Henry Louis Gates Gets A Reminder

I think your question is redundant. He DID play along AND he was correct in his actions. I mean, the man provided identification, in HIS home to prove that he belonged there. Still he ended up being arrested? How absurd is that?

If that was me, I am not a popular Harvard professor who has appeared on PBS, I would have immediately provided identification AND excercized my right to remain calm and SILENT whenever possible. The last thing I want to do is bring any extra tension to the situation or provoke the police officer into physically harming me or arresting me. Unlike him, I do not have back-up that will aid me within minutes.

Many of us are aware of the numerous absurd stories involving police officers shooting African-Americans in front of their homes or in the back of their heads while laying on the floor. Unfortunately we’re in a lose-lose situation . . . well unless . . . that’s another story. So in the mean time, I would advise every non-celebrity person of color to keep it cool, very cool when confronted by police officer . . . the last thing you want to do is act indignant or like Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Please pass along this link.
WHAT TO DO WHEN STOPPED BY THE POLICE
-by 100 BLACKS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WHO CARE
http://blacksnlaw.tripod.com/

————–
I usually try to get the police officers name and badge number, I’ll read it off of their jackets . . . I know they will not freely offer that information. Yeah, yeah, yeah legally they’re supposed to. Well legally I’m not supposed to get shot while I’m unarmed.

VEe!s last blog post..Drawings That Stare

There’s nothing new here. If a people ever mean, ‘never again’, they have to work at’never again’ together throughout the world and at all levels. We have not arrived;this insult only goes to prove it.

This is indeed a reminder for all of us, not just Dr. Gates.

Execumamas last blog post..CNN’s "Black In America 2"

Let me elaborate, by play along I mean what VEe! said. Many a black man has been shot, bruised and beaten by exercising his rights with the police.

Lamars last blog post..Today’s Inspiration 7/21/2009

The key question here is, who should be deferential to whom in this situation? If Professor Gates were white, I believe that the officer, taking into account the neighborhood, the time of day, and the demeanor of Professor Gates standing in the foyer of his home on the phone with someone,would have initiated the conversation from a position of deference. The officer would have knocked on the door, apologized to the professor for bothering him, indicated that he was just responding to a concerned neighbor’s call, and asked the professor if everything is OK. The office would have assumed that the professor was standing in his own home and had a right to be there. At the most, again with an apology for having to ask, the officer would have asked for identification. Having received it, the officer would have apologized for the final time for bothering the professor and left the house. The Professor would likely have thanked him for checking, said that he completely understood that the officer was just doing his job, and gone on to recover from his infection and his jet lag with no further thought given to the officer. But the officer did not begin the conversation from a position of deference. He began from a position of accusation. For that officer, a black man in America, without regard to age, standing, or anything else must always be deferential to a police officer. I’m a white female professor and am used to being treated with deference by public safety officers on my campus. But on the road I go by the rule that no matter how idiotic a police officer is acting and notwithstanding the fact that he/she is young enough to be one of my students (and a not very good one at that) if I want things to turn out well, I will not lecture the officer and I will be deferential. But I risk little more than the amount of my ticket if I am not sufficiently deferential. As one comment notes, the stakes for African Americans are particularly high because officers tend to pull guns on black folks. It’s a sad commentary on race in America that even Professor Gates cannot lecture a police officer on his racial insensitivity without ending up in handcuffs with a charge of disorderly conduct.

this is just a mirror of who we are… and how little progress we have made in being one nation. color still divides us and provkes the same stereotypes resulting in the same prejudicial responses. time cannot change people … we have an African American president but that does litte to change the hearts of the individuals …it will take love to make any significant change and that comes one heart at at time.

I think he should have played along. I don’t care what “title” you have, at the end of the day we are still black to others. To non blacks when we do things like this we are the angry knee gro who can’t follow a simple command from a police officer. It was established before his arrest who he was. Some where it was reported that he had to spend the weekend in jail. As someone stated “this is a lose, lose”. I guess we should get to know our neighbors. Who wouldn’t know that their neighbor was Mr. Gates. Whether a neighbor likes black ppl or not, you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I have had to break into my own home a time or two. No one called the cops but I am sure someone saw me. What I didn’t get is that the officer was in his home. Don’t normal ppl have pics of them selves in their home? That would have been proof enough unless the officer thought he brought his own pics hung them up and set some on the piano to make it look like he lived there in case he got caught. (being a thief). LOL. This is unfortunate but because many police officers are so “trigger happy” these days Mr. Gates should be thankful that he is still alive. I know my comment may seem mean but that was not my intention. I am keeping it real. Mr Gates has been a black man for a long time or did he forget that because of the “power” that comes with his career? Even Oprah got a reality check while trying to go shopping and all the other person saw was a “black woman”. I would think that ppl on your block know who you are but Oprah should not have expected that just because she is who she is that not everybody in every country in the world knows who she is. LOL.

Hey BlackandMarriedWithKids fam!
This may be overkill but you may be interested in this piece (from the Daily Beast) by Elizabeth Gates. The daughter of Henry Louis Gates, interviews her father, the professor.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-22/my-daddy-the-jailbird/?cid=hp:mainpromo3

This story is getting even more interesting by the day.
——–
“No, when I was arrested I was not read my Miranda rights. I clearly was arrested as a vindictive act, an act of spite. I think Sgt. Crowley was angry that I didn’t follow his initial orders—his demand—his order—to step outside my house because I was protected as long as I was in the house because he didn’t have a warrant.” – Prof. Gates

VEe!s last blog post..Doodle Do Dump

@ Facts only

I’m inclined to agree with you on your points. I’ve looked at various news sources today, and each one is skewed in one direction or the other. I don’t think either version is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I’m just glad the charges were dropped. Who knows what the aftermath will be, though.

President Obama’s comments that the police acted stupidly, but that he doesn’t know the facts of the case is a disappointing statement. If you don’t know the facts, how can you draw a conclusion?

I don’t think that picking sides from an uninformed position helps to lead us in the right direction as we continue to work to improve race relations.

People can have their opinions based on whatever they want, but I expect more from the President of the United States.

Wow, Rosie…that sounds eerily similar to what happened to poor Amadou Diallo in NY all those years ago. I’m glad your tenant didn’t get shot 43 times. Jesus…

Facts Only Please is right on. There is something fishy about the statement above. Something seems to be missing. Nobody likes paperwork and Crowley will have to do a report if he needlessly arrests someone. Considering his background and the other officers around, I’m certain he’s aware of the ramifications of such an action as proposed. I suspect Gates and his lawyer are hiding something to protect themselves.