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Prominent Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates arrested at his Home in Cambridge, MA


From Wikipedia: "Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct following an incident on July 16, 2009, when he had trouble ...
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elCougar
07/27/2009

Prominent Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates arrested at his Home in Cambridge, MA 2

My problem with the whole incident is how it was labeled as 'racial profiling.' Racial profiling is when a police officer (in general terms) is on duty, sees (for example) an African American driving in a car, says to himself 'Hey, that guy's black. I bet he's got some guns/drugs/whatever,' and proceeds to pull the car over. It is, wait for it, PROFILING based on race.

Responding to a 911 call reporting a possible burglary is not profiling. It is called doing one's job. I have no idea whether either party 'lost its cool' more than the other -- from what I've heard/read, it seems like both sides blew it -- but there was no profiling whatsoever in this case. Race had nothing to do with it until the media got ahold of the story. Funny how the American media machine can take a routine police procedure and turn it into an opportunity to misinform the entire nation. Or is it? Get the facts before you react.

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Ridgewalker commented 4 days ago.
http://www.rateitall.com/r-4381356.aspx

Watch the first video posted with this review. Race clearly was an issue. The Sgt. was there and stated that the first thing he heard from the house was Gates going off on the officer about race. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that Gates was profiling the cop...as in assuming that because he was a White cop, that he had a certain agenda. And, would this have become anything more than a local issue if it was a Black cop and a white perp? I don't think so. As long as we're assuming, here, I would assume that Obi Bar Kenobi would not have chimed-in if it was the latter scenario.
Like you, Cougar, I wish there weren't bad things in life...like racism...but there are.

FranksWildYears commented 4 days ago.
On the point of whether it would have happened the same way if it had been a black cop and a white perp, it should be noted that there was no actual 'perp' involved in the situation until after the police arrived.

Ridgewalker commented 4 days ago.
Picky picky picky, Frank. Don't you have some very heavy objects to heave?* :o

*(a reference to the Icelandic Strongmen Contests)

FranksWildYears commented 4 days ago.
(Edited 4 days ago)
I was just nudging you.
The whole issue and the players involved remind me of my favourite exchange in The Road to Perdition when Paul Newman says to Tom Hanks "This is the life we chose and there is only one guarantee - none of us will see heaven."
And then Hanks tells him that his innocent son could have gone to heaven.
Newman replies "Then do everything that you can to see that that happens."

fitman commented 4 days ago.
Good review, with just one very minor quibble:

We don't know exactly what was going through the mind of the neighbor when she called 911.

Lena commented 4 days ago.
Audio of the neighbor's 911 call & radio transmissions here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009 /07/cambridge_polic_4.html

fitman commented 4 days ago.
Thanks Lena.

Looks like the good professor really stepped in it, doesn't it.

However, I don't think he really threatened "the peace and dignity of the State of Massachsetts", and I don't agree that everyone who makes an ass of himself deserves to be arrested and apparently the prosecutor agrees with me..
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