Charges Dropped against Top Black Scholar

(CBS/AP)  Prosecutors dropped a disorderly conduct charge Tuesday against prominent black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was arrested at his home near Harvard University after a report of a break-in.

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.

"This incident should not be viewed as one that demeans the character and reputation of professor Gates or the character of the Cambridge Police Department," the statement said.

Supporters say Gates — the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research — was the victim of racial profiling.

Officers responded to the home Gates rents from Harvard after a woman reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry," according to a police report.

Gates' lawyer, fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree, said the professor had returned from a trip overseas with a driver, found his front-door jammed and had to force it open. He was already inside, calling the company that manages the property, when police arrived.

Police said the 58-year-old Gates was arrested after he yelled at an officer, accused him of racial bias and refused to calm down after the officer demanded Gates show him identification to prove he lived in the home.

According to a police report, Gates had refused to come outside to speak with an officer, who told him he was investigating a report of a break-in, reports CBS station WBZ in Boston.

"Why, because I'm a black man in America?" Gates said, according to the report written by Sgt. James Crowley.

Ogletree said Gates showed his driver's license and Harvard ID — both with his photos — and repeatedly asked for the name and badge number of the officer, who refused. He followed the officer as he left his house onto his front porch, where he was arrested.

Gates declined immediate comment Tuesday, and Ogletree did not immediately return a request to comment on the charge being dropped.

Gates joined the Harvard faculty in 1991 and holds one of 20 prestigious "university professors" positions at the school. He also was host of "African American Lives," a PBS show about the family histories of prominent U.S. blacks, and was named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997.

[it3fergie]

I just want say That if i was breaking into my house and a police officer (white or black) showed up and I yelled down "Hey its OK this is my house" and the police just left without being sure there would be a lot of complaints coming from my house. This man should have been more than happy to show a police officer his ID when the guy was just trying to do his job. Also Martin Luther King Jr. Would be disgusted by the actions that happened. All the hard work him and a lot of others have done to get Race out of the picture to only have it used as an excuse for nearly everything out there. This is why other countries laugh at us. It makes me sick! This man should go to jail or offer an apology on national television.

[jtl7734]

I would only hope that if police where called to my house for a possible brake in, they too would confirm I.D. before just taking my word for it. This is not racism, just another black man getting away with acting a fool because it was a white cop. And to have the black mayor backing him is wrong.

[woodynews1]

Almost a year before the election (January 2008) of our first African American President, I publicly said, "We could have a African American President and things in the area of race relations could get worse". Sociologists might call it a self fulfilling prophecy?

Let me remind you that W.E.B. Dubois(another Harvard product and fellow New Englander) once said (paraphrased), the problem of the 21st Century will be the problem of race. I don?t believe Dubois was just speaking about America, he was speaking about the crazy world in which we live. Even the intellectuals who are supposed to help us solve the problem can get no peace (or respect) in America when it comes to addressing the problem. I?m sure there were some heated tempers in this instance, but to arrest Gates when a few telephone calls could have resolved the issue. There was no common sense used here at all. Gates just got back from China and the Boston Police Department gives them another reason to be suspicious about the American brand of justice. Shame on these men in uniform who are called to be public servants!

Well race is not the only problem we face in America but it's still a very real problem that will not go away anytime soon(in Christian spiritual terms, not until Jesus returns). Dubois lived to be over 90, fighting the good fight against racism in America and the world every day. I pray that God will raise up another army of social reformers who will do the same! ?(But) let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream?(Amos 5:24/NIV)!

[franciss1]

how interesting! i wrote mr gates years ago and sought his help in exposing what happened to me and to other black politicians and professionals by police all over this country. i received a polite sorry
maybe this could have been avoided!

visit www.oneagleswingsfearnoevil.com

[joetheplumer]

The problem here is not the scholar it is the evil thought that still live in the mind of some people. That anybody who is not white especially when he seems Black or Hispanic is a delinquent, a thief or a terrorist. This king of ill though will never disappear because it give a sense to the life of those who bread them. But, it is up to you to put a stop to it. If you think or are sure that someone is racially profiling you take it to him .Surely next time they will think twice before attempting the same.

cheguevera

[ffoulkes-2009]

The problem is actually the idiot that wouldn't comply with the police, and once he did comply who still stirred up a loud stink at 2 in the morning in a residential area.

[julesarcher1]

I can't wait for the book.

[a98cer]

If this moron's house had actually been broken into, then he would have been hollering about no protection from the police. He acted like the typical attention-grabber, thinking he deserves special treatment because he is a professor. The idiot was arrested because of disorderly conduct, not because he broke into his own house. As far as the cop goes - was he in uniform? If so, his badge and number would have been in plain view for this racist black to have seen.

[martin9p2]

If Gates really said, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?," then HE is guilty of profiling himself, of playing the race card himself.

[raisinets96]

Profiling does exist. Racism does exist. Hatred exists. All of this does. It is not right. My daughter is white, dates a black man, and gets pulled over all the time. Not when she is alone.... Hmmm. Could it be??? I think so. Welcome to America.

[whymayiask]

Have you ever stopped to think that those stops may NOT be racially motivated, and quite possibly you daughters boyfriend is up to no good? He may have a lead foot. It could be a million things.. Just easier to say.. "Its because I'm black"

[ffoulkes-2009]

There are also prior convictions to consider, or profiling based on the type of car driven, or the manner in which it is driven....

More to the point, how is the case in this article racial profiling?

[TryTakingMyMoney]

Scholar in what...community organizing? If you act like a civilized American and show your ID when asked by the police all will be fine. If you resist spewing racial comments you should be tased. He should be booted out of college for being so stupid.