Black Harvard professor, falsely arrested and terrorized by white Cambridge cop

Submitted by Eternity on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 20:15.

Washington Post - Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of the nation's most prominent scholars of African-American history, cast his recent arrest in his home in Cambridge, Mass., as part of a "racial narrative" playing out in a biased criminal justice system. Shortly before the charge against him was dropped this afternoon, the Harvard professor who has spent much of his life studying race in America said he has come to feel like a case study.

"There are one million black men in jail in this country and last Thursday I was one of them," he said in an interview with The Washington Post Tuesday morning. "This is outrageous and that this is how poor black men across the country are treated everyday in the criminal justice system. It's one thing to write about it, but altogether another to experience it."

"I was thinking, this is ridiculous, but I'm going to show him my ID, and this guy is going to get out of my house," Gates said. "This guy had this whole narrative in his head. Black guy breaking and entering." Read more.

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Submitted by noner on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 21:10.

 from the peedee::::Gates said he simply asked for the officer's identification, followed him into his porch when the information was not forthcoming, and was arrested for no reason.::::

Any citizen has a legal right to inquire of and obtain an officer's name and badge number.

Two brit women were arrested for asking last year and held for 4 days.

Here's some dismaying video of what happens if you are a rhode Island television crew member covering a shooting and you ask for officers badge number.

I know I have been admonished for not having a badge number when making a complaint about inappropriate behavior on the part of an officer. I figured there were only two who responded - how hard could that be to figure out, but nope - they wouldn't even take the complaint with out it.

A lawyer gives some handy advice on how to deal...

I might also mention that during the RNC and DNC protests last summer police hid or covered their badges, if they wore them at all. 

Yep..this is more Republican--Abu Graib "trickle down effect"

Submitted by Eternity on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 22:17.

This police brutality thing is way, way out ot control.  It's gotten to the point where people are just being prodded and tasered along like cattle...literally!

I remember, since I was first eligible to vote, during the Reagan/Bush days, how the Republicans coined the term "trickle down effect."  It was a talking points memo used to sell their lamer than lame, economic con games and bank swindle(s)...remember the S&L bailout, which occured under the first King Bush.  Golly gee, how suprising!  In any case, it seems, the only thing that's trickled down is a bunch of environmental toxins, worthless mortgages and a goddamn police state.

And, don't even get me started on racial profiling--I've been falsely arrested, subsequently told by my attorney I should plead guilty and ask for probation...even though I was innocent.  The lawyer's reasoning?  Because I was a young, black male, it would be assumed that I was guilty.  The jury was sure to be white, and I would be automatically found guilty, whatever the circumstances.  I fought back, and 18 months later all charges were dropped.  But the question begs, in a supposed democracy, as an American citizen (for whatever that's worth, I suppose about a nickle these days) why did I even have to experience such humiliation, not to mention a gross waste of taxpayers dollars on complete and utter nonsense.  Yes, exactly how much did it cost the police department and court system to terrorize me for 18 months?

That was 15 years ago, but still, I'm so disgusted with it all, I could spit fire!  And we wonder why people turn to addiction and violence.

So much evil and deception, but what about the love? 

 

keep in place

Submitted by noner on Wed, 07/22/2009 - 06:51.

 I'm sure they figured it as an exercise to keep one more "uppity" black man in place.

My friend Tony is a tall dark skinned man whose work as a photographer has taken him around the world. He's very mild mannered - but very tall and very dark. His stories of racism provoke a mix of outrage, shame and disbelief. 

There is plenty of racism in America today, always has been, sad to say.