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Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy

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Gates' disorderly conduct charge
Mugshot taken at the time of arrest
Date16 July 2009[1]
LocationGates residence, Ware Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
ParticipantsPolice Officer James Crowley
Resident Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

[citation needed]

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested and charged following an incident on July 16, 2009, when Gates' home door -- damaged by a previous break-in -- would not open, forcing Gates to attempt to "break in" to his own home. A passer-by called police, suspecting that "two black males" (Gates and a driver) were breaking and entering.

Police version

The police state that Gates had initially refused to show identification and that the arresting officer, Sergeant James Crowley, had given his name on demand. When Gates was told that Crowley was investigating a possible break in, Gates then stated, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" When Gates repeated a request for Crowley's name, Crowley replied that he would only speak to Gates outside. Crowley stated that he desired to go outside at that time as "Gates was yelling very loud [sic] and the acoustics of the kitchen and foyer were making it difficult for me to transmit pertinent information to EEC or other responding units".[2] Gates then followed Crowley from the house onto the porch, yelling at him.[3][4] Crowley reported that he then warned Gates that he was becoming disorderly. Crowley reported that he then warned Gates again while at the same time withdrawing handcuffs to arrest Gates.[5]

Gates' version

Gates being arrested.

Gates profferred a different version of events, stating that he established his identity, but demanded the name and badge number of the police officer, following him outside, at which time he was arrested for disorderly conduct, citing "loud and tumultuous behavior".[6] Gates and his attorney, Harvard colleague Charles Ogletree disputed the police report, with Gates noting that he has a "severe" case of bronchitis contracted in China, which renders him incapable of yelling.[7][8] The charges were later dropped by the Middlesex County district attorney's office, upon the recommendation of the city of Cambridge and the Cambridge Police Department, calling the incident "regrettable and unfortunate".[9] The Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick stated that he felt "troubled" about the situation. The Mayor of Cambridge, E. Denise Simmons stated that the incident was a "teachable moment", and stated her desire for there to be an open dialogue among Mr. Gates, the police force, and the general public on the incident to craft a way forward for the community.[10]

Racial profiling

Though this is not a case of profiling because police did not stop Dr. Gates but responded to a 911 call, questions about racial profiling have been raised by numerous members of the Harvard academic community, with Gates' Harvard colleague, neuroscience professor Allen Counter, coming forward alleging harassment by the Cambridge Police.[8][11][12] In the aftermath of this incident, others have spoken out about it, including President Barack Obama, who said he did not have the facts of the case but continued to comment anyway, thought that the police had "acted stupidly" to arrest Gates after he proved it was his home,[13][14][15] and the Reverend Al Sharpton who called the incident of "police abuse or racial profiling" both "outrageous" and "unbelievable".[16]

Sgt. James Crowley

Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting officer, says that he is not racist, pointing to his actions trying to resuscitate Reggie Lewis while working as a campus police officer at Brandeis University in 1993. Crowley has also served as an instructor for the Lowell Police Academy since 2004, teaching a course entitled "Racial Profiling", an unpaid role he was hand-picked for by former police Commissioner Ronny Watson, who is black.[17][18] Crowley stated that has no "ill feelings toward the professor" but that he has nothing to apologize for.[19] Sgt. Crowley has received strong public support from his police department as well as his union.[20][21]

References

  1. ^ http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_PDF/2009/07/21/0721docket_redacted_revised__1248200728_6644.pdf
  2. ^ "Cambridge Police Incident Report # 9005127" (PDF). The Cambridge Police Department. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  3. ^ "Charge against Harvard professor dropped". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  4. ^ "Police docket" (pdf). Cambridge Police Department through boston.com (Boston Globe website). Retrieved 2009-07-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Cambridge Police Incident Report # 9005127" (PDF). The Cambridge Police Department. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  6. ^ "Charge against Harvard professor dropped". CNN.com. July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  7. ^ "Lawyer's Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr". The Root. Washingtonpost Newsweek Interactive. July 20, 2009.
  8. ^ a b "Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. speaks out on racial profiling after his arrest by Cambridge police". The Root. 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  9. ^ "Gates chastises officer after authorities agree to drop criminal charge - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  10. ^ "Patrick 'Troubled' By Harvard Professor's Arrest". WBZ / (CBS Broadcasting Inc., Boston). 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-22. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ "Black scholar's arrest raises profiling questions - Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  12. ^ Root, The (July 16, 2009). "Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrested". Theroot.com. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  13. ^ Cooper, Helene (July 22, 2009). "Obama Criticizes Arrest of Harvard Professor". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  14. ^ "Obama: Police who arrested professor 'acted stupidly'". CNN.com. July 22, 2009.
  15. ^ "Obama: Police who arrested professor 'acted stupidly'". New York Daily News. July 22, 2009.
  16. ^ "Prominent Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Arrested After Racism Charge". ABC News. July 20, 2009.
  17. ^ Lavoie, Denise (July 23, 2009). "Cop who arrested black scholar is profiling expert". Associated Press. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  18. ^ Johnson, O’Ryan (July 23, 2009). "Crowley teaches racial profiling class at academy". Boston Herald. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  19. ^ Sweet, Laurel J.; Szaniszlo, Marie; Crimaldi, Laura; Van Sack, Jessica; Dwinell, Joe (July 23, 2009). "Officer in Henry Gates flap tried to save Reggie Lewis". Boston Herald.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Jonathan Saltzman (2009-07-23). "Crowley's union predicts Obama will regret remarks". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  21. ^ Martin Finucane and Tracy Jan (2009-07-23). "Cambridge police commissioner defends officer in Gates arrest". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
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