He Said, She Said …
… The Rev. Al Sharpton said.
Harvard Prof. Louis Gates cries racism most foul after someone spots him pushing in his own front door and calls the cops, who show up and ask Gates to identify himself. And that’s where the stories diverge. Gates’ friends say he showed them his ID. The cops say he refused to, instead started loudly accusing the cops of racism. As his friend Al Sharpton put it, “I’ve heard of driving while black, and I’ve heard of shopping while black. But I’ve never heard of living in a home while black.” Boston Herald:
Gates, 58, an acclaimed Harvard University academic and black-history documentarian, was arrested Thursday after an incident at his Cambridge home.
A witness, 40-year-old Lucia Whalen of Malden, had alerted the cops that a man was “wedging his shoulder into the front door” at Gates’ house “as to pry the door open,” police reported.
A law enforcement source said Gates apparently had locked himself out. When Sgt. James Crowley arrived, he said Gates already was inside. But when he was asked to provide identification, Gates allegedly snapped, “No, I will not!”
Police said Gates’ front-porch tirade about racism “alarmed” passers-by drawn to the uproar outside his Cambridge home.
As Crowley tried to question him, police said Gates bellowed, “This is what happens to black men in America!”
Crowley claimed in his report he tried to calm Gates, but wrote that Gates “shouted, ‘You don’t know who your (sic) messing with!”
After calling Crowley “a racist,” according to police reports, the professor was charged with disorderly conduct and released for a $40 fee. Gates is scheduled to be arraigned on a single charge of disorderly conduct Aug. 26 at Cambridge District Court in Medford. The maximum penalty Gates faces if convicted is a $150 fine.
Repeated efforts to reach Gates and his lawyer for comment were unsuccessful. Cambridge police declined to respond to the allegations of racism.
Sharpton, who said he has spoken with a “shaken” Gates, said Gates did identify himself to police. Sharpton said the incident was witnessed by a Harvard University police officer, and called that officer’s failure to intervene on Gates’ behalf “unthinkable and intolerable.”
“I think it’s indicative at best of an overreaction by police,” Sharpton said. “At worst it could be profiling. Either way, it’s wrong.”
Even more disturbing, he said, is that such an incident would occur in the nation’s progressive bastion, popularly known as the People’s Republic of Cambridge.
“If this can happen at Harvard, what does it say about the rest of the country?” Sharpton said. “Henry Louis Gates is the pre-eminent African-American scholar in the country. If they can do this to him, imagine what they can do to a kid in Roxbury.”
Sharpton, fresh off his defense of the late Michael Jackson’s legacy, vowed to put the full weight of his National Action Network behind Gates, whom he called “a personal friend, someone I read and admire.”
I have no idea whether Gates is a victim of racism. I hope not, because if someone is making things up, as a practical matter it’s probably better for the citizenry of Cambridge if it turns out that Harvard professors rather than cops are making things up and behaving unprofessionally. Less dangerous. Though we could debate all day about whether Harvard profs or cops making things up is more dangerous for society at large.
Seeing as we probably won’t get a quick answer to any of the above, I just want to say that as a tabloid professional, I’m a huge fan of Al Sharpton. The involvement of the National Action Network promises to liven up the summer news doldrums.
About the police response, my only other observation is that as a homeowner and vehicle owner, I hope cops who suspect anyone of breaking into my property will ask to see ID, even if it is me, and satisfy themselves that I am who I say I am. My attitude towards cops blows hot and cold depending on circumstances, but one thing that I know is that it is always a bad idea to yell at them when they are doing their jobs. It really pisses them off, and they tend to arrest people for disorderly conduct when they do that. Even white people. We report on that kind of thing on a fairly regular basis. It’s usually someone yelling about some kind of injustice, or popping a “Do You Know Who I am?” Unlike this example, it usually only makes the police blotter, but it isn’t that uncommon. I’m interested to see from the Globe coverage that there are people who think Harvard professors should be immune from arrest on those grounds. Here’s NYT, with Ogletree. So far everyone but Gates has something to say about this. He’s got a lawyer talking for him.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:14 am on Tuesday, July 21, 2009
4 Responses to “He Said, She Said …”
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July 21st, 2009 at 10:21 am
The professor is getting his 15 minutes, which is obviously what he was after when he wouldn’t simply show ID to prove that it was his house, and shouted those comments out for bystanders to hear. Also, his lectures on modern racism in America will now have that extra zing of personal experience behind them. Win/win!
July 21st, 2009 at 12:26 pm
This is a no-win for the cops and the city. If I were them I would be making nice as fast as I could. The cop will be lucky to get off with a day of diversity training.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:06 am
The lovely old duck who used to live next door to me saw my legs going in my bathroom window when I left my house key at work. The policeman was very polite when establishing my bona fides. I was very polite as there were three police cars pulled up out front.
I thanked my neighbour for her actions.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:43 am
I wonder if Al’s heard of “breaking into a rich guy’s house while black”…