<p>My son was a guest at a college friend’s beach house this past weekend. The kids (a dozen of them) took a walk along the beach at around midnight and were stopped by a police officer who asked them to line up along a wall and then questionned them. They were doing nothing wrong, had not been drinking, had no illegal substances, but I guess it was a case of age group profiling. Apparently there had been some recent thefts in the cabanas on the beach which is why the police were being extra vigilant. I can understand why they would want to check out a group of teens on a beach at night. The kids cooperated and after the hostess told the police officer her family’s summer home address (within a block of the beach) he did release them. </p>
<p>I am glad that none of the kids were disrespectful, but my son was taken aback that they were asked to line up against a wall, instead of simply asked questions. I think it was a situation in which** if** any of the kids had decided to be sarcastic, or less than respectful, it could have turned in another direction. </p>
<p>It seems to me that the Boston police/Harvard prof case on this thread is one in which both parties went a little over the line in how they responded. If both parties had kept cool it probably would not have escalated. Understandably, the homeowner was tired and exasperated, probably lowering his frustration level. The police officer *should *have apologized once the I.D. was shown, thanked the homeowner for his cooperation, and explained that he was just responding to a report. The prof could have then responded that he understood the officer was just doing his job, and was glad his neighborhood was being watched. No harm would have been done.</p>
<p>Boston has a rather tumultuous history over racial problems and maybe Cambridge does too. My guess is that the neighbor wouldn’t have called the police over a white man but I guess that someone would have to ask her.</p>
<p>The latest story that I’ve seen said that Gates just returned from China to his residence and that he asked his driver for help in getting the front door open. I used to travel to asia when I was younger and it’s rough coming back with the long flights, possible delays, going through customs and jet lag. It’s probably harder at his age now than when I traveled.</p>
<p>I think that the statement that the incident was regrettable sums it all up.</p>
<p>Having grown up in this Cambridge neighborhood, I find this whole thing very understandable. </p>
<p>As you might imagine - Professors at Harvard, MIT, and dozens of other Colleges, thousands of students from privileged families, all come with their own attitudes. Some are great neighbors, some are not. Neighborhoods change yearly as students and many professors move on. </p>
<p>The neighbors who lived there year after year may not know who is living in the house next door this year, and many of them would not know them if they lived there for several years because the “college associated” often are not part of neighborhood life. How could they be, their lives revolve around the institutions not the neighborhood. (Many homes are also owned by the colleges and used by professors or visiting professors) </p>
<p>Cambridge has just over 6.5 sq miles and is one of the most densely populated city’s in the U.S. Even so it has many different neighborhoods and ranges from very inner city to mansions. Most are like this neighborhood - multifamily homes, some single homes, and some large apartment buildings. Because of the small Sq miles of the city Police respond to all sorts of calls and can be dealing with gang violence one hour and a “don’t you know who I am citizen” the next. With about 275 Police officers total (including all units on all shifts - 24/7) and respond to about 95,000 (ya I just looked that one up) calls a year, I think you can expect that sometimes the Police may not show the level of understanding that a citizen accustom to privilege might desire (demand) of them.</p>
<p>Was “race” a part of it, maybe, but more than likely it was almost all about attitude. I can certainly understand the shock of being confronted by a police officer in your own home, but how can you not also understand the adrenalin laden response of a police officer entering a home that may have a burglary in progress. Knowing what I do, I don’t think I would have ever chosen to yell or make a demand of a police officer in this situation. </p>
<p>Just my thoughts. By the way for all it’s quirks I loved Cambridge.</p>
<p>This is the context swirling in the background of Professor Gates’s response to having been questioned in his own home about his right to be there. I think that the poor guy was jet lagged and just snapped.</p>
<p>I don’t see how merely asking for ID from an African American male who is inside a house at which a neighbor reported a burglary in progress being committed by an African American male is racial profiling. That is the least that I would expect from a police officer on the scene. </p>
<p>The police officer should have been more forthcoming about his name and badge number. I would have been very surprised if his actions would have been deemed racist by the police department.</p>
<p>Poor neighborhood watch program…we are always watching out for our neighbors, especially if we know that they are out of town or country. Having someone spend an inordinate amount of time at the door might lead a neighbor to think that someone was trying to break into the house, especially if the neighborhood has been subjected to prior burglaries. Too bad the neighbor didn’t recognize the professor.</p>
<p>I just read a news report of this event on one of the online Boston daily newspapers. The story quotes directly from the Police report. Sorry, the Police report just further confirms for me that the Police Officer mishandled the situation, and I am being charitable in my description. Like other posters, I am a bit stunned that a POLICE SARGEANT, presumably a veteran and not a greenhorn or rookie, chose to escalate the situation by insisting that Gates come outside “to talk” AFTER the Professor displayed I.D. and after the Harvard University P.D. were contacted. Frankly, it seems as though this Sargeant was intending to teach the Professor a lesson once Gates demonstrated the timerity to question the Police on while standing in his own home. Again, if a homeowner tossing around charming language agitates a Police officer into looking to even the score or, God forbid, use his weapon, that Police Officer should immediately look for a less stressfull job.</p>
<p>By the way, it was stated that today’s Press Release [charges dropped] resolves the matter for all parties. I’d say that was fairly generous on Dr. Gates’ part. And that’s what happens in the majority of similar events. Bad behavior by the cops is dismissed and forgotten about with little, if any, reprimand unless there’s a lawsuit. And even when there is a lawsuit, the same problematic officers continue to work amongst the public, unabated in their conduct.</p>
<p>I don’t care if the professor was white, black, green or yellow.
He, presumably and educated man, showed contempt and complete disrespect for the police officer from the outset; according to the police report. If his statements to the officer are true then he attempted to demonstrate that he was above the law because of his status at Harvard. Sorry but that was wrong.</p>
<p>I don’t see how anyone can call this racial profiling - the police officer was called to the scene. He was doing his job.
I could see your point of racial profiling, if he was driving down the street, saw the Professor “breaking into his house” and then accosted him.
The officer was called. It is his responsibility to secure the scene and make sure there was no danger.<br>
This just goes to show ya that there are no “routine” police calls.</p>
<p>The story is that Gates tried to open the front door, it didn’t work, he then went to the back door, opened it, got inside, and then was able to open the front door with the help of the cab driver, who subsequently carried in the luggage. The story is also that he produced ID to the policeman showing that he was the owner of the house.</p>
<p>“The city of Cambridge issued a statement saying the arrest “was regrettable and unfortunate” and police and Gates agreed that dropping the charge was a just resolution.”</p>
<p>"NEW DELHI: Police on Tuesday registered a case against the “concerned staff” of Continental Airlines for frisking former President A P J Abdul Kalam at the IGI airport here in breach of protocol. "</p>
<p>“As per the FIR, on April 21, Kalam was traveling by Continental Airlines Flight No.CO-083 from IGI Airport to New York. As he proceeded towards the aircraft, the staff of the Continental Airlines carried out frisking of Kalam in contravention of the BCAS rule even as CISF personnel pointed out that he was exempt from such checks,” it said.</p>
<p>Earlier reports had said that Kalam was frisked at the airport on April 24.</p>
<p>An inquiry was ordered into the matter which established that the staff had wrongfully, under the direction of their security-in-charge, country director and station manager, carried out pre-embarkation body check of Kalam. "</p>
<p>I suspect that Professor Gates may be a little embarrassed at his own lack of control and just as happy to see the whole matter dropped. </p>
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<p>Actually, he is a member of the class of people who DON’T know how to act around cops (think grandma who got tased). I remember reading that community centers in poor African American neighborhoods would run classes for their young men on how to act when stopped by police so that they would not get beat up for resisting arrest (a la Rodney King). </p>
<p>Middle class America thinks that police should treat criminals harshly and treat them with civility. They get very irate when police treat them as they do criminals. That’s when the fur can really fly.</p>
<p>Even if Gates yelled at the cop it should have been all over once he showed them his ID. I don’t see anything in the story that justifies Gates being arrested.</p>
<p>I find it annoying the professor had to push race into this. I would be on his side and I don’t think this would be a story if he hadn’t. </p>
<p>That said, it is a story because this looks like the policeman arrested him because he was black, which could be partly true. I think the police officer was ****ed off at the professor’s arguing and confrontation, which isn’t against the law as far as I am aware.</p>
<p>Up until the point the professor got arrested, he was in the wrong. Once he was arrested, the police officer was in the wrong. </p>
<p>I think they should just let all of this blow away, but I am guessing the officer will be fired for his lapse of judgment as well as a civil suit.</p>
<p>The biggest problem with such stories is that people LOVE to embellish the stories to fuel an obvious agenda. The above “charitable” description is NOT confirmed by the story released by the FRIEND of Gates. Actually, the press release admits that Gates was asked to step outside … immediately. Fwiw, asking occupants of a house that was reported as a POTENTIAL burglary to step outside seems to be quite normal. From there on, Gates visibly REFUSED to follow instructions. He did not go out but remained in his house. When the officer left, obviously satisfied with the documentation and probably have verified that there were no possible foul play inside, Gates followed him outside so ESCALATE the problem.</p>
<p>Read it for yourself:</p>
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</p>
<p>In this case, it is extremely doubful (but still possible) that racism contributed to the escalation. It is, however, rather clear that the attitude of Professor Gates, visibly tired by a long trip and exasperated by the damages to his property, decided to “get even” with someone, and push the envelope beyond the acceptable. Had he in fact stepped outside when FIRST asked, allowed the police to verify his story and ID, it is pretty clear that there would have been no story. </p>
<p>If this represents the conduct becoming to an esteemed member of the Harvard faculty remains entirely in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>Unless Gates brandished a weapon, the police officer should have been able to handle this without an arrest. My ex husband was a cop and he would have been embarrassed to make this arrest. An arrest is not a goal.</p>
<p>What do you think would happen to any group of 4-5 teenagers anywhere in America that would DUMB enough to follow Gates’ MOI? Yelling at the cops who just asked for your ID but are leaving? </p>
<p>Simply stated, there was no excuse nor justification for the actions of someone who has or should have the intellect to handle a tense situation.</p>
<p>I read the police report and it appears that when the Cambridge cop told Gates he was investigating a neighbor’s report of a break-in, Gates’ response was, “Why, because I’m a black man in America?” The cop could be lying, but that response seems in character for Gates. In assuming the white cop must be racist, Gates is proving he’s racist, and the drama that followed is a direct result of his racism. I do not have an affinity for cops, and like Gates I at one time lost my freedom for being surly to cops, but I fail to see an issue that could not have been remedied with simple civility.</p>
<p>Whoa. I’ll admit that I misspoke about the chronology, or that what I read at Boston.com appears to have been incomplete or inaccurate. But, I still can’t understand some of the rationalization and excessive criticism of the Professor by some folks on this thread. Contrasting the Professor’s conduct at his own home to teenagers in the street? Huh? And “Gates is proving he’s racist.” By what measure? What nonsense! Oh I see, he bluntly asked a white Police Officer for his badge number. And because the Officer was reluctant to fully identify himself, Gates racially demeaned humilated the Office and endanger the Officer’s and the assembled crowd’s security. It’s all clear to me now.</p>
<p>Years ago, I knew an African-American student (actually half; the other half was Asian), the son of a military family based in TX. He and some other AA Harvard students were sitting on the steps of a Harvard dorm when they were challenged by HUPD. The police officer refused to believe that they were Harvard students and had the right to sit on the steps of that dorm (they were playing their guitars). I was told that the young man I knew had never before encountered racism and he was shaken to his core, especially after he felt that Harvard had not taken his experience seriously enough. The other students shrugged this incident off as the sort of thing that they had experienced before.
I suspect that Gates’s stature may have affected him in a similar way to my former acquaintance.</p>