The "Skip" Gates Police Report: Well, This IS What Happens To Black Men In America
The PDF file found here is the INSANE police report that chronicles the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. At his home. While someone was carrying in his luggage. Because Lucia Whalen saw a black man, who uses a cane, having trouble with his own door. Because he'd had a break-in recently. And then he gets arrested for yelling at the cops. Long after showing ID that said he lived there. Oh, it is a fucking doozy.
Is there anyone this story doesn't make look terrible?
Uh, Gates?
Ok, he doesn't look terrible. I submit that his reaction to the police attention helped turn an embarrassing situation for everyone else into an embarrassing shitstorm for everyone including Prof. Gates.
Wookie, even the "ya I'll speak with your mama outside" part?
"exhibit loud and tumultuous behavior" I don't think that means what you think it means.
I like the typos best of all.
Ma'm, you need to watch your conducy, or I will be forced to withdraw my department issued handcuffs from their carrying case.
Hate to say it, but if I acted the same way under the same circumstances, I don't doubt that the NYPD would arrest me on the spot and take me on an unguided tour of The Tombs (probably with complimentary overnight accommodations). Get aggressive with cops and they will get aggressive with you, regardless of race.
However, I doubt that the original call would ever have been made if someone saw me using my shoulder to open my front door. (and yes, Lucia, I'm pointing my finger at YOU).
Having lived in Boston, I can safely say The Boston Police are racist. Most police departments are racist, but they're pretty blatant about it.
Pity you didn't learn the difference between "The Boston Police" (sic) and the Cambridge Police Department during your brief stay at (INSERT UNDERGRAD INSTITUTION NAME HERE).
For all intents and purposes, it's part of the larger institution.
Or am I just stereotyping!? (*rimshot).
Yeah, and I'm sure reporting Officer Figueroa appreciates everybody's pithy insights about racism and the Cambridge police department.
The Harvard Police have a lot on their plate; they issued an APB for $12B of missing endowment.
HA! I laughed out loud. Scared the cat.
Actually it's probably fundraising lady Lucia Whalen who is or formerly was looking for that missing endowment rather than HUPD or the Cambridge Police. Which, by the way, Sgt James Crowley's phone number and e-mail are prominently displayed all over the latter's site because, how about this, he is the Cambridge cops' community outreach guy for that neighborhood. He is the cop whose contact info is in the obligatory holiday season watch-for-prowlers newspaper article, the one where the citizenry is reminded to be alert about seasonal break-ins. — (17 Ware St itself has had previous prowler calls.)
(By "previous prowler calls", I apparently meant previous calls involving casual prowlers who did not go so far as to own and reside in the targeted house.)
If Crowley *is* the community liaison for the mid-Cambridge neighborhood association, he's got his work cut out for him dealing with Harvard/Cambridge 02138 entitlement *and* Rindge students.
"I'll speak with your mama outside" is my new catch phrase!
Also, Sigerson, the NYPD might not actually arrest you. They might give you a warning beat down, then let you go.
by "let you go" you mean "throw you in the Gowanus Canal", right?
Yes, but they'll also threaten to kill your sick dog. So there's that.
And here I thought Cornel West was the big troublemaker!
This made me so angry that I went to throw a garbage can through the window of the pizza parlor on the corner, come to find the place went out of business two months back.
a tip of the hat to you, good sir!
Ahem. "Cantabrigga, please!"
Moral: Don't fuck with police officers, racist or not; you never win.
Unless you're Jack Burden and you work for the Boss. Then you can humiliate the cop so much you feel bad about it later.
Redemptively.
After reading through the entire police report, it does not seem at all me like a clear cut case of racism. I think the assumptions people are making about the cops and the neighbor as just as racist as the assumptions they are accusing the cops and the neighbor of making.
If I were Gates, the moment the cops showed up I'd have thanked them and kissed the busybody neighbor for caring enough to call the cops. Because I can't picture any of my neighbors getting involved and we sure as hell don't have that kind of police response time on our street.
Yes, it is a perfectly logical and quite neighborly conclusion to jump to: a house in a faculty neighborhood is being broken into — in the middle of the day — by an older man man, with grey hair and beard, wearing wire rimmed glasses and a golfing shirt, and who walks with a cane.
He is arrested even after showing his ID proving he lives in the house.
No. No racism here.
"Open and shut case . . . Apparently this n—– broke in and hung up pictures of his family everywhere."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7F50Cd8LME
Hey! That could have been a sword cane.
Result? One dead officer.
And may I remind you, those "Do the Right Thing" riots could happen any day now, especially if this rain keeps up.
As a black man I need to know: If I respond to this post does that mean I am exhibiting "loud and tumultuous behavior"?
You people always have to play the race card.
Lucia Whalen saw you breaking and entering this post. The police are on their way.
This is how it would have gone with me:
ME: "Hey officer"
COP: We got a report of a break in here
ME: Oh, ok. This is my house
COP: Do you have ID?
ME: Sure…here it is
COP: OK. Let me confirm
ME: OK
COP: Yup, you live here
ME: Thanks for looking out for my house
COP: No problem
ME: Have a nice day, sir
Gates has been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this. He's an idiot