This afternoon I drove to Cambridge, MA, in order to view the site of the 7/16/09 arrest of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates for disorderly conduct. Specifically I wanted to try to spot any visible signs of agitation in the immediate neighborhood connected with this story. I am very familiar with the area, having attended night classes at the university some years ago. And believe me, when Harvard Square gets its knickers in a twist, it shows.
Although Prof. Gates' street address is blacked out on the police report, it appears elsewhere on the internet so I see no reason not to disclose it here: 17 Ware Street, Cambridge, MA. If you have access to an online streetmap with visuals, check it out. You will notice that the bright yellow house sits on a relatively narrow street which is tree-lined and deeply shaded. In addition, the front door is to the right and set back from the front windows and porch. It has been reported that Prof. Gates' house had been the site of a possible attempted break-in previous to his return from China. This was investigated by the Harvard University police and was the reason the front door was stuck in the first place.
When I drove by there were 2 to 3 media vans with antennas parked on Ware St. and two more (local FOX affilate and NECN New England Cable News) on an adjacent street. There were no spectators visible on these streets other than the media. I spent about an hour walking around the Harvard Square and university area and saw no protestors, no flyers, no street interviews being conducted, no signs, no bumper stickers, no buttons, no t-shirts -- in short, the community was going about its business apparently unconcerned with the momentous drama that has been unfolding up the block for the past week.
What I saw (and didn't see) reinforced my belief that this incident has been deliberately publicized, pumped-up and pimped by Gates, Sharpton, Obama and others in an outrageous act of politically motivated race-baiting. It is also my opinion that Prof. Gates is a vindictive lying racist who is attempting to destroy the life of an innocent police officer and smear the reputation of the Cambridge Police Department to further his own ends.
Therefore, and in light of the continuing nationwide media flap and irresponsible comments by the President of the United States on this subject, I have a few questions:
First, if the arrest took place on Thursday, July 16 (coincidentally? the same date as Obama's race-baiting speech to the NAACP) why does it appear that the incident was not reported in the media until at least July 20?
Why has the Boston Globe removed the police report from its website? The report is, of course, available at http://www.amnation.com/vfr/Police%20report%20on%20Gates%20arrest.PDF so there is no point in the Globe attempting to hide it.
According to the police report, the witness who phoned in the July 16 report of a possible break in, Lucia Whalen, made a good-faith call for police assistance in the belief that she was witnessing a crime in progress. Does Prof. Gates intend to accuse Ms. Whalen of "racial profiling" as well? According to some witnesses, Gates screamed at Crowley, "...you believe white women over black men".
Prof. Gates is damn lucky I wasn't the witness. I'm a senior citizen with a cane and I'm not afraid to use it on lying racist weasels.
According to WTTK commentator Michele McPhee, Prof. Gates' extended high volume rant was recorded in the background of Officer Crowley's attempt to transmit information on his radio to the Cambridge Police HQ. When will the public get to hear this recording so that we will be able to decide for ourselves about Prof. Gates' conduct?
Don't hold your breath.
Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas held a press conference this afternoon in which he defended both Officer Crowley and the department against the spurious charges and comments by Gates and others. The conference can be found at http://wbztv.com/local/cambridge.police.commissioner.2.1098662.html. Officer Crowley has rightly refused to apologize. He has nothing to apologize for and he deserves the support of every citizen. God knows he needs it. In 1993 it was Officer James Crowley who administered CPR in a desperate attempt to revive Boston Celtics team captain Reggie Lewis, who had suffered a fatal heart attack, a tragedy which broke hearts all over the Boston area. Reggie was African-American. When informed of Gates' accusations against Crowley, Lewis' widow, Donna, mumbled something about the "unfortunate situation" and the importance of "peace" but refused to defend the cop who had tried to save her husband's life.
There are cowards and hypocrites and opportunists flapping their jaws all over the place. Gates is demanding that Sgt. Crowley "beg my forgiveness". I say, give the good professor the response he deserves. It will only take one finger to do it.
14 comments:
this guy is a monumental shitbag
and if I was the cop I would demand an apology back. hold a press confrence and say that the new race baters are trying to destroy me. I would then say if the proffessor has an ounce of integrity he would admit how horribly he treated me otherwise he will go through life knowing no matter what happens even if I lose my job and he destroys my reputation,
he will allways know inside he did evil on to me and he is a weasil who couldnt hold my ballsack.
OK - here's the deal. If I had neighbors who cared enough to call the cops to protect me and my property; if I had cops who were so responsive and professional to make DAMN sure the person they were leaving in my broken-into house was actually the owner, by insisting that I prove who I am, I'd buy them all PIE (would take too long to bake one, most likely).
Yessir, every damn one of 'em would get pie and coffee (or tea, if they'd rather).
Then they'd get a hug and a thank-you note. And maybe an apology that I had discombobulated everyone.
Yep, that's what they'd get.
Ro
Hah! Gates is privileged to live in Cambridge,,,,Down the road, in Chelmsford-Lowell, the cops won't investigate "property crime", they are too busy fighting terrorism!
(See Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEwHKGbBduU
Three months after the break-in and still waiting for the cops to appear.
Gates has got it good!
I posted on this incident this morning. No personal observations, though.
I'll add a link in my post to this posting here at IBA.
Randy,
RRA is a middle-aged woman, not an old man with a cane.
RRA,
I believe this Gates thing is the equivalent of the Flying Imams case, and I agree that Obama is in on it.
Randy, you are an ignorant little racist thug, but since you are obviously unfamiliar with this blog I will inform you kindly that I am an old lady with a cane, and would you like my address so you could swagger your macho ass over here and try to make trouble? I'll be sure the local police are on the scene, of course.
And how nice to hear about how the noble Hispanics, blacks, Muslims and others are going to "wreck hell" on every white person in this nation once you get the numbers and the power. Kill Whitey. Destroy the Constitution. Reconquista California. Just shows what superior people you are, doesn't it? You would never stoop to murder and tyranny just to "get even" with an entire race, would you?
As our Dear Leader might put it, Randy, what you are is muy estupido.
Pasto
I think you may be right. I haven't been able to find out why, when the incident occurred on July 16, there appears to have been no coverage of it until July 20. The word-of-mouth about Gates screaming so the whole of Ware Street could hear must have been all over Cambridge by then. The booking process had been witnessed by Harvard officials. The charges had been dropped. Yet four days later the story appears in the Boston Herald, where it is stated in the first paragraph that "the incident raised concern among some Harvard faculty that Gates was a victim of racial profiling."
Gates couldn't have planned this in advance as did the Flying Imams, but I do believe this was a case of letting no good "crisis" go to waste.
Thanks, Godefroi.
When is the last time you heard of a terrorist attack or hijacking attempt on an El Al flight? Longer than I can remember. Why? Because racial profiling is apart of their standard protocol, that's the main reason. I'm sorry but there are certain individuals, based on heritage or appearance, who are statistically more likely than others to commit crimes or terrorism and nothing can change those facts.
Sorry, the bottom line is that an old man who uses a cane was arrested in his own home. Knowing few of the "facts" other than everyone agrees there was no violence, I call that stupid.
Getting angry and yelling are not cause to be arrested. Watch one of those cop shows and see the foul language used by speeders. Police are supposed to be grown-ups.
Bill from Sunnyside,
I've read the Police Transcript, and I tend to agree with you. I don't know why he had to be arrested.
That being said, if the transcript is accurate then Henry Louis Gates is an incredible asshole and a fool.
I would never speak to a policeman that way.
In my life, I have been the victim of profiling on dozens of occasions. During the early to mid-1980's I had very long hair, and I drove a primer-gray car. I also had crappy clothes and shoes with holes in them. I was poor, and I was a rock n' roll musician.
I was pulled over dozens of times, asked why I was in "our city", told to leave the city, told I shouldn't be out in the middle of the night, told to get off the street (if I happened to be walking). I was also given tickets for infractions I did not commit. I spent thousands of dollars on fines for traffic violations I didn't commit.
All that being said, I never once raised my voice to a policeman, and I THANKED THEM FOR THEIR TIME.
Additionally, I would get followed around by store security, and would have store clerks be rude to me.
Additionally, when I would go in a branch of my own bank and attempt to cash a check, I would usually be asked to see two forms of ID, which was impossible for me because I was too poor to have a credit card.
Officer Crowley was doing his job. Until evidence comes out that he went over the line and was disrespectful of Gates, I will find Gates at fault.
But like I said, I don't really understand why Gates had to be arrested.
It is the policeman's call, though. Disorderly Conduct is a charge that can be leveled at the discretion of the Policeman.
Being rude to a policeman is a recipe for disaster; you are just asking for shit. If you just respect them, follow their directions, and listen to them, they will likely leave you alone. If they don't, then you can cry racism, police misconduct, or whatever you wish. I've gotten off the hook for a speeding ticket before for simply being courteous, receptive, and apologetic to the officer that pulled me. This obviously won't work all the time as there are officers who are malicious, but being rude to an officer will almost always lead to more trouble. For that, Mr. Gates acted like a total moron.
They were both wrong.
The officer is overly agressive.
Why did he confront two suspected burglars alone rather than waiting for the marked patrol car that had been dispatched?
He waffles on that point in the TV interview when he talks about realizing that he had his back to the door while talking to the womean who called. He should have gotten her out of the line of fire and waited in his car for backup.
Gates was wrong too.
He immediately verbally resisted the officer -- using the race card to prevent him from stating his business.
Gates obviously thought that the officer was there for some other purpose. Possibly a subpoena or some sort of investigation???
He said "None of your business" when asked if there was anyone else in the house.
The house plan in online at the Harvard site -- shows five bedrooms
http://www.hres.harvard.edu/RRE/NewWeb/Brochure/Affiliated/Complexes/17ware.htm
A divorced guy living in a five-bedroom house?
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