? the troll, or the idiot that replies to the troll?

I think the troll is a huge dick. Your replies only do more stroking.

Living is easy with eyes closed. Misunderstanding all you see.