Renowned African-American scholar Gates arrested; claims racism

Tuesday 21st July, 04:59 AM JST

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Badsey at 09:50 PM JST - 21st July

Perhaps this nutter didn't get the Obama socialist/Marxist manifesto memo yet.

=This man needs to be taken in, questioned and quaranteened. (We have Fema camps for this) When all pertinent information is extracted (to the satisfaction of the socialist empire and its' bankers) he may be let back into his previous nutter existance.
Hotbox08 at 10:11 PM JST - 21st July

“exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior.”

Gosh .. Another excuse
sailwind at 10:24 PM JST - 21st July

exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior.”

Gosh .. Another excuse

Agreed,

Being loud and tumultuous always makes a police pause.
Badsey at 10:33 PM JST - 21st July

The funny:

Front door was ajar (He had the key). Him and the driver (another Prof) with backpacks on try to jar the door open. Door would not open, so he opens the back door and finally they are able to get the door open. He calls the Maint company right away (house is leased thru Harvard) to get the door fixed. Police come and question him inside the home and his nutter side comes out.

He has a great series on PBS where he goes back to Africa and where they find out thru DNA what part(s) of Africa where you are most likely from.
Hotbox08 at 10:41 PM JST - 21st July

Being loud and tumultuous always makes a police pause.

Then I guess it gives the police every right to arrest you if you were found to be "tumultuous", for example, having a BBQ party on your own property. Heck, in the States, I've seen disorderly drunks, yelling obscenities at police, not being arrested and questioned like this. All they are given is a stern warning and sent home.

Point is, until the results of this case are made clear, the clear definition of what constitutes "loud and tumultuous" behavior is vague at best, and thus an excuse. At what point did Gates' behavior become loud and tumultuous? Did he spit in their faces? Were neighbors complaining? Did he strike or punch at the cops? Was Gates in anyway a threat to the police or anyone else? We won't know until proven in a court of law.
harmoneeikaiwa at 10:47 PM JST - 21st July

Superlib Trying to equate being white in Japan as being on the same level, as a black person in Japan,is telling the biggest fairytale since the 40 acres and a mule were promised.
OssanAmerica at 11:54 PM JST - 21st July

He refused to identify himself Obviously he was sick of being asked to identify himself. I guess that's >what happens if you are not white and you live in America.

I'm sick of having to show my passport at airports, and I'm also sick of paying income taxes. Obviously the vast majority of non-whites (your term) in the US don't mind showing their ID and just walking off.

I don't see why there was a problem after he produced his ID's. But the >problem was that "officer" did not like being told by a colored man who >was in his own home "you don't know who you're messing with".

Possible yes but Speculation. But in most if not all States in the US, failure to comply with an LEO's instructions is sufficient to bring charges, period.
SezWho2 at 12:43 AM JST - 22nd July

There's a substantial difference between the article as written here and, say, the account of it on NPR.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106838498&ft=1&f=1001

In the article as written here, my sympathies are entirely with the police. In the NPR article, which to me sounds more plausible and is certainly more detailed, my sympathies are entirely with Gates.

In the NPR article, Gates was already in his house when the police arrived. I'm no legal scholar but it seems as though they may have had grounds for warrantless entry. However, at the point that Gates showed ID, the police needed to take a more deferential approach. Gates needed to encourage that approach by avoiding belligerence.

So far it's they-said-he-said. It looks to me as though a discrimination suit may be coming. Perhaps the city thinks its best defense is a judgment of disorderly conduct as evidence that the arrest was legitimate.
Helter_Skelter at 05:16 AM JST - 22nd July

"America is very very intolerant of minorities"

America just elected a Black president if you hadn't noticed. Anyway, the left must perpetuate racism since their political agenda, and votes, depend on it.

Gates is the director of Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research and served for 15 years as chairman of what is now the Department of African and African American Research.

Being so steeped in his own ethnicity, I would venture to guess this guy blames everything in his life that doesn't go just right on racism.
JoeBigs at 09:12 AM JST - 22nd July

Sarge at 09:21 PM JST - 21st July Gates is an educated idiot.

Psssssst, Sarge the Cambridge DA dropped the charges. The "educated idiot" may have been telling the truth.

Helter_Skelter at 05:16 AM JST - 22nd July Being so steeped in his own ethnicity, I would venture to guess this guy blames everything in his life that doesn't go just right on racism.

It appears that you may have to revise your story there Helter_Skelter as I stated above the DA dropped charges and made a grand statement of how this was just a "was regrettable and unfortunate".

Translation, opps so we made a mistake......LOL

SezWho2 at 12:43 AM JST - 22nd July So far it's they-said-he-said. It looks to me as though a discrimination suit may be coming. Perhaps the city thinks its best defense is a judgment of disorderly conduct as evidence that the arrest was legitimate.

If there was a case to be made, then they (PD and the DA) would have made it. But they (both) want this thing to just go away. The question is why?

Why would the police want to drop the charges? Why not go forward with these charges? If the officer's statement is correct, then it is an open and shut case. So why drop the charges?

Could it be that Mr. Gates was not at fault here and the officer wanted to prove a point? Things that make you go, hmmmmmm.

Facts be the killer, he was released and now the Cambridge PD wants this just to go away.

Racial profiling? Maaaaaaybe....
northlondon at 03:05 PM JST - 23rd July

Funny how some people shout racism every time they feel something has gone against them. And why raise the racism issue in the first place ? Why not just complain about a wrongful arrest ? None of the cops used racist language or racist abuse. And why couldn't this 'eminent scholar' just be polite when questioned ? A member of the public called the cops to report a suspected break in, so the cops have to do their job and investigate. And for an eminent Harvard University Professor who has a home in Cambridge to claim that the system is racist and life is treating him unfairly is a contradiction in itself.
Mittsu at 03:30 PM JST - 23rd July

Fool, trying to break into his own home.
JenniferKim at 03:38 PM JST - 23rd July

So .. Dr. Gates refused to ID himself, he immediately lodged a racism charge against cops who were just trying to their jobs, and he finished off by saying "you don't know who you're messing with."

Even if Dr. Gates didn't actually commit a crime ... he's guilty of being a first-class jackass.
biglittleman at 06:00 PM JST - 23rd July

The cops broke the law. Warrantless entry, Mr. Gates didn't break law. That is why they drop all charges and apologized. They have no case and the cop wanted to be a badass. Unfortunately, the Prof has more clout than him. They have eyewitness that support Prof. Gates claims which means the cop may have been bending the truth.
hworta269 at 12:26 AM JST - 25th July

The cops were called and a robery in progress was reported, this house had been broken in to many times before... thats probable cause for police entry and when they see people inside of a house that has had a robery reported on it they ask for ID.