Dr. Henry Louis Gates Arrested

[DaemonSeid]

Right?? lol

I wonder what the average speed is that they do to cause them to get pulled over and if it's the same highways....heh!

[DaemonSeid]

hey don't sleep on 58 year old belligerent men with canes...they will put up a fight!

[AGDee]

LOL. I've been pulled over twice for speeding, two different streets, but both streets with businesses and 4/5 lanes, but where the speed limit is 25. I was also pulled over for having part of the year tag on my license plate ripped off (someone had apparently tried to steal it), and twice for a headlight being out when I didn't know it was out. My ex though? He gets pulled over on I-75 all the time.. at least once a year, I think. And he was pulled over at least once for having expired plates.

[SWTXBelle]

"July 22, 2009 | When I heard that prominent black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested for breaking into his own home in Cambridge, Mass., it made me proud of America. It may seem paradoxical to focus on the positive side of the preeminent scholar's public humiliation. This is, after all, a distinguished staff writer for the New Yorker, the man who helped Oprah find her roots. It may seem that there's no positive side at all. (His own neighbor, a Harvard magazine employee, didn't recognize him and called the cops. How pathetic is that?)" - James Hanahamn

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2...y_louis_gates/

[Munchkin03]

http://gawker.com/5320294/henry-loui...t-arrest-thing

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

http://gawker.com/5320294/henry-loui...t-arrest-thing

Interesting piece - the only thing I would add is that I've heard of a number of instances with both the Cambridge and Boston PD where they've refused to provide their badge number to an individual, and the instances have involved people of all ages and races. So, it sounds like it may be something with the local police departments in the area.

My guess is they take it more as the person asserting their own authority, and less as an actual serious request for their badge number.

[Dreadloc'd Diva]

I concur. You can be the most intelligent successful African-American in the world,but to some people,all they see is skin color.

Originally Posted by deepimpact2

He is saying that the arrest was racially motivated. Based on the information in the article, I would agree. Yet another situation where people don't believe that a black man can live in a nice neighborhood or own a nice home. And I seriously wonder why this neighbor who called the cops didn't even recognize or know her own neighbor. I hope he pushes this further.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21gates.html

[UGAalum94]

Dr. Phil,

I'm not getting why you think that if you aren't currently threatening, you don't get arrested.

I don't think Gates needed to be arrested at all, but assuming for a minute he was actually doing what he was arrested for (eta: disorderly conduct, I think), I don't see how being old and needing a cane would in itself make him less "guilty" or arrest worthy. You could be guilty of whatever without being physically threatening.

Again, not that I really think he was. But oldish, cane using guys can still commit crimes.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I'm not getting why you think that if you aren't currently threatening, you don't get arrested.

I don't think that.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I don't think that.

So why did you remark about how he was handcuffed?

Originally Posted by DrPhil

He is 58.

So if he was nonthreatening enough to cuff in the front (due to age, the situation had calmed enough to avoid a struggle, or because he has a cane), why is he being arrested? LOL.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

So why did you remark about how he was handcuffed?

Because I was talking about how he was handcuffed.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Because I was talking about how he was handcuffed.

So the officer should have recognized that if he could be front cuffed he didn't previously break the law?

[Kevlar281]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

So why did you remark about how he was handcuffed?

It was in response to something I had posted. Usually I would give the responding police officers the benefit of the doubt but when I saw the front cuff on the news a red flag went up.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Kevlar281

It was in response to something I had posted. Usually I would give the responding police officers the benefit of the doubt but when I saw the front cuff on the news a red flag went up.

Why?

[SydneyK]

Tom, seriously, you need to get a life. Why do you repeatedly return to a site where the members can't stand you? You have your own site now. Go there. And, by all means, please stay there.

Mods: Can't he be IP-banned so he isn't able to continue this crap?