The Arrest of Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr - What Really Happened?

Posted on July 22, 2009 - 10:28pm — djbobbydrake

On July 16, 2009 the Cambridge Police Department arrested and charged Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. with disorderly conduct in his own house. Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Director of the
W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

All charges were dropped on July 21, 2009.

What really happened? The Cambridge police and Professor Gates don’t agree on all points. But both sides agree that Professor Gates came home to find his front door jammed. He used his key to enter by the back door. He and his driver then pushed at the front door until it opened. Witnessing this, someone called the police and indicated there may be a breaking-and-entering in progress. While Professor Gates was on the phone with a property management company a police officer arrived. The officer requested identification. Professor Gates produced it. Even after ascertaining that Professor Gates had not illegally entered the property, Sgt. Crowley arrested him for disorderly conduct.

The police report asserts that Professor Gates yelled and behaved aggressively when he was in his house. Professor Gates denies this and says it was impossible to yell because he had a bronchial infection and could barely talk. The charges have been dropped. In short, Professor Gates was arrested in his own house even though Sgt. Crowley was fully aware that Gates lived in the home.

Should something else happen? Should Sgt. Crowley receive some form of punishment? Is this what someone referred to as "Old school racism?" Are things really different? What can we do to end this form of racism? Give your opinion about what happened by taking our Justice/Just-Us survey.

Results: The Justice/ Just-Us Survey

On July 16, 2009, Henry Louis Gates Jr. arrived at his home after traveling abroad. Unable to enter through the front door, he gained entrance through the rear door and with the assistance of his driver managed to dislodge the front door. However, the door was just the beginning of Dr. Gates' brush with stubbornness. The arrival of Sgt. James Crowley on the scene set in to play a series of events that culminated in the arrest of Dr. Gates on the front porch of his own home and a national discussion about racial profiling, racism, and class. Pundits from every political spectrum brought their perspective to the table and America began a heated discussion on the topic.

As always, The Hiphop Archive was there. From July 22 to August 8 we asked Americans what they thought about this event. In addition, the "Justice/Just-Us Survey" asked people to comment on the current state of race relations in America. We received input from around the country that gave us some insight in to the nation's response to the arrest of Dr. Gates and where the nation stands on the subject of race and race relations.

So... How racist is America? Does class matter? Does race matter? How much has American changed? We addressed all these questions and more in the "Justice/Just-Us Survey." The attached figures track the responses to these questions and related issues among three different groups-blacks, whites and "others." Not surprisingly, we find a deep racial divide in how people interpreted the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. and on the role of race in America. The overall message is clear-whites were more likely than blacks to give Crowley the benefit of doubt or to see this as a non-racial event and more likely to see race relations as improving. This survey challenges us to question the validity of claims that America is on the cusp of a post-racial frontier.

Analysis and presentation by Victor Thompson.

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