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The way the report reads, it seems like because he (cop) was yelled at in public, he arrested him.
Ronnie
We should also take into account that the police officer was just that, a police officer. In our society, they do no wrong.
I'd also like to bring up the case where a black male [nfl star i believe] made an illegal right hand turn on a red light to get to his dying mother-in-law in the hospital. He was stopped by a police officer at the hospital. His wife removed herself from the car and ran upstairs to see her mother, the police officer refused to let him go even though he repeatedly, on tape, cried that his mother-in-law was dying as they spoke to which the officer simply replied: "i'll ruin you" or something ridiculous along those lines. This story was reported after the video leaked, but the actual occurrence was about three weeks prior. Nothing happened to the police officer till the media got a hold of the video [he eventually got suspension without pay and then he quit cause he felt terrible~ he should of]...why you ask? Because, police officers do no wrong. In the end the wife got to be with her dying mother, the son-in-law did not, he was outside being needlessly interrogated by a police officer while she died.
Elly
I might actually give the neighbor the benefit of the doubt since this happened late at night and maybe they couldn't see it was the Prof., or even an older man. But if they could tell it was a black man trying to push the door in, they should be able to tell it was the Prof.! Morons. As for the poice, how many burglars do you know that actually answer the door of the house they're burglarizing? How stupid can they be? And he shows them an ID that has the proper address and he STILL gets arrested??? If that isn't just cause for getting pissed off and giving a cop a piece of your mind, I don't know what is. As for racial profiling, seriously, it's Harvard! It's no secret that Harvard is a predominantly white institution - from faculty to students. I believe that if the person who opened that door was an older, white bearded, bespectacled man instead of an older, black, bearded, bespectacled man, they wouldn't have cuffed him! Was the Prof. wrong for cussing out the cops - no! He was arrested in his own home after presenting proper evidence! That cop should be asking for his forgiveness, not his wrists. If that happened to me I'd raise all kinds of holy hell!
I find it very suspect that his neighbor(s) called the police on him...that doesn't sit well with me.
I'm sure the police was at fault...often police officers adopt an attitude that makes them feel as though they're superior and treat you as something less than...add race into the situation, and it becomes wors.
I haven't read the comments the people were saying (don't want to...I'm at work, and I don't need any negative emotions to be elicited), but I'm sure they were very impertinent and fallacious.
Sorry to say, but racism is alive and thriving.
The cops behavior is sad, but not surprising. I agree with Elly, as far as the public is concerned cops can do no wrong.
The comments on the article are ... well, I guess they're indicative of the sorts of attitudes that allows this to happen in the first place.
As for the racist comments in regards to the article, he manifestation of ignorance is always ugly, and it goes without saying stupid is as stupid does and to entertain such stupidity for a long time is a waist of precious moments.
Stop talking out of your ass.
Professor Gates provided two forms of ID to prove the house belonged to him. The cops should have LEFT the premises after that. End of Story.
The cop slapped on a bogus charge on the professor to teach him a lesson and now the charges were dropped even before they went to court. Clearly the charges had no legal merit. Gates can cry racism in his own house as many times as he wants -- it is not a legal offense to do so.
The Black man in America gets his reality check once again. Even if Gates yelled and was rude, he wasn't in a public space, therefore he broke no laws and the officer broke the law. I think he should sue them.
That is as far as my sympathy will go for this Black man.
That is the reality of this system. No matter how high you go as a Black person ( look at Obama) You will have someone try to put you back in 'your place'. Those who dream of racial equality ever happening are just doing that, dreaming.
Warmest wishes,
Jamia
www.prettypolitico.com
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/21/massachusetts.harvard.professor.arrested/
I was surprised in looking at the picture of Gates being arrested that at least one of the cops was Black.
What crime did Mr. Gates commit? You are an idiot.
(Sorry Siddity, but if you are going to allow foolish people to post, I am going to have to call them out).
They can in turn make the story one of racial profiling, even in Pre-Obama America, the truth of any crime and not cooperating with the police was made to look like another example of white racism, not Black people failing to cooperate with the police."
yeah so take note basically everything we've been discussing throughout this thread is exhibited in the above comment. right...yet again failure to acknoweledge racism because a half-black man is in the white house, so ofcourse that erases our history...right. Ofcourse everything is all peaches and cream now and there's no racism and we're all living in peace and harmony... ;)
Lips
What commenters on my site say does not reflect my opinion. I have been lax with my blog lately, as I have been going through some things in real life. I have in the last eight months gotten pregnant, lost a child at 20 weeks gestation, only to recently find out I am pregnant again and will be having surgery to carry this pregnancy to term. I have gone through happiness depression and the like all within the span of a few months.
I haven't visited blogs I have enjoyed going to in the past,not because they aren't great blogs, but I am not just motivated.
I try to keep my blog transparent, and I don't want this to be an ass kissing fest. I have only recently implemented rules on how to comment on my blog, after being called a "negro peasant" by some racist and tired of the "die n*gger" comments YOU DON'T SEE. You don't see the whole entire picture. You don't see the comments that don't get posted, you see what I allow.
I also find it funny that you seem appalled by the racism towards whites, but silent on the racism towards blacks. On this site it goes both ways. It always has,and as long as this blog exists, always will. In this one post there is both dissent and generalizations made about both whites and blacks. Why silent and why do you think I have issues with whites or white people because these comments that I did not write exist?
By the way my site is spiritless. I am an atheist, I proudly admit to being so, and so if this site seems dark to you, it is because you want it to be "dark". I have no light or dark on my site, just my truth, my opinions, and sometimes what people who read this site think about. I want people to see things from all points of view, if you feel that is too much for you, so be it.
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Bye.
Skip is probably THE most approachable and calm demeanered black man alive and there is absolutely no excuse for this officer arresting him for what was the officer's own mistake. Dr. Gates should set a paper bag on fire on the nieghbors porch.
Second thing,
judging the mind and attitudes of white people by the comments you see online is fundamentaly innacurate. Most all of us could care less about race, are a bit ignorant, and do not spend time online reading about racial issues. Those that do are one of two types: someone who already has some understanding and is trying to get more.... or a race baiter trying to cause trouble. One who is already racist and is trying to fan the flames. To read these posters claims and make an assumption about the group not only will missguide you, but aid in what these rednecks are trying to do... which is piss you off and make race relations worse.
the professor is part of the ivory tower - the place of the "elite manufacture".
this story is a class issue complicated by color.
this is a class issue because when these things happen to black plumbers or black grocery clerks or black mechanics, it doesn't make the news.
it's two fold disgusting and as such doubly ridiculous that the man's own neighbors didn't recognize him.
Peace
SIMONE
As for this particular issue, it's interesting that people are jumping down this lady's throat for calling the cops.
It seems to be a double edge sword. On one hand, she should be commended for actually paying attention to her surroundings, but on the other hand, should really be jumped on for not knowing who her neighbor was.
I don't know about anyone else here, but for the most part, on my street I only know my immediate neighbors next to and across from me. I don't know the neighbors further down the street and more likely than not, I probably would call the police if I saw some overly suspicsious activity going on at one of the houses.
You really can't sit here and play Monday quarterback in regards to what this lady was thinking.
Was she being a good neighbor? I would say yes.
Was she being a racist? No.
I am wondering WHY Dr. Gates allowed the office into his home. He is under no obligation by law to allow an officer to enter his home without a warrant.
Dr. Gates could have called 911 the second the officer refused to produce his name and badge number...also...doesn't the officer WEAR a badge? Why did he have to ask to see it?
Dr. Gates should have called 911 to request a supervising officer on the scene. At that point, he should have just stood there and waited.
I am not blaming the victim.
I am just saying that Dr. Gates didn't just arrive in AmeriKKA last week... he knows all about racism...
Why did Dr. Gates show his Harvard ID? He doesn't have to prove that he's employed anywhere! He only had to prove that it was his house.
Also... I think it is a bit suspicious that his white neighbor didn't recognize him! Geeee... he never saw that black guy before?!!
Puhleeease. This is one way that racist neighbors harass blacks in the neighborhood... they call the cops saying they are "suspicious" of something... it's the most worn out ploy of harassment there is!!
Thanks for covering this issue!
Lisa
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
The police were doing their job by showing up, once they saw his ID they should have left the premises.
In the middle of the day in his own home Dr. Gates has the right to be as loud as he pleases.
Makes you think, doesn't it.
It's clear that if this gentleman didn't have a permanent suntan that he wouldn't have experienced this type of unpleasantness.
This is like a very bad episode of COPs.
I sometimes think this is true. If you don't really fully understand the concept of racism, which I don't think many white people do, it is hard to empathize when it happens and not understand why that would make a person angry.
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We should also take into account that the police officer was just that, a police officer. In our society, they do no wrong.
Exactly, and this is a BIG issue, as we have learned over the years not all police officers are concerned about serving and protecting. Coming from the era of Rodney King and Amadou Diallo, I have a hard time thinking that police do no wrong. Not to mention my own personal experiences with police or law enforcement haven't always been wonderful either. I think every black person who has ever lived in a predominantly white area has been questioned about if they do indeed live there. I think it is par for the course for people, especially police officers to tell you they don't think you belong there. Those who defend police officers might call it them doing there job, but for me, it's racial profiling.
I'd also like to bring up the case where a black male [nfl star i believe] made an illegal right hand turn on a red light to get to his dying mother-in-law in the hospital.
That happened in my town. I wasn't surprised, and people defended that officer tooth and nail. It's like they had no empathy for Ryan Moats or his family, even when hospital staff and another officer came out and explained the situation. The officer should have been escorting them in, not holding them up.
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As for the poice, how many burglars do you know that actually answer the door of the house they're burglarizing? How stupid can they be? And he shows them an ID that has the proper address and he STILL gets arrested???
Good point!!!!!
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I'm sure the police was at fault...often police officers adopt an attitude that makes them feel as though they're superior and treat you as something less than...add race into the situation, and it becomes wors.
My husband always says that the problem with police officers are that some take the job not so they can protect and serve, but to them the job is an opportunity to use and abuse power.
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The comments on the article are ... well, I guess they're indicative of the sorts of attitudes that allows this to happen in the first place.
Exactly and that is what makes things so scary is that people will continue to think this way and racism in our country will never end.
How do you know what Gates was thinking? Your argument fails to note that Gates himself said he did not call the officers names or yell. He admitted to getting upset, but then he did what he had the right to do, ask for the officers name and badge number, and the OFFICER REFUSED. Not to mention I would be pissed off as hell if some officer came to my door telling me I don't belong in my own house.
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Thank you for this post! I really enjoy your blog and I am adding it to my links on mine. Warmest wishes, Jamia
Thanks :)
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racism pure and simple. why is everytime a black person says something is racist they're playing the race card? Why is it never maybe the situation actually is racist and they're not playing the race card...i don't get it.
This is the question I ask myself. Anytime racism is pointed out, the "race card" argument is thrown. I think white people do this as a way to downplay racism, as in many people's minds, racism can only be cross burnings and lynchings.
LOL I bet he wants to really bad!!!
judging the mind and attitudes of white people by the comments you see online is fundamentaly innacurate. Most all of us could care less about race, are a bit ignorant, and do not spend time online reading about racial issues.
The problem is, this is in major newspapers and has become a big story. On various new sites, the same comments are being said over and over, so I don't think it is people who are searching for race, like the Anon above who always copies and pastes stuff from the racist site, Stuff black people don't like. I can't help but think that most whites think like these folks in the comments, it is like they really don't care to understand what racism is.
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Thank you Lisa and Simone :)
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It seems to be a double edge sword. On one hand, she should be commended for actually paying attention to her surroundings, but on the other hand, should really be jumped on for not knowing who her neighbor was.
If she was cognizant of the fact a black man was knocking on a door, she was probably cognizant that she had a black male neighbor. Black people in predominantly white areas tend to be noticeable, trust me on this one.
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I wish President Obama had not commented about this at the Press Conference yesterday. While this is an unfortunate situation, President Obama has a full plate and doesn't need to comment on every bad thing that happens to Black individuals.
Cassie,
Obama would have been damned if he did, and damned if he didn't. He made a quick mention, that pissed off a lot of people, everything he does pisses people off.
It doesn't make me think at all. That doesn't prove he isn't racist because he taught a class in racial profiling, that to me makes the situation worse, he should know better, and he still exhibited racial behavior. Just because a white person teaches about racism or votes for Obama does not mean they aren't racist or don't have racist thought. Racism goes beyond the obvious using the n-word. Racism can be both overt and subtle, and I don't think people fully understand that, which is why racism will continue and folks will continue to justify racist actions.
PS not all of us are democrats.
"Now it’s clear that he had a narrative in his head: A black man was inside someone’s house, probably a white person’s house, and this black man had broken and entered, and this black man was me."
http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks?page=0,0
I made that comment about the self-fulling prophecy because I truly believe that because of the trauma Black people have endured, we are quick to create a narrative in our head of how whites see us. A lot of the time this narrative is correct, but there are times when the way we see ourselves gets conflated with the way we believe we appear to others, namely white. Often and subconsciously, we can begin to believe the lies we've been told about ourselves for so long and this is acted out in different ways as we navigate this world.
As for whether I know this to be true for Gates, of course I don't know this and really none of us really know anything in regards to the incident. Personally, I'm beginning to believe that this may not have been a random incident at all. There is a lot of information that further skews the Truth.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20090723crowley_teaches_racial_profiling_class_at_academy/
Note that in the link to the first article, Gates mentions that the door appeared "jimmied" when he arrived home and was further disfigured by the driver who broke the door in which means that Crowley arrived to a home that appeared to have been broken in... And in the second article link, Crowley, ironically, teaches racial profiling (how not to profile) courses and has been for years.
Of course, with all this new information the Truth remains to be seen, but it surely isn't as black and white as previously believed.
Jackie, your comment is rejected for this reason.
But no..he's not racist.
Jackie, your comment is rejected for this reason.
*symbols crash* There you go!
It's pathetic how these idiots are too lazy to type their own thoughts to the point of copying and pasting nonsense from trash-filled sites. But that's to be expected from racists i.e white "nationalists" in general. It's starting to get old.
By the same token, it doesn't prove that he is one to begin with.
Just like we shouldn't be judgmental/dismissive about Dr. Gates legitimate (but slightly over) reaction to being arrested, we shouldn't judgmental/dismissive about what the office does in addition to his other duties.
And yes, I do agree with you that black people do stick out like a sore thumb in a predominately white neighborhood, or in the case of my town, a predominately white town.
Flip side of the coin is that often that white people stick out like a sore thumb in the city after 5p.m.
TO G. I don't think Gates overreacted. You telling me that you would not be pissed if you were arrested for absolutely no reason at all? I know you have to make sure you don't step too far away from the white popular belief that you people are never wrong about anything, but give me a break. I don't care how sharp you think your whit or tongue is. You need to used your sharp wittedness and look at the situation, really look at it and then get back to me. White people are always biased when it's their people doing the injustice. I know and many white people do to,know that if Gates was white then the cop would have never ever been called in the first place. If they were called white America would have been enraged and that cop would have been suspended. Give me a fucking break White people.
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As I have said before whites and blacks will never see eye to eye on this issue. White people are just to incapable of understanding anyone elses plight but there own.
July 26, 2009 8:39 PM
I would be pissed if something thought I was breaking into my house and the cops gave me s***, racially charged or not, regardless of what I looked like, I think most people would be.
The Professor's neighbors owe him some big a** apology cakes haha.
I don't think the lack of empathy is strictly limited to claims of racism. I think it is bigger than that, like the missing white woman syndrome. Where a middle or upper class white girl disappears or is murdered and it is news for the next 6 months. Meanwhile women of color disappear or turn up dead and it is not on CNN.
In Cleveland there was a situation in the early 2000s where a 8 year old black girl disappeared, there was no amber alert and she was found raped/murdered a week later. Same month a 13 year old white girl disappeared, an amber alert was immediately issued and she was found at her boyfriends house getting her freak on.
There have been ton of studies about the uneven sentencing in the just us system. Kill a white person get extra jail time. Black person with first time drug possession serves jail time, white person only gets probation/treatment.
I said "legitimate (slightly over) reaction" to what had happened to him.
Of course I would be pissed if I was arrested for no reason. But if went off on a legitimate tangent because of it, would it make the situation more difficult for me, or would it make it easier for me?
I learned from past experiences (mostly at work and out in public) that to shoot one's mouth off when one is legitimately angry about something can do more harm than good.
Looking at the situation?
Okay, lets look at it from a bald fat white guy's point of view.
A woman calls the police because she sees someone that she doesn't know trying to enter a house. Police respond to the call. Police wind up having a confrontation with someone at the house, who turns out much later to be the owner, and they arrest him. When its determined later that the man they arrested was the owner, they apologized and eventually turned him loose.
That is the situation stripped down to the nitty gritty.
Did I miss anything?
they knew he lived there and arrested him anyway
I like how you are reordering the facts of the situation for fit your story
USUALLY THOSE WHO CRY RACISM ARE THE BIGGEST RACISTS!!!
I bet fifty bucks that he agreed that the White firefighters, who were discriminated against, shouldn't have been promoted since the Blacks couldn't pass the test!
Has Gates gone through life being promoted only because he is Black and if they didn't promote him, he would call them racists too?
IS THIS A PATTERN?
DOES HE PREACH THAT IN HIS CLASSES?
DOES HE GIVE BETTER GRADES TO BLACKS?
DOES HE DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYONE WHO DOESN'T AGREE WITH HIM INCLUDING IN THE CLASSROOM?
DOES HE PREACH BLACK LIBERATION THEOLOGY IN HIS CLASSROOM?
I'M SURE THERE WILL BE STUDENTS WHO TOOK HIS CLASSES WHO ARE GOING TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THIS RACIST!!!
I bet fifty bucks that he agreed that the White firefighters, who were discriminated against, shouldn't have been promoted since the Blacks couldn't pass the test!
Has Gates gone through life being promoted only because he is Black and if they didn't promote him, he would call them racists too?
IS THIS A PATTERN?
DOES HE PREACH THAT IN HIS CLASSES?
DOES HE GIVE BETTER GRADES TO BLACKS?
DOES HE DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYONE WHO DOESN'T AGREE WITH HIM INCLUDING IN THE CLASSROOM?
DOES HE PREACH BLACK LIBERATION THEOLOGY IN HIS CLASSROOM?
I'M SURE THERE WILL BE STUDENTS WHO TOOK HIS CLASSES WHO ARE GOING TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THIS RACIST!!!
LOL, it's funny when white neo-cons, like this asshat who typed this nonsense in all caps, just can't admit their racism to the point where all they can do is turn it around and call blacks "racist" because that's all they can use as a counter-attack. Pathetic. It's all hot air. In this white-run world white racists and right-wingers are the quickest to whine and cry that they're being "discriminated against" (enter that moron Pat Buchanan) when the reality is they control everything from top to bottom. Anyone who thinks white privilege does not exist is completely delusional. White students can attend an endless amount of colleges (an example like the University of Virginia) simply because their PARENTS were alumnis there not because of top-notch grades. TV, magazines, the modeling industry - are overwhelmingly white.
Top CEOs, board of directors, those in charge of Haliburton, and many other oil companies - are overwhelmingly white(men). Barack Obama can't change that, unfortunately. He's only one man. Look at Congress. Look at the Supreme Court. Overwhelmingly white. I could go on and on. And NOW there are whites whining that they're oppressed? Like a fox being attacked by a hen.
Pure nonsense.