While I don't really understand arresting him, it seems like Henry was being ridiculous just from this retelling... like why would you immediately go on the defensive when a cop shows up? Especially when you are already in your house? That doesn't make sense... seems fishy. But the racist stuff, I hate...

i wonder what he was wearing at the time...i mean, the guy is obvious well off, and the home is likely in a nice neighborhood, or at least not in the slums....and he (in the photo at least) looks like a fine upstanding citizen...so i can't see why he would have looked like he was breaking and entering unless he truly was really going at this door and looked slummy...and in that case, i am sure the same thing would have happened to a white man in the same circumstances, dressed the same way

From the article:
Police say he refused to come outside to speak with an officer, who told him he was investigating a report of a break-in.
When an officer asks you to come outside as a part of an investigation, you go outside.

However, it seems like the officer was also in the wrong:
repeatedly asked for the name and badge number of the officer, who refused.

However, when the officer established that he lived there, the officer should have apologized for the misunderstanding and left. However, the professor shouldn't have been screaming about racial profiling. He must have been fairly rowdy to be arrested for disorderly conduct.

I really do wonder if a person would have called the police if they saw a white man struggling to get into a locked house, especially in an affluent neighborhood? Frankly, I would be pissed off too if someone wanted to "discuss" my breaking into my own house. How did the officer approach the situation? What did he ask? Did ask for ID first or accuse first? As a female I can tell you that I have been in situations where an officer has accused rather than asked a question such as after a traffic accident. He assumed it was my fault and even made a comment about "women drivers". I think the police force in this nation needs more training on racism, gender & sexuality discrimination. I respect the job they do but they should focus on the serve and protect not the arrest and interrogate part of the job. Just my thoughts but I am waiting for more information to come out from this.

If you immediately go on the defensive and start off by trying to make the cop seem like a racist, then white, black, or whatever, that cop is probably going to arrest you.

the other comments also made me think of something else:

what are the chances that coincidentally a professor who examines issues of race and what it's like to be black in america was treated in such a poor way by a police officer if that officer was truly unprovoked? it seems like this could have been a simple misunderstanding that would have ended with the cops saying "sorry about the confusion" and taking off...but the professor has chosen to use it as a case study and make publicity over the situation...i think the professor must have provoked the cops from the get go and therefore deserved the subsequent arrest

I agree -- I think Professor Gates overreacted. While I understand he was upset with the misunderstanding, he added to the problem by being hostile towards the police officer. He made a bad situation worse (for himself). Professor Gates should have behaved innocently (as he was innocent), and complied with the police officer. The officer was simply doing his job, and responded to a call about a possible robbery.

If I was Professor Gates, I would have cooperated with the officer, and thanked him for showing up. The bottom line is that the officer was actually protecting Professor Gates home. If I was Professor Gates, I would have been grateful and worked with officer. JMHO.

I agree with you, skigurl.

It's odd that the first thing he would say to the officer was about his race. I could understand him being miffed about someone automatically assuming he was breaking in, but he shouldn't be "loud and tumultuous" to a police officer who is only doing his job. When the officer showed up why couldn't Gates have just stepped outside, shown the officer his ID, and explained the situation? There was no reason for the situation to escalate.

Yes, it is most unfortunate that the woman assumed that because he was a black man in a well-to-do area, that he was breaking in, but what if someone HAD been breaking into his house, or anyone else's house and the police didn't respond at all? To me, it's not a matter of "would a white man be treated this way by police" because (maybe I am just naive) I think a white man would have also been arrested if he was displaying disorderly conduct. To me it's more of, would the woman have even called the police if it was a white man trying to get in his own door?

I'm probably taking this out of context, but I'm not about to leave the safety of my own home just because some strange male tells me he's a police officer and wants me to step out of the house without getting proof that he is indeed who he says he is.

It seems like both people did something wrong at some point--- the officer's only wrong was not providing the badge number. The professor went off the deep end and was probably looking for evidence to support his own personal views, so he provoked an incident. It's these kind of things that get media attention to something that didn't need it. I personally would have been happy if a police officer showed up at my house wanting to know about a breaking and entering charge. I would happily show my ID and be glad that someone in the neighborhood was on the lookout and the police take these things seriously.

I understand why he over reacted, but the police officer was also doing his job. I'm a minority and I know that sometimes one can use the race car a little too much.I use to have 3 African Americans college students as neighbors. One time the police came to there house because they were making too much noises and the played the race car and were extremely insulting to the police officer. They never got arrested so this comes to show that just because you are black you won't get arrested for nothing. I understand that it can be frustrating and I can see why he was so mad, but I don't think he got arrested because he was black. I think if a white man or woman had the same attitude he or she would also get arrested.

I think it's strange that everyone naturally assumes that because something is in the police report, it's true especially if they've done something wrong.. Gates has said that he didn't make that black man in America statement, that he provided both his driver's license and his Harvard i.d. and they still continued to question him. And, why would one of the most educated black scholars even go there, he knew he was in his home, he knew he was safe. Unfortunately, many people in America feel that all black people are quick to play the race card without recognizing how often the race card is played against us.

And, for the record, he was wearing a polo shirt, a pair of trousers and he was walking with a cane.

this arrest really aggravates me and makes it clear racism is still alive. very unfortunate.

By the way, the charges have already been dropped.

I highly doubt that this would have happened if he was a white man. I doubt the call would have been placed in the first place. Don't his neighbors know what he looks like?

From what I heard initially, he did not want to produce his ID. If you are defensive and belligerent, well then it can be construed you are doing something unlawful.

Whatever. I think both weren't exactly in the right (just by reactions, etc.) and I really don't think that he would have been treated any differently if he were white. If someone goes off on a police officer, chances are, they are going to be arrested.

It's nice to know that all Black people should be poised for a potential police confrontation at any given time, even in your own home....another day in paradise.

Yeah okay, Telane. Keep thinking that.

I truly want to know what it's like to live on a daily basis with self-prescribed rose-colored glasses.

GKitty, I hear you. I have seen countless belligerent (often drunk or well just entitled) not get cuffed here in Southern CA and get told to go home and shake it off. That's showing them.

I would get stopped on a regular bases in Culver City, I would get out of my VW Bug and put my hands in the air. This went on for 2 years by the same cop as I drove home from work a 10 PM. Monday-Saturday. Culver City is built on traffic tickets!

IMO just another case where all parties contributed negatively to the out come.

We'll never know for sure from our perspective but I'm willing to say that the witness was probably reacting to his race as well as his actions even if it was subconscious on her part or not.

With respect to the officer involved I do not believe he deserved Professor Gates venom which should have been directed at the witness not the officer. The officer was just doing his job and answering a burglary call. It wasn't until Mr. Gates became belligerent about the encounter that the officer had a change of heart. However if I were in the officers shoes I would have just left Professor Gates screaming on his front porch and gone on about my day. It wouldn't have been worth my time.

As for the Professor yeah I'd be pissed too but it might serve him well to direct his anger at the appropriate person next time not the person who admits that there was a mistake and is standing down from their accusation. It's one thing to be up set about the matter but he just went to far by verbally assaulting the officer.

So like I always end up saying in these cases, no clean hands.

uh, prof. gates was coming back from vacation, i would be pissed off too if the police wanted to discuss a "robbery in progress" outside my home and then arrest me b/c i got too loud?! whatever. and for all of you who think that he was "playing the race card" until you are followed around a store b/c of your color, stopped b/c your car is too nice or asked if your father "sells drugs" b/c you live in a "nice" house then you can say what you would do in that situation, until then shut up.

This really upsets me yet it happens everyday to ppl of color - any color. It just disturbs me bc I tend to think if he had been caucasion this prob. would not have happened. It's really saddening...esp. bc he is well accomplished and so educated. I personally would have been heavily offended as well. I have been caught in other situations - in stores (I love to shop) - and many times sales ppl. follow me around for no reason even after asking if I need any help. I can only feel uncomfortable bc there are no other patrons of color in the store. I am just saying I understand that type of situation and I hope one day it will change.

I agree this is very disturbing and the fact that it's still happens enough to be a trend is disheartening. My only concern with this story is that the cop is not the one made out to be the racist in this particular case. If any one is in this case it would be the witness not the cop.

hypnotic, really? You honestly believe that no racial intentions could've come from the cop at all?

The cop came because a NEIGHBOR reported a suspicious person and possible break-in. The cop went there and questioned the guy. This isn't a case of a cop hassling a random black guy who was just minding his own business; he had a very valid reason to question him, so I don't see why the cop is being called racist.

As for the neighbor who called the police in the first place, I don't see how we could be sure they were being racist either. Trying to force your way into a house is suspicious behavior no matter what race the person is.

Are you suggesting Prof. Gates should have called police to help with his front door to avoid possible suspension?

No, I'm saying then when the police showed up, he should have explained the situation and behaved innocently. Situations like this are actually pretty common. I don't think that telling the officer he had "no idea who he was messing with'' was very wise on Gates' part.

I agree with GKitty (all comments, by the way).

And if he broke out running he would have been shot in his back. This 58 yr old man, on a cane, has been a Professor in that area from 1991 to present date. Did it also occur to you, that some prankster could have jammed that door and call the police as a bad joke? Docile black folks are only in the movies!

If the police come to your door and ask for your ID and tell you that they got a report about a possible robbery, you're just stupid if you decide to suddenly start running away. And if someone jammed his door on purpose and called the police, how would the police be able to know it was a prank or malicious? Are you trying to say they should have ignored the report?

PSA: When confronted by the police while being black, do the following: Put you hands in the air and say, Mr. police officer, sir...How may I help you? The life you save may be your own!!

I guess I'm missing the part of this story that says the police used violence or shot him.

PSA: public service announcement...that's for the rest of us "not so famous" black folks who would most likely end up dead in a similar circumstance.

I don't think these cops had any idea "who he is". Although this guy is a "prominent scholar", I doubt most people would recognize him, especially before looking at his ID. It's not like he's Will Smith or Denzel Washington.

That's just in case they think like you...Actors, rappers, and video Ho's...

You're right, GKitty. All cops are always looking for an excuse to shoot innocent black people.

Chouette, I know you're trying to sound snarky and all. But, in all honesty, you have no idea how that statement can ring true sometimes.

Chouette, I know you're trying to sound snarky and all. But, in all honesty, you have no idea how that statement can ring true sometimes.

That's sad, but true.

I think having the attitude that all cops want to shoot innocent black people is just as disgusting as thinking that all black people are criminals.

Chouette, I don't think Honeybrown stated "all cops" want to shoot innocent black people. She said sometimes that actually happens (innocent black people are shot just because...well, they're black). And that's sad.

Wow, that's pretty lame. What would you have rather the police officer done? Take him at his word for being the owner of the home? That would be some crappy police work, in my opinion. The way he reacted when asked for identification, he deserved to be arrested. I mean, how would you feel if someone was burglarizing your home and when the police showed up the burglar said he/she is the owner of the home and the police just said oh ok and left it at that? The officer was just doing his job and Gates was just looking to cause trouble. It's truly ridiculous that it came to that. If he had just shown his id, none of that would have happened.

Choutte, I think snidely telling someone with an earned mistrust of some police officers that what they've feel and experienced is wrong is disgusting. Face it. Facets of law enforcement aren't trusted in neighborhoods of color/alternative sexualities. It's not something that goes unearned. Take off your rose-colored glasses and see life for what it is for different people.

Eveday, I'm glad you understood what was said. But, I am sure you weren't the other one.

He was arrested for "loud behavior" in his own home. Are you serious, Anonymous? I guess the next time someone claims to be a police officer, you'd better show some ID and not be "belligerent", even if it can cost you your life or dignity. After he showed his ID, the officer had no need to stay there nor did he have any reason to arrest him.

He was asking for trouble? Really? Try walking in his shoes on a daily basis with such treatment and see how you'd feel/react. Don't stoop so low as to say you know what you'd do because 1) you don't have the option to really know and 2) you wouldn't be so quick to say what you'd do.

Naivete and foolish beliefs keep the country from truly grasping the disgusting legacy of racism that remains.

I don't know what truly happened, who said what or who did what exactly but I have to agree with hypno that it seems that there's no clean hand in this case.
Perhaps both parties basically went over the next level due to either misunderstandings or something more.

I agree that the cops being called does need to do their job thoroughly (I'd expect that too if it were my house and some burglar broke in), but after the professor (I read that he later on showed his id after his outburst) showed his proper IDs, they should just apologize and walk away instead of continuing to question him and then arresting him.
If I were the professor, I'd probably just go ahead and show my id immediately instead of getting irked and started yelling (although yes, I understand how upsetting it must have been for him, after losing his key, having to break in to his own home then these cops coming to question/accuse him for breaking into a house that is his own). I watched too many COPS show sometimes to see that sometimes cops will arrest you over the silliest thing if they don't seem to 'like' your demeanor or based on what you say (thinking you're rowdy--causing disturbances, etc) and yes, that's just wrong, imo.
If he doesn't trust the cops who questioned him, he should call 911 and asked for extra police officers to confirm that indeed the guys at his door are cops, not just a-holes (Well, this is the trick
As for racial issue, it's 50-50, I think that to some degree, there's still profiling going on (whether it's race, class--based on appearance, etc), but I don't know if the cops involved truly acted based on race alone. Sometimes, some cops are jerks (yes, I say that, sorry people who have cops in the family). In my town, I think it's a couple years ago, these cops shot a teenager who's just trying to go inside his own house (ok, granted he did cause a huge commotion because he wasn't cooperating with the cops--said the cops), and killed the poor boy. And he's white. His family, I heard, is still suing the police department and the case is still going on.
So what happened to the professor could've happened to other people too, not only the black people, but that's just an observation of mine.

Woops, I didn't finish my train of thought: I mean, calling 911 and asking for more cops to confirm the cops at the door was the trick I learned a few years back when there was a guy pretending to be police officers and stopped them for 'traffic violation' but ended up assaulting them.

I think it's irresponsible to not state all the facts. Prof. Gates was returning from a trip from China. While there he contracted a lung infection, he cannot speak very loud due to this infection. Upon returning to the US after a 12hr plus flight his DRIVER took him home to find his front door jammed. His driver helped him gain entrance to his home (as reported to the police 2 black men with backpacks were breaking into a residence).

"You honestly believe that no racial intentions could've come from the cop at all?"

I'm just going by what I'm reading. Not what happened to a friend or an uncle but simply by the article that is presented to me here. IMO bringing in everything we suspect and or heard about and applying it to this specific situation only makes it's understanding murky to me. The facts are pretty black and white to me (no pun intended). Paranoid witness makes burglary call, possibly motivated by race. Officer responds to call and asks for proof of residency. Professor is rightfully angered by the circumstances but in my opinion went off on the wrong person resulting in his arrest. Officer should have let it go but let the verbal assault get under his skin and arrested the Professor. Professors victimization is now exacerbated by the circumstances. He's went to jail because he couldn't bite his tongue and the Police look bad because of the hypersensitivity of the issue. Meanwhile the real culprit is sitting at home in her house sipping tea and watching the Bachelorette.

@honeybrown19- you are constantly walking around in my head! i don't even have to say anything! thank you! i totally agree with everything you've said.

@chouette4u- you don't even know how insulting lame ass attempt at being sarcastic was. black people, particuarly black men, are constantly being excessively assaulted and killed by police, it really CAN feel like all cops are just looking for an excuse to kill an innocent black person. black families constantly have to talk to their young sons about how they have to interact with the police and in some african-american neighborhoods people are reluctant to call the police because it's felt that they can make situations worse because of a basic lack of respect for the residents. i can bring up three recent cases of innocent black people shot and killed by the police: sean bell (shot on his wedding day), oscar grant(shot in the back while HANDCUFFED), and omar edwards( an black off duty police officer shot by white cop). why don't you try finding stories of three innocent white people shot by the police?

as for the police, i don't trust them and i never will. that police report AUTOMATICALLY rings false because mr. gates so-called immediate reaction is contradictory to common sense for someone like himself. i don't believe henry louis gates, a prominent african-american scholar, who specializes in african-american studies and who is probably more well versed in racism then most people, wouldn't know how to deal with the po-po. meaning he's going to do what they ask, and try not to get killed because in the end he IS a black man in an affluent neighborhood at night who has been accused of burglarizing a property. i've read (and i BELIEVE) from another source that he showed the cops his i.d. in his own damn house and when they didn't believe him that's when he made the statement "why? is it because i'm black in america?" and got belligerent. maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it didn't warrant an arrest for disorderly conduct, which was dropped because they KNOW it had no merit. all in all, i've come to the same consclusion i always do, which is that the police are not to be trusted.

the accusee is innocent til accusation is proved

Can I point out that the situation happened at 12pm in the afternoon. And yes, I feel that the neighbor was acting more on racist or some sort of biased feelings towards Gates. As for the officer vs Gates...I wish I could give a clear cut response, but I feel that the officer was out of hand for not turning over his badge number. That is unconstitutional, and he should be punished for such behavior.

As for the police vs. black people discussion, yes, there are officers who do abuse their power. I remember having to bail out a friend of mine's mother after she was arrested on a neighbor calling about a "noise complaint" (when there was no loud music, and there were 5 people indoors playing cards silently). The neighbor already didn't like her, and despite her working for the courts, and not having any kind of other complaints against her, she was arrested on arrival of the police. They didn't even read her Miranda rights, and they cursed at all of us who were present, calling us every name in the book, etc.

When me and her son went to bail her out, one of the officers at the station verbally assaulted me, leading me to file a complaint against the station, which was ripped up in my face, and I was told that nobody was coming to my aid.

And yes, all of us involved were black, and all but one officer was white. The sole black officer simply took orders, and refused to speak up.

Mind you, this happened in a suburb of Detroit, in a mixed, middle class neighborhood.

So for those of you who want to say there isn't racism, and the same thing would have happened to a group of white people, please come from under that rock you're thriving under. After all, your sheltered view of life was a preset of the foundation of this "blessed" nation, where indeed people still make racist statements on behalf of political parties (see: the GOP and their facebook messages).