Yes and if he isn't available, call Al Gore.

Dude. I'm totally on board with Al Gore bring the go-to guy here.

Wow at the article. I know I was like WTH when I saw the thread title.

I wonder how much self importance may have played in this issue?
A neighbor observes someone seeminly forcing their way into a house giving a description of two black males. This is all the officer had to go by when he made the call. Dr. Gates ought to glad that there was someone keeping an eye on the area.
If as was stated that the Professor showed proper ID, that should have taken care of the situation. If Gates became beligerent, then the officer has the right to do what he did. The problem then seems that it got out of hand on both sides which was not needed.
It seems like poor judgement with both partys.

I see Tom had a liquid lunch today.

Being a pretty "well connected white guy," it is doubtful you would have to go through this/

And how is showing his Harvard ID a sign of Gates being an ass? They asked for identification. Furthermore, if the house was truly owned by Harvard, then it seems natural that he would also show his Harvard ID. That comment alone indicates that you just believe Gates was being an ass regardless, and that you aren't willing to look at the situation in a different light.

He did show identification and it did not get the officer off of his back.

Pay attention to what I and others said...he showed his HARVARD I.D. according to the article. NOT HIS DRIVERS LICENSE OR ANY PROOF OF RESIDENCE. that is more than likely what the officer wanted to see... PROOF. OF. RESIDENCE.

I don't know what is on a Harvard I.D. but I am QUITE sure that it was not enough proof to convince the officer that he lived in the house.

Hell, I can show up at someone house with an ID badge...that doesn't prove that I live there.

Argue this all you want but according to the article, the officer had the right to detain him until he was certain that a crime was not being committed.

Cleberities and Ph.Ds (as well as the combination) have broken laws before, you know.

:rolleyes:

Hello, Pot. Meet Kettle.

I've never really had a run in with the cops, but I lead a pretty boring life. I don't think I've ever done anything to draw attention to myself in that fashion.

They clearly didn't need his school ID to figure out that he was the proper resident of the home. Drivers licenses in just about every state have the home address printed on them. That was more than enough.

I don't see what sort of different light there could be. He was belligerent towards a police officer. His race probably had no bearing on the fact that he was arrested... but you can go ahead and assume otherwise if you like.

But you know what....that's not what he was arrested for...he was arrested for disorderly conduct not the B and E as reported. What's the possibility that had he remained calm and simply showed that he lived there that he would have been left alone...

O wait...someone already said that.

Supposed he wasn't so jet lagged, maybe he would have been of a calmer mind...

O Wait...someone said that too.

Deepimpact...please stop trying to fit square pegs into round holes...the charges have been dropped. Cambridge has moved on and Mr. Gates probably will also...this reads like a series of unfortunate events in which he was in the right place at the right time but with the wrong frame of mind.
If you want to get mad about something, have fun with this. Click if you dare.

summed up quite nicely^^

I listened to the NPR interview with the attorney (also a Harvard prof.) representing Gates. Here's the link - http://www.npr.org/templates/rundown...n.php?prgId=46

It sounds as if the police did the right thing in responding to the call, but for WHATEVER reason, went over the line once Gates had complied and shown identification, which the police obviously accepted since they did not arrest him for breaking and entering. Ogletree (the lawyer) strikes me as having the right take on this - he's not threatening some huge lawsuit, but wants to use this incident as an opportunity to teach police how to better interact with the public in similar situations.

eta - I never considered the fact that the door had been messed with(and that the police didn't deal with that at all) before reading http://angryblackbitch.blogspot.com/ - And I've got to remark that I'm somewhat amazed the police didn't know with whom they were dealing, or at the very least consider that arresting a Harvard professor for "disorderly conduct" given that he had cooperated and done what the officer requested would NOT turn out well. My brother is a police officer, and no one is more sympathetic than I to the legitimate concerns of an officer while doing his/her duty - but looking at the definition of "disorderly conduct" and the officer's report, I'm stumped.

I am reminded of when, 7 mths. preggers, I locked myself out of my house in searing Houston heat and had to climb in a back window. The cops came after a neighbor called - but not for 30 minutes! I wasn't mad at having to explain myself, but I was a bit perturbed at the response time. If I HAD been a burgler, I could have been on the road with time to spare by the time they showed up!

DS, you might wanna read the article again:

Anywho, I'm glad the charges have been dropped. We'll never know if it was a race issue that made the police keep badgering him once he complied. And really, if I'd just gotten home after traveling all the way from China and had to deal with that foolishnes, I may have gotten "disorderly" as well. Who knows, maybe the police had a vendetta against Harvard professors. Or they didn't like residents of Ware Street. Fine, it may not have been racial, so I won't say it was. But I think it was and I hope the CPD learn better how to handle home visits better (when what you've been called for is resolved, LEAVE) and that people learn how to better deal when being questioned by police.

Yeah - and you might want to read the police report again, because there's a "difference of opinion" as to when and how Gates showed identification.

Seriously, we'll never know which side was in the "wrong" here - it's clear Gates was quite irate with the officer, which is generally a bad idea but doesn't automatically raise to the level of disorderly conduct. It's clear the officer was somewhat over his head, and we'll never know if his actions, mannerisms or tone served to further enrage Gates or instigate a confrontation.

Sure, the cop could have deep-seated prejudices against blacks. However, it could also be exactly what it looks like: two "alpha-male" types, both of whom are convinced the other is wrong, and both of whom likely feel the other is disrespecting them or owes them a debt of respect prima facie.