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File talk:Arrest of Henry Louis Gates.jpg

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More on fair use

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The arrest of Prof. Gates and the controversy surrounding it have received extensive coverage in the U.S. media and are the subject of a Wikipedia article w:Henry Louis Gates arrest incident. This image is the only known photograph of the arrest itself. In addition to showing Prof. Gates in handcuffs being led from his home, it shows several arresting officers, including one, Sgt. Leon Lashley, who is quoted in the article (as far as I know there is no free image of Lashley available). The photo itself has been discussde in secondary sources for what it demonstrates about the incident. Some editors who support deletion have suggested that File:Henry Louis Gates, Jr. mugshot.jpg is a suitable free replacement as it somehow "documents" the arrest. However it does not depict the arrest itself, as the fair use image uniquely does, and merely shows what Prof. Gates looked like during the booking process. None of the other participants are shown. Barring some unknown photographer coming forward and free-licensing another photo taken during the arrest, there is no chance a replacement will ever be available.--agr (talk) 21:53, 12 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • Agree with agr. Lara 23:13, 12 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • I don't find that to be terribly convincing. The crux of the incident is the confrontation in the house, when Gates refused to provide identification and was arrested. All this photo is is a snapshot in time of the immediate aftermath, which is essentially what the mugshot is as well. Tarc (talk) 01:34, 13 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
What happened inside the house is a matter of dispute--Gates says he produced his ID when asked while the police reports says he only did so "eventually." It's unreasonable to expect any single photograph could resolve this question. That's asking way too much. The important distinction is that the subject picture clearly and vividly shows the arrest in process, the mugshot does not.--agr (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 12:47, 13 August 2009.
Agree with agr (obviously). –xenotalk 12:53, 13 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Agree as well. The tag should be removed. Dhaluza (talk) 16:08, 14 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
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