# Professor Skip Gates arrested in front of his own home; claims racism from Cambridge police **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 21, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709 "2009-07-21T02:20:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/61 "2009-07-22T19:54:04Z")
Rumor has it that prof. Gates is seeking the wise counsel of Rev. Sharpton. I wonder if there is some money involved? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/62 "2009-07-22T19:58:12Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Now, I am white. If I would have gotten upset…well isn’t this what a burgler would do if they were trying to buy time to excape? If I pulled the race card…well I bet this happens to cops all the time. By time for what? The explosives he planted in the kitchen to go off? And a 60-year-old burglar with a walking stick? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/63 "2009-07-22T20:07:02Z")
[QUOTE=Really not All That Bright] And a 60-year-old burglar with a walking stick? Really? [/QUOTE] While it’s true there aren’t many 60 year old burglars on walking sticks, it _would_ look suspicious. Plus, from the street you probably couldn’t tell he was 60, and his driver was younger. I’d probably have been more inclined to believe it was a domestic situation (estranged husband or boyfriend trying to break into a house during a separation), which can be any age or socioeconomic class, but if I saw it and I did not know the person I may well have called the police. I’d certainly want neighbors to do the same for me. Plus I’ll say what others are just thinking: I’m just glad they _finally_ got him off the street if only for a few hours. They act like he’s all respectable but nobody mentions the time he and Joseph “Two Ply” Ellis and Stephen “De-Guello!” Ambrose and Drew Gilpin “Dre-Dre” Faust and Doris Kearns “Miss Thang” Goodwin spent running in a gang of historians that terrorized half the Northeast seaboard institutions- knocking over traditionalist historians on their walkers, demanding payment for peer reviewed articles in non-profit journals, forcing grad students to claim “Lincoln was a racist who shouldn’t be revered!” in their hagiographic theses. There were never any charges or any witnesses who came forward for obvious reasons, but finally at least one historian got arrested. (“At fifty eight with a bad hip and being a small man he’s harmless!” my ass- this man made _Chris Rock_ cry!) ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/64 "2009-07-22T20:13:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > By time for what? The explosives he planted in the kitchen to go off? > > And a 60-year-old burglar with a walking stick? Really? Well…you know them black folks…they start young and practice a long time! On looking at more of the articles I bet what happened was this: Cop shows up and confronts possible burgler in house. Potential burgler looks older with walking stick. Cop is probably thinking he really is the owner of the house. However, he needs to confirm and asks for ID. Gates freaks out calling him racist and other names. Cop gets a bit pissed. Gates keeps insulting him. Cop gets mad and arrests him. Is their a word for this? Disrespect of cop arrest? (Didn’t do anything illegal but pissed off a cop) So, I think they are both most likely in the wrong. Gates for jumping to conclusions and being insulting and the cop for having a thin skin and using his authority to strike back. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/65 "2009-07-22T20:14:31Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Rumor has it that prof. Gates is seeking the wise counsel of Rev. Sharpton. I wonder if there is some money involved? What? Sharpton initially issued a statement that he’d attend the arraignment, but Gates never said anything about Sharpton. Gates has the faculty of Harvard Law School working for him - you really think he’s going to Al Sharpton for a second opinion? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/66 "2009-07-22T20:16:14Z")
> [@holmes](#): > > I think the question the Prof. Gates is asking is if all things being equal, but instead of black, the men were white, would the woman have called the police? > > You have two white men, one, according to Prof Gates was well dressed and Gates himself a slight 58 year old man, dressed in a jacket with a polo shirt and grey slacks, using a cane and pushing on a door at 12 pm in the afternoon in well to do neighbourhood. Would you have called the police on them? . A guy holding something that looks like a crowbar, yep. 2 white guys, yep. Done it a number of times. The police caught one of them in mid-theft. We watch out for each other in my neighborhood. But I’m here to tell you I don’t go up to investigate a break in. The last time I called the police to say someone was smashing a car door the dispatcher asked me if I went up to investigate. HELL FUCKING NO I’m not going up to someone banging on a car like they’re trying to break in. That’s why I’m calling you. I’d be pleased as punch to have police come to my house if they thought I was breaking in. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/67 "2009-07-22T20:16:17Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if “contempt of cop” was a more significant factor than racism in the escalation of the Gates incident. Although I’ve seen plenty of jerk cops being jerks to minorities, in this case I have to agree. I’m not going to fault the neighbor either. My SO and I have become good friends with our neighbors across the street, we socialize a lot. They’re also a child-free couple our age. We’re pretty good buddies. One day while farting around with my basement window (fixing some flashing), Mark came over and from behind me I heard: “Can I help you?” but his voice sounded hostile. Turns out, because of the way I was bent over and wearing a stupid hat he’s never seen, he didn’t recognize me right away. He thought some stranger was trying to open the window. So it’s plausible to me that if Gates and his driver had their backs to the street and were messing with a door a mistake could be made. Mark knows me really well, but still mistook me for a ne’er-do-well. I’m thinking the cop should have just done one of these: :rolleyes: and left Gates ranting on his porch though. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/68 "2009-07-22T20:19:07Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > So, I think they are both most likely in the wrong. Gates for jumping to conclusions and being insulting and the cop for having a thin skin and using his authority to strike back. I’m down with that explanation too, although it appears Gates _did_ provide ID when asked. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/69 "2009-07-22T20:21:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > And a 60-year-old burglar with a walking stick? Really? Meh. From a distance a cane could look like a crowbar and I’ve seen plenty of older guys getting into shenanigans in my old, unsavory neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/70 "2009-07-22T20:26:19Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Well…you know them black folks…they start young and practice a long time! > > On looking at more of the articles I bet what happened was this: > > Cop shows up and confronts possible burgler in house. > > Potential burgler looks older with walking stick. Cop is probably thinking he really is the owner of the house. > > However, he needs to confirm and asks for ID. > > Gates freaks out calling him racist and other names. > > Cop gets a bit pissed. > > Gates keeps insulting him. > > Cop gets mad and arrests him. Is their a word for this? Disrespect of cop arrest? (Didn’t do anything illegal but pissed off a cop) > > So, I think they are both most likely in the wrong. Gates for jumping to conclusions and being insulting and the cop for having a thin skin and using his authority to strike back. This is probably pretty close to the mark. The police officer is on record as believing Gates but he still has to verify it. If he was a burglar and they didn’t check his identity (while they were there) it would be crap on a cracker. Gates has a PHD and that suggests someone who should be able to figure this out in real time. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/71 "2009-07-22T20:29:43Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Cop gets mad and arrests him. Is their a word for this? Disrespect of cop arrest? (Didn’t do anything illegal but pissed off a cop) Yes, see post #56. Usually the charge with “contempt of cop” (which is slang) is “disorderly conduct,” sometimes “interfering with an officer” – something broad and vague that’s subject to interpretation, so that “false arrest” countercharges are very difficult to prove. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/72 "2009-07-22T20:41:56Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > While it’s true there aren’t many 60 year old burglars on walking sticks, it _would_ look suspicious. Plus, from the street you probably couldn’t tell he was 60, and his driver was younger. > I’d probably have been more inclined to believe it was a domestic situation (estranged husband or boyfriend trying to break into a house during a separation), which can be any age or socioeconomic class, but if I saw it and I did not know the person I may well have called the police. I’d certainly want neighbors to do the same for me. > > Plus I’ll say what others are just thinking: I’m just glad they _finally_ got him off the street if only for a few hours. They act like he’s all respectable but nobody mentions the time he and Joseph “Two Ply” Ellis and Stephen “De-Guello!” Ambrose and Drew Gilpin “Dre-Dre” Faust and Doris Kearns “Miss Thang” Goodwin spent running in a gang of historians that terrorized half the Northeast seaboard institutions- knocking over traditionalist historians on their walkers, demanding payment for peer reviewed articles in non-profit journals, forcing grad students to claim “Lincoln was a racist who shouldn’t be revered!” in their hagiographic theses. > There were never any charges or any witnesses who came forward for obvious reasons, but finally at least one historian got arrested. (“At fifty eight with a bad hip and being a small man he’s harmless!” my ass- this man made _Chris Rock_ cry!) I am just glad someone had the moral fiber and undaunted courage to finally publically acknowledge the savage menace that Doris Kearns Goodwin represents… Please Sampiro, promise me you will deadbolt the doors, and have a young neighbor child start your car in the mornings!!! ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/73 "2009-07-22T21:15:32Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Well…you know them black folks…they start young and practice a long time! > > On looking at more of the articles I bet what happened was this: > > Cop shows up and confronts possible burgler in house. > > Potential burgler looks older with walking stick. Cop is probably thinking he really is the owner of the house. > > However, he needs to confirm and asks for ID. > > Gates freaks out calling him racist and other names. > > Cop gets a bit pissed. > > Gates keeps insulting him. > > Cop gets mad and arrests him. Is their a word for this? Disrespect of cop arrest? (Didn’t do anything illegal but pissed off a cop) > > So, I think they are both most likely in the wrong. Gates for jumping to conclusions and being insulting and the cop for having a thin skin and using his authority to strike back. Why are you leaving out the part where Gates asks for the officer’s name and badge number and the officer refuses to give what he is required by law to give? ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/74 "2009-07-22T21:23:36Z")
> [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](#): > > Why are you leaving out the part where Gates asks for the officer’s name and badge number and the officer refuses to give what he is required by law to give? Or where Gates prevented the cop from just walking away from him, getting in his car, and driving way? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/75 "2009-07-22T21:33:15Z")
> [@holmes](#): > > You have two white men, one, according to Prof Gates was well dressed and Gates himself a slight 58 year old man, dressed in a jacket with a polo shirt and grey slacks, using a cane and pushing on a door at 12 pm in the afternoon in well to do neighbourhood. Would you have called the police on them? Yes, I would. I realize this may be a horrible affront to your delicate sensibilities, but not all burglars wear ski masks and carry burlap sacks with dollar signs on them. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/76 "2009-07-22T21:38:16Z")
Hippy Hollow, you might find [this blog post](http://kateharding.net/2009/07/21/this-is-what-happens-to-black-men-in-america/) enjoyable, and I think rather similar to what you’ve been saying here. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/77 "2009-07-22T22:16:57Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > Hippy Hollow, you might find [this blog post](http://kateharding.net/2009/07/21/this-is-what-happens-to-black-men-in-america/) enjoyable, and I think rather similar to what you’ve been saying here. Holy shit, that was awesome. Thanks **ENugent**. I actually have a new favorite quote that was in the comments below… > [@Percy Sutton](#): > > “If you wake up and forget that you are Black, by the time 5 pm rolls around, someone would have reminded you.” Here’s an interview by Liza Gates, Dr. Gates’ daughter: [http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-22/my-daddy-the-jailbird/full/](http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-22/my-daddy-the-jailbird/full/) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/78 "2009-07-23T14:12:13Z")
i saw dr. gates last night on cnn. he stated he was on the phone when he answered the door. he did not terminate the call, so it would seem the person to whom he was speaking heard what was going on in the house. one thing that strikes me is that if dr. gates was one of the many trying for employment right now, he would have to disclose all of this on an application. it could bump him from a job. even if he had a job, in some industries this could have had him terminated. amazing how quickly your life can turn. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/79 "2009-07-23T14:16:00Z")
A misdemeanor _charge_- not even conviction- would not be a bar to employment, and usually wouldn’t even need to be disclosed. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709/80 "2009-07-23T14:25:56Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > Hippy Hollow, you might find [this blog post](http://kateharding.net/2009/07/21/this-is-what-happens-to-black-men-in-america/) enjoyable, and I think rather similar to what you’ve been saying here. That was an awesome blog post. I can’t shake this. I’m not sure if I can’t shake it because it seems like an abuse of police power (as that blog says, what response is there after the guy shows you his ID but “I’m sorry to have bothered you, sir. Have a nice day.” Or because so many people are saying Dr. Gates deserved what he got because he may have been an asshole. Being an asshole isn’t illegal - even if you are an asshole to the cops. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-skip-gates-arrested-in-front-of-his-own-home-claims-racism-from-cambridge-police/503709.md?page=5)