Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. returned to his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts after being away for most of the summer filming a documentary. When he tried to enter his home through the front door, he discovered that the door was jammed. He and his driver tried to force the door open. Someone walking their dog in the neighborhood noticed what was going on can called 911 saying that there were two African-American men breaking into a home.

Cambridge police arrived within minutes. At this point, Gates and his driver were already in the home. Police ordered Gates to step out of his house. Gates refused and was followed inside by Sgt. James Crowley. Gates showed the officer his driver’s license, which included his address, along with his Harvard I.D. card. Gates was irate and asked the police why they were hassling him and asked if it was because he was black.

Gates demanded Crowley’s name and badge number, and Crowley refused. Instead, he responded by placing Gates under arrest for disorderly conduct for displaying “loud and tumultuous behavior”.

The Cambridge police have since dropped all the charges, but the damage has already been done. Many people are using this story to illustrate the problem of race in this country. In my opinion, this case isn’t so much about race as it is about police misconduct.

I don’t think the police are racists.

For one thing, at least one of the officers at the scene was a black man. Also, sixteen years ago, Sgt. James Crowley gave mouth-to mouth resuscitation to the late Reggie Lewis when he collapsed on the basketball court from a heart attack. I’m pretty sure if Crowley was a racist, he wouldn’t have put his mouth on the mouth of a black man.

I don’t think the cops were being racists, I think they were just being dicks.

Though we still have problems when it comes to racism in this country, we also have a problem with police treating people the wrong way. If they are not Tasering people over stupid, asinine reasons, they’re rude and obnoxious to the very people they are supposed to be protecting. Once the police learned that Gates was in his own home, they should have left immediately. They didn’t do that. Was Gates being loud and “tumultuous”? Sure he was. With that said, I’m sure he would have calmed down if the police had simply left.

Harvard Professor Arrested At Home [The Washington Post]