Professor Gates may have to move because of Death threats

[The_Prince]

Despite rapprochement with the Cambridge police officer who arrested him inside his home for disorderly conduct, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. says that university officials have told him to consider moving in the wake of death threats he’s received since the incident reached the national stage.

Last month, when Gates was arrested by a white police officer for disorderly conduct (the African American scholar was in fact breaking into his own home), the popular Harvard professor’s arrest created a media firestorm over alleged racial profiling.

On Sunday, Gates said that Harvard University officials recommended that he consider moving after he received numerous death threats. Harvard owns the home Gates resides in.

“You should die; you’re a racist,” read one e-mail, according to reports. While promoting his new book on Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday, the professor also said he’d been the subject of bomb threats as well.

Gates has changed his email address and cell phone number as a result.

Someone posted signs outside Gates’ Ware Street home July 25 calling him “shameful” and a “racist,” the professor said.

The controversy surrounding Gates’ arrest took on a national flavor after President Barack Obama weighed in, saying it was “stupidly handled.” Obama later invited the two men for beers at the White House.

Since the White House tete-a-tete, Gates has taken a more humorous tone in speaking of his arrest, saying that he and police officer James Crowley “discussed plans to take in a Celtics or Red Sox game or have their families meet up for a meal.”

“I offered to get his kids into Harvard if he doesn’t arrest me again,” Gates told a crowd Sunday.

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/...death-threats/

poor guy. this shows you sick these racists truly are, they are trying to now attack gates as the bad guy, and call him the racist! no doubt these same phsycos attacking gates are the very same people who attack Muslims and Islam.

[Uthman]

:threadapp

[jerryleeevans]

Hmm. I wonder if the officer is receiving similar threats.

Probably, but it's not being reported because he's a cop and white. White people within the US are not allowed to play the race card, especially we white males. We're the source of oppression for minorities and the ones constantly villified in the media as the proponents of racist actions.

[The_Prince]

if the cop is recieving threats then thats FULLY UNDERSTANDABLE, why do people want to compare the VICTIM gates with the cop who did the wrong?

gates has no reason to be attacked or recieving threats. as for the cop, its obvious hes an idiot, arresting a black man in his own house for no reason, offcourse ppl are gonna give it to this cop, he deserves to be harrased just as he harrased an innocent man in his own house.

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[jerryleeevans]

if the cop is recieving threats then thats FULLY UNDERSTANDABLE, why do people want to compare the VICTIM gates with the cop who did the wrong?

gates has no reason to be attacked or recieving threats. as for the cop, its obvious hes an idiot, arresting a black man in his own house for no reason, offcourse ppl are gonna give it to this cop, he deserves to be harrased just as he harrased an innocent man in his own house.

Both parties were guilty of idiocy in the case, not just one. Gates was not a victim of anything racist at all, but of unfortunate timing. The mere fact it was a white cop who arrested, it's automatically assumed to be racial profiling. Thank you for proving my point concerning how white males are portrayed in the world.

[The_Prince]

Both parties were guilty of idiocy in the case, not just one. Gates was not a victim of anything racist at all, but of unfortunate timing. The mere fact it was a white cop who arrested, it's automatically assumed to be racial profiling. Thank you for proving my point concerning how white males are portrayed in the world.

a black man being arrested in his own house, for no reason, put two and two together, this is clear racism.

and put this with the other fact that the majority of people who are often stoped and harrased for no reason by the police are blacks and latinos (as obama mentioned).

if this was an ISOLATED incident then okay, but this isnt an isolated incident, this incident just took it to another level, now black people arent even safe in their own homes.

[Cern]

Both parties were guilty of idiocy in the case, not just one. Gates was not a victim of anything racist at all, but of unfortunate timing. The mere fact it was a white cop who arrested, it's automatically assumed to be racial profiling. Thank you for proving my point concerning how white males are portrayed in the world.

Agreed

a black man being arrested in his own house, for no reason, put two and two together, this is clear racism.

Look... without knowing both sides in detail to what truly happened it is hard to assume race had anything to do with it. The real issue is the Disorderly Conduct charge and how cops from all states view that law. All you have to do is just briefly yell at a cop and technically they can arrest you to maintain order. Keep in mind there was a black officer at the scene also.

[The_Prince]

a black officer on the scene means nothing, he didnt make the arrest etc, it was the white officer, and once that happens its done.

we do know what happened, the police acted stupidly with racism, if there was disoder or any of that then why were all charges dropped and end story?????

[Cern]

we do know what happened, the police acted stupidly with racism, if there was disoder or any of that then why were all charges dropped and end story?????

No... we don't, we assume we know. You want to believe it was racism because the officer is white and the victim was black. For you that is easier to understand then the cop just going the extreme with a disorderly conduct charge. The cop was responding to a 911 break in. He has to assume the parties involved could be perpetrators until proof of residency is verified. Once the professor showed his identification then it should have ended but if the professor was being disorderly and making comments back to the officer then he could be subjected to an arrest. It's the same with any news story. If the news can make a situation look stupid then the majority of times the cases are dismissed and people move on.

[The_Prince]

No... we don't, we assume we know. You want to believe it was racism because the officer is white and the victim was black. For you that is easier to understand then the cop just going the extreme with a disorderly conduct charge. The cop was responding to a 911 break in. He has to assume the parties involved could be perpetrators until proof of residency is verified. Once the professor showed his identification then it should have ended but if the professor was being disorderly and making comments back to the officer then he could be subjected to an arrest. It's the same with any news story. If the news can make a situation look stupid then the majority of times the cases are dismissed and people move on.

its not just that the officer is white, and the victim is black, its that the black victim is getting arrested in his own house!!!!!!!!!!!! and was even being treated as a suspect in his own house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sheesh, does everyone want to ignore this main point? a black man was arrested and treated like a criminal in his ownnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnn houseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeee.

offcourse the man made comments to the police, who wouldnt? they were jerks and acting like he was a criminal, and i REPEAT, if what he said was SO BAD and criminal then why WERE ALL CHARGES DROPPED. :)

its clear racism 100%.

[Maryan0]

^he even showed them his I.D and they still insisted on harassing and arresting him.

[Muezzin]

...and i REPEAT, if what he said was SO BAD and criminal then why WERE ALL CHARGES DROPPED. :)

Barack's Beer Summit might have had something to do with it.

[The_Prince]

Barack's Beer Summit might have had something to do with it.

wrong, charges were dropped before any beer meeting.

[Cern]

It is a shame that you seem so one-sided with this issue for you yourself can't look beyond race.

• The 911 call never mentioned race or description.
• The officer arrived at the scene not knowing a description of the suspects.
• The professor failed to come outside upon the officers request (standered procedure to protect an officer).

Then you have the police report on Gates arrest. Two different officers gave the same account of the incident. Both stated that Gates was not being cooperative while they tried to investigate the break-in, that Gates kept making racial comments and continued to be abusive to the officers. But I am sure we will see some response that this was a typical white police report because the victim was a black man in his own house. No one here will ever state that racial profiling doesn't happen or that the police don't ever step above their power but you also have to look at the fact that maybe the professor was in the wrong. That he helped fuel a situation that didn't need to get out of hand + the reason of the 911 call = unneeded arrest that was later dropped.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=8131953&page=1
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...092gates1.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/us/28gates.html

[Maryan0]

how was the professor wrong? he could have been more cooperative but that still does not justify their actions.
the man was inside his own home when the police told him to step out in order to investigate a burglary, even if mr.gates was being verbally rude they had no right to arrest him especially after he showed them his i.d. it's called freedom of speech. if gates thought the cop was rascist it's his right to say it and if this cop couldn't take it he should leave the profession.
this man is a well respected professor and didn't take nicely to being accused of breaking into his own home neither would most of us.
whether this was a case of rascism or this cop was just on some power trip which seems to be the case, that can be debated,
but arresting a old disabled man on the the charge of disorderly conduct is ridiculous and obviously held no weight in court since the charges were dropped.