This must be the safest neighborhood in America. Distinguished Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested when a cop mistook him for a burglar.
Reportedly, Gates had just returned from a trip to China, only to be welcomed by a badly damaged front door. To circumvent this and gain entry into his home, he and his cab driver tried to get in through the back door. A white neighbor saw them and called the police.
Gates, who heads Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research, showed the Sgt. James Crowley, the attending officer his driver's license and Harvard identification, only to be handcuffed and taken to jail. Crowley's defense? Gates "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior", in spite of his warnings to calm down. Crowley apparently did not recognize Gates, despite his fame. Throughout the incident Gates continued his verbal tirade against Crowley, among them: "You don't know who you're messing with,"Ya, I'll speak to your momma outside", according to Crowley.
Gates' & his Harvard colleagues call this a case of racial profiling.
This story brings about many issues. Like seriously, are there no crimes in that area of Boston that someone can be arrested for being loud and possibly arrogant? Has the crime rate in Boston decreased so dramatically? I find it interesting that there is hardly any mention of the cab driver. He must have calmly did what he was told to do with no problems. I guess it is true money and class stature affects your personality.
On the bright side, Gates should be pleased with the safety measures taken in the community he lives in. The fact that he had a neighbor, who felt the community was at risk, phoned police. I mean that's what and opulent lifestyle pays for right? Safety. In some lower class neighborhoods, you can't get people to even converse with the police for the fear of "selling out".
What are your thoughts?
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