Henry Louis Gates Arrest Reports

[belcherboy]

Henry Louis Gates Arrest Reports

Is this thing going to turn into a monster? I'm not sure Obama should have addressed it the way he did last night. I'm not sure it will work out well for him. Hopefully it just blows over.

[sub rosa]

police reports tell one side of a story. they aren't a disinterested party.

[Who is the Drizzle?]

I have no opinion on this matter right now because I have no idea who to believe.

One of the parties was acting incredibly stupid, just not sure which.

[Melody]

Officer in Henry Gates flap tried to save Reggie Lewis - BostonHerald.com

The Cambridge cop prominent Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. claims is a racist gave a dying Reggie Lewis mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in a desperate bid to save the Celtics [team stats] superstar’s life 16 years ago Monday.

It was a neighbor who called to report that someone was trying to force open a door at that house. Did the neighbors not recognize him? Of COURSE the police are going to ask for ID if they receive a report of someone trying to force open the door of a house.

[sub rosa]

here's the statute gates was arrested under:

CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER


Chapter 272: Section 53. Penalty for certain offenses


Section 53. Common night walkers, common street walkers, both male and female, common railers and brawlers, persons who with offensive and disorderly acts or language accost or annoy persons of the opposite sex, lewd, wanton and lascivious persons in speech or behavior, idle and disorderly persons, disturbers of the peace, keepers of noisy and disorderly houses, and persons guilty of indecent exposure may be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than six months, or by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

M.G.L. - Chapter 272, Section 53

hard to imagine how this puts people on notice of what's prohibited in the state of massachusetts. what's a "common night walker"??? you can get six months in the slammer if you "annoy" someone?

[LineCrosser]

I'd wager there's still a lot to come out about this. That officer's experience does not document the initial contact with Gates, so he doesn't know how he was treated before the reporting officer arrived.

The thing I find interesting is the description of the arrest on the final page. Since when is the inside of one's home "a public place?"

[sub rosa]

Originally Posted by Melody

Of COURSE the police are going to ask for ID if they receive a report of someone trying to force open the door of a house.

gates behaved badly. he overreacted. the sgt. on the scene should've defused the situation and resolved it short of an arrest. if you read the police report written by officer figueroa, the "loud and tumultuous behavior" (the sergeant's words) took place either inside the house or on the front porch.

[Who is the Drizzle?]

I'm just dreading how much the news is going to cover this in the coming weeks and months. The talking heads will be horrible. People will be upset, and it will get blown way out of proportion on both ends. I can't watch it now because of the never-ending MJ coverage, so maybe I'll just stop watching permanently. Or until I'm confident there'll be more real news than hype.

[Melody]

The shouting to onlookers occurred on the front porch. The onlookers who Gates was trying to agitate were definitely "public". I suspect that an arrest wasn't needed either, but these things happen when you're a jerk to the cops. Harvard professors shouldn't get special consideration for behavior that would result in you or I being hauled downtown. This is not an incidence of racism but rather an individual expecting special privileges because of his position in the community.

[sub rosa]

Experts: Disorderly conduct rap ‘ambiguous’

When a Cambridge police sergeant told Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. that he “would speak with him outside,” the officer may have intended to draw the incensed professor outside of his home where he would be an easier target to arrest, legal experts told the Herald.

“It seems like the officer felt like he needed to get him out of his house to have the public element of disorderly conduct met,” said Howard Friedman, a Boston civil rights lawyer. “The officer seems to think that if he could get him yelling outside his home, that is a crime.”

More: Experts: Disorderly conduct rap ‘ambiguous’ - BostonHerald.com

[LineCrosser]

Originally Posted by Melody

This is not an incidence of racism but rather an individual expecting special privileges because of his position in the community.

Maybe. Maybe not. There's no way to tell. Maybe Gates entered the encounter with a chip on his shoulder, and he cried racism before explaining. But the long-held history of blacks being maltreated by (some, not all) police in this country begs the question.

I do believe you would have NEVER seen this happen if it was a white man, regardless of his position in the community.

[LineCrosser]

[QUOTE=sub rosa;1945202]

When a Cambridge police sergeant told Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. that he “would speak with him outside,” the officer may have intended to draw the incensed professor outside of his home where he would be an easier target to arrest, legal experts told the Herald.

“It seems like the officer felt like he needed to get him out of his house to have the public element of disorderly conduct met,” said Howard Friedman, a Boston civil rights lawyer. “The officer seems to think that if he could get him yelling outside his home, that is a crime.”

I thought the same thing. And was that an antagonizing move on the part of the policeman, thereby excalating the incident?

[belcherboy]

Originally Posted by sub rosa

police reports tell one side of a story. they aren't a disinterested party.

That is why I wish Obama had not addressed the situation.

[LineCrosser]

Originally Posted by belcherboy

That is why I wish Obama had not addressed the situation.

Yeah, probably wasn't the smartest thing, although he admitted he didn't have all the facts.

[belcherboy]

Originally Posted by LineCrosser

Yeah, probably wasn't the smartest thing, although he admitted he didn't have all the facts.

Regardless of the facts, when a sitting president addresses it publically, it is going to be put in the spotlight. IMO, this thing isn't much of a blimp on the news if Obama doesn't give it any consideration. Perhaps it needed attention, but at this point I don't think anything good is going to come out of Obama's statement about the incident. Especially an incident he really knew little to nothing about.

[djhutch]

From the information we now have, the police officer acted appropriately. He asked for the gentleman's information. If the prof had just given him the information, proving it was his home, the whole thing would have been done in 5 minutes. But the prof would rather make hay while the sun's shining on him.

[LineCrosser]

Originally Posted by djhutch

From the information we now have, the police officer acted appropriately. He asked for the gentleman's information. If the prof had just given him the information, proving it was his home, the whole thing would have been done in 5 minutes. But the prof would rather make hay while the sun's shining on him.

To what information are you referring, that proves that the officer acted appropriately? The policeman apparently put in his report that he specifically tried to direct Gates outside to finish the discussion. What end would this serve but to find an excuse to arrest him?

I haven't seen anything that indicates that either party was right or wrong.

[FloridaTigers]

I look at it at both sides.

If Henry Louis Gates were a white man, would the cops have even been called in the first place?

However, Gates should've just shown identification and shut up. It would be a non-story and nothing would've happened.

[DGTigers]

Originally Posted by FloridaTigers

I look at it at both sides.

If Henry Louis Gates were a white man, would the cops have even been called in the first place?

However, Gates should've just shown identification and shut up. It would be a non-story and nothing would've happened.

It's unfortunate that the neighbor did not recognize Gates before the call was made, but I don't think that he/she called the cops because a black neighbor was trying to get into his own house. The cops did the right thing by reporting to a potential break in, that is their job.

You're right that showing a little courtesy goes a long ways with the boys in blue. Acting defiant, angry, and hostile does the exact opposite. Anyone defending those actions and comparing them to actual incidents of racism in the past also does nothing but hurt race relations. Not all cops are out to get minorities, that's a fact. Bringing up things in the past in an incident where a cop is doing his job, only hurts the situation more. Our President should be smarter than that, as should Gates.

[holygoat]

Originally Posted by sub rosa

police reports tell one side of a story. they aren't a disinterested party.

Neither is the arrested party.

[sub rosa]

Originally Posted by holygoat

Neither is the arrested party.

obviously.

so i'm wondering, where are the witness statements? all those people out on the street who were supposedly surprised and alarmed by all the loud and tumultuous behavior on the professor's front porch?

[baseballbruce30]

Officer at eye of storm says he won’t apologize - The Boston Globe

Sergeant at eye of storm says he won't apologize

When Sergeant James M. Crowley climbed the front steps of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house last week and unexpectedly placed himself in international headlines, it was not the first time he had a memorable encounter in the line of duty with a prominent black man. Nearly 16 years ago, as a Brandeis University police officer, Crowley desperately tried to save the life of Reggie Lewis after the Boston Celtics star collapsed while practicing in the school gym.

“It bothers him terribly that he couldn’t save him,’’ Crowley’s 74-year-old mother, Verina Crowley, said yesterday, speaking of her son and the famous basketball player.

Yesterday, as President Obama condemned the Cambridge Police Department during a prime-time White House news conference and Crowley steadfastly refused to issue the apology that Gates has sought, a fuller picture began to emerge of the 42-year-old sergeant who arrested the Harvard scholar last week on a charge of disorderly conduct on the porch of Gates’s Cambridge house.

Crowley was a certified emergency medical technician when he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Lewis, to no avail, after the player’s heart stopped on July 27, 1993. In a Globe interview later that day, Crowley said he rushed to the university’s Shapiro Gymnasium, confirmed that Lewis had no pulse, and frantically tried to revive him.

“I just kept on going,’’ he said. “I just kept thinking, ‘Don’t let him die - just don’t die.’ ’’

Now, 16 years later, he stands accused of racism by Gates, one of the foremost scholars on race in America. Gates had just arrived home to his Cambridge house from a trip abroad to find his front door stuck shut. As he and the driver who brought him from the airport tried to push it open, a passerby called police with a report of a possible break-in. Crowley arrived and demanded that Gates, now inside, show him identification. Crowley’s police report said Gates behaved belligerently when he questioned him, which Gates denied. Authorities dropped the charge Tuesday after it ignited accusations of racism.

But people who know Crowley were skeptical or outright dismissive of allegations of racism. A prominent defense lawyer, a neighbor of Crowley’s, his union, and fellow officers described him yesterday as a respected, and respectful, officer who performs his job well and has led his colleagues in diversity training.

“He’s evenhanded and, in the cases I’ve had with him, he’s been very much in control and very professional,’’ said Joseph W. Monahan III, a criminal defense lawyer in Cambridge and former Middlesex County prosecutor. Monahan has represented several defendants arrested by Crowley for domestic assaults and for drunken driving.

Crowley himself, speaking to the Globe yesterday and again last night in Natick, said he will not apologize and asserted, “I am not a racist.’’

Crowley’s police union issued a statement saying it had reviewed the arrest of Gates and expressed “full and unqualified support’’ for his actions.

“Sergeant Crowley is a highly respected veteran supervisor with a distinguished record in the Cambridge Police Department,’’ said the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association. “His actions at the scene of this matter were consistent with his training, with the informed policies and practices of the Department, and with applicable legal standards.’’

The city’s Police Review and Advisory Board, which is independent of the Police Department, has set a meeting July 29 to decide whether to launch a formal inquiry into the incident, according to board investigator Joseph Johnson. He said Gates had not filed a complaint with the board and that no one has filed a complaint against Crowley in the last 12 months.

Crowley, during one of the interviews outside his South Natick home, said he was not authorized to discuss the controversy.

“As much as I’d like to respond, I really can’t,’’ said the married father of three, who coaches youth basketball and plays on a local softball team.

His neighbor Ed Shagory, a retired lawyer, was less reticent. He said he has been friends with Crowley for more than 17 years, and “I think the world of him and his family.’’

Shagory said he was upset by the criticism leveled against the officer and questioned Gates’s statement that the confrontation had inspired the Harvard professor to consider making a documentary about racial profiling.

“I think the idea of him already planning a documentary is very premature, and a very unnecessary thing to say before all the facts are even in,’’ Shagory said.

Crowley joined Cambridge police around 1998, according to Sergeant James DeFrancesco, an aide to police Commissioner Robert C. Haas, who was unavailable for comment.

Verina Crowley said James is the third of her four sons, all in law enforcement. Two brothers, Jack and Joseph, also work for the Cambridge police. The fourth, Daniel, is a Middlesex County deputy sheriff.

Verina Crowley said her sons were raised mostly in the Fresh Pond neighborhood where she still lives, attended racially diverse Cambridge public schools, and graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, where she worked for 26 years.

“He is not a racist,’’ she said in the hallway of her home. And Gates “is not the first black person he ever met in his life.’’

Her children, she said, had black friends over to their home while growing up. James Crowley is still friends with one of those youngsters, now a Cambridge firefighter, she said.

“They grew up with black kids, white kids, kids who didn’t have parents, kids who had two parents - everything you can think of,’’ she recalled. Tolerance “wasn’t something you taught,’’ she said. “You just lived it.’’

Her son, she said, remains haunted by the events of that summer day, nearly 16 years ago, when as a Brandeis police officer he was dispatched to the college gym to help an unconscious man - who turned out to be Lewis.

After confirming that the Celtics guard had no pulse, Crowley and another officer began performing CPR, according to an account in the Globe.

“My immediate indication was that I thought he was dead,’’ Crowley said at the time. An ambulance arrived and took Lewis to Waltham-Weston Hospital, but he could not be revived.

Yesterday, more than a dozen Cambridge police officers working at Harvard and Central squares declined to comment for attribution about the controversy.

But several officers, all of them white, described Crowley as a well-liked officer, and one dismissed the allegations of racism.

That officer, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said, “Racism is not part of it, and that is what is frustrating. The fact that the Police Department dropped the charges makes the police officer look like he is wrong.’’

[sub rosa]

from the other non-disinterested party. mr. gates's version:

TR: How did this escalate? What are the laws in Cambridge that govern this kind of interaction? Did you ever think you were in the wrong?

HLG: The police report says I was engaged in loud and tumultuous behavior. That’s a joke. Because I have a severe bronchial infection which I contracted in China and for which I was treated and have a doctor’s report from the Peninsula hotel in Beijing. So I couldn’t have yelled. I can’t yell even today, I’m not fully cured.

It escalated as follows: I kept saying to him, ‘What is your name, and what is your badge number?’ and he refused to respond. I asked him three times, and he refused to respond. And then I said, ‘You’re not responding because I’m a black man, and you’re a white officer.’ That’s what I said. He didn’t say anything. He turned his back to me and turned back to the porch. And I followed him. I kept saying, “I want your name, and I want your badge number.”

It looked like an ocean of police had gathered on my front porch. There were probably half a dozen police officers at this point. The mistake I made was I stepped onto the front porch and asked one of his colleagues for his name and badge number. And when I did, the same officer said, ‘Thank you for accommodating our request. You are under arrest.’ And he handcuffed me right there. It was outrageous. My hands were behind my back I said, ‘I’m handicapped. I walk with a cane. I can’t walk to the squad car like this.’ There was a huddle among the officers; there was a black man among them. They removed the cuffs from the back and put them around the front.

A crowd had gathered, and as they were handcuffing me and walking me out to the car, I said, ‘Is this how you treat a black man in America?’

the entire interview: Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. speaks out on racial profiling after his arrest by Cambridge police.

[Melody]

Originally Posted by LineCrosser

To what information are you referring, that proves that the officer acted appropriately? The policeman apparently put in his report that he specifically tried to direct Gates outside to finish the discussion. What end would this serve but to find an excuse to arrest him?

I haven't seen anything that indicates that either party was right or wrong.

Outside where there are witnesses, given the agitation of Gates, plus the fact that Gate's ownership of the home had NOT been established, of course they asked him to step outside. If he had been a criminal and gotten out of hand, the interior of the home might have been damaged or the guy hurt on furniture when they arrested him.

Being a cop has to be one of the worst jobs in the world. No wonder some of them burn out and become such jerks. They have to deal with this kind of mess on a daily basis.

I will dispute as well that it wouldn't have happened if Gates had been white. Those hollywood types get arrested all the time for talking smack to officers who pull them over or respond to disturbance calls. It probably happens a lot, but it's not national news unless the individual is a minority or celebrity.

[DGTigers]

Originally Posted by sub rosa

from the other non-disinterested party. mr. gates's version:



the entire interview: Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. speaks out on racial profiling after his arrest by Cambridge police.


And then I said, ‘You’re not responding because I’m a black man, and you’re a white officer.’ That’s what I said. He didn’t say anything. He turned his back to me and turned back to the porch. And I followed him. I kept saying, “I want your name, and I want your badge number.”

That's the problem. It sounds like he was an angry and defiant person before anything even began. What is wrong with proving who you are? Why would you want to start a huge fight and ordeal? Is it too much to ask for someone to put their past baggage or thoughts behind them and treat someone with respect? Sounds like Mr. Gates is the only one that wanted this to be a racial issue.

[shauntacular]

I don't really care about this story frankly, but the police report has some of the worst grammar. Why don't cops have to use proper grammar?

[MrDeeds]

Originally Posted by LineCrosser

I do believe you would have NEVER seen this happen if it was a white man, regardless of his position in the community.

How can you say that without knowing all the pertinent facts of the case? That is an incredibly bold statement.

[MrDeeds]

Originally Posted by sub rosa

from the other non-disinterested party. mr. gates's version:



the entire interview: Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. speaks out on racial profiling after his arrest by Cambridge police.

It seems, from Mr. Gates' own words, that he was the only one concerned with race and was making it a point to make a larger issue out of this incident.

It escalated as follows: I kept saying to him, ‘What is your name, and what is your badge number?’ and he refused to respond. I asked him three times, and he refused to respond. And then I said, ‘You’re not responding because I’m a black man, and you’re a white officer.’ That’s what I said. He didn’t say anything. He turned his back to me and turned back to the porch. And I followed him. I kept saying, “I want your name, and I want your badge number.”

[Mark The Shark]

Originally Posted by LineCrosser

I do believe you would have NEVER seen this happen if it was a white man, regardless of his position in the community.

Sorry, even white people get sent to jail if they are *******s to the police.

[Melody]

Yeah, that account makes it sound like the officer tried to walk away from the confrontation and Gates pursued him.

You just don't give cops garbage. Period.

My daughter was telling me a funny story the other day. One of her LP officers had apprehended a couple of teenaged girls boosting makeup and jewelry. No question. He had them on video putting the items in their designer purses. Police show up and search their bags and discover that both of them had enough cash on them to pay for the items they stole. Anyway, since they were juveniles and it was a comparatively small theft, he decided just to ticket them and call the mother of the younger one to come pick her up. Mom rolls in like a thunderstorm and starts being verbally abusive to the officer, calling everybody liars. Did they KNOW who she was? (Answer: No.) My daughter showed her the video. Didn't help. The woman refused to settle down and the officer ended up having to handcuff her and take her to the station because she wouldn't shut up and wouldn't leave the store. Southlake address. (Upscale neighborhood. Same place your former mayor now lives. These are not poor people. Just spoiled.)

[Boilerfan]

If the police show up at my door and ask me to show identification I am going to tell them to **** off. Maybe I missed it but I do not see anything that says that they told him that there was a report of someone trying to break in here can I see some ID. We do not live in a police state and should not have to show ID while in our own house without being told a reason.

[MrDeeds]

Originally Posted by Melody

Yeah, that account makes it sound like the officer tried to walk away from the confrontation and Gates pursued him.

You just don't give cops garbage. Period.

My daughter was telling me a funny story the other day. One of her LP officers had apprehended a couple of teenaged girls boosting makeup and jewelry. No question. He had them on video putting the items in their designer purses. Police show up and search their bags and discover that both of them had enough cash on them to pay for the items they stole. Anyway, since they were juveniles and it was a comparatively small theft, he decided just to ticket them and call the mother of the younger one to come pick her up. Mom rolls in like a thunderstorm and starts being verbally abusive to the officer, calling everybody liars. Did they KNOW who she was? (Answer: No.) My daughter showed her the video. Didn't help. The woman refused to settle down and the officer ended up having to handcuff her and take her to the station because she wouldn't shut up and wouldn't leave the store. Southlake address. (Upscale neighborhood. Same place your former mayor now lives. These are not poor people. Just spoiled.)

Must've been a black woman.

[pfife]

Originally Posted by Boilerfan

If the police show up at my door and ask me to show identification I am going to tell them to **** off. Maybe I missed it but I do not see anything that says that they told him that there was a report of someone trying to break in here can I see some ID. We do not live in a police state and should not have to show ID while in our own house without being told a reason.

I don't know if I'd drop f-bombs, but I agree with this notion.

I don't know anything about this case, so I'll defer opinion.

[Melody]

Originally Posted by MrDeeds

Must've been a black woman.

With a Southlake address? HAHAHAHA

I think Kwame Kilpatrick and family may be the only black people living in Southlake. You should look up the high school (Southlake Carroll) and take a look at their basketball team. It's all white.

[MrDeeds]

Originally Posted by Boilerfan

If the police show up at my door and ask me to show identification I am going to tell them to **** off. Maybe I missed it but I do not see anything that says that they told him that there was a report of someone trying to break in here can I see some ID. We do not live in a police state and should not have to show ID while in our own house without being told a reason.

He said ‘I’m here to investigate a 911 call for breaking and entering into this house.’ And I said ‘That’s ridiculous because this happens to be my house. And I’m a Harvard professor.’ He says ‘Can you prove that you’re a Harvard professor?’ I said yes, I turned and closed the front door to the kitchen where I’d left my wallet, and I got out my Harvard ID and my Massachusetts driver’s license which includes my address and I handed them to him. And he’s sitting there looking at them.

Mr. Gates own words.

[Boilerfan]

Originally Posted by pfife

I don't know if I'd drop f-bombs, but I agree with this notion.

You're right that probably wouldn't be good.

[MrDeeds]

So I went over to the front porch still holding the phone, and I said ‘Officer, can I help you?’ And he said, ‘Would you step outside onto the porch.’ And the way he said it, I knew he wasn’t canvassing for the police benevolent association. All the hairs stood up on the back of my neck, and I realized that I was in danger. And I said to him no, out of instinct. I said, ‘No, I will not.’

My lawyers later told me that that was a good move and had I walked out onto the porch he could have arrested me for breaking and entering. He said ‘I’m here to investigate a 911 call for breaking and entering into this house.’ And I said ‘That’s ridiculous because this happens to be my house. And I’m a Harvard professor.’ He says ‘Can you prove that you’re a Harvard professor?’ I said yes, I turned and closed the front door to the kitchen where I’d left my wallet, and I got out my Harvard ID and my Massachusetts driver’s license which includes my address and I handed them to him. And he’s sitting there looking at them.

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.

So he’s looking at my ID, he asked me another question, which I refused to answer. And I said I want your name and your badge number because I want to file a complaint because of the way he had treated me at the front door. He didn’t say, ‘Excuse me, sir, is there a disturbance here, is this your house?’—he demanded that I step out on the porch, and I don’t think he would have done that if I was a white person.

But at that point, I realized that I was in danger. And so I said to him that I want your name, and I want your badge number and I said it repeatedly.

And the man who arrested me did it out of spite, because he knew I was going to file a report because of his behavior.

Again, Gates in his own words......pretty telling.

[Boilerfan]

Originally Posted by MrDeeds

Mr. Gates own words.

Thanks I missed that.

I don't think either side handled this well. No way this should have gotten to the point of arrest and unfortunately it generally falls to the police to be the ones to be the"bigger man" and back down.

[MrDeeds]

Originally Posted by Boilerfan

Thanks I missed that.

I don't think either side handled this well. No way this should have gotten to the point of arrest and unfortunately it generally falls to the police to be the ones to be the"bigger man" and back down.

Gates and Gates alone escalated the incident by immediatley claiming racism. He assumed from the moment he saw the officer that the officer was a racist.

[Boilerfan]

I got out my Harvard ID and my Massachusetts driver’s license which includes my address and I handed them to him. And he’s sitting there looking at them.

This is the point where the officer should have walked away. He proved it was his house and the officer should have said "thank you very much" and walked away.