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Mass. policeman who arrested Gates won’t apologize

By The Admin on July 22, 2009

A suburban Boston police sergeant accused of racism after he arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home insists he won’t apologize over his treatment of the Harvard professor.

Gates has demanded an apology from Sgt. James Crowley, who had responded to the home near Harvard University to investigate a report of a burglary and demanded the scholar show him identification.

Police say the 58-year-old Gates at first refused and then accused the officer of racism.

Crowley said Wednesday he’s disappointed by the national debate triggered by the incident and insisted he followed proper procedures in arresting Gates last week in Cambridge on a charge of disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped Tuesday.

Crowley says he’s grateful he has the support of his police force. He says he’s not worried about any possible disciplinary action.

BOB SALSBERG, AP

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  • Kim

    When you are in the dark attempting to enter a home without using a key and the police ask for ID…give them the ID not the race card.

  • ricknap

    There are always two ways to handle a matter. One way uses honey; the other uses vinegar. I think the professor used vinegar. I think that the professor was loaded for bear when the police officer showed to handle the call on a potential break-in. I wish our Black people would refrain from immediately using race. It's a damn shame.

  • Caroletta

    I have heard reports that Dr. Gates gave the officer two forms of identification, his faculty id and his driver's license. It was also reported that the officer arrested Dr. Gates outside of his home, after Dr. Gates followed him calling him a racist. Yet, the photo of Dr. Gates arrest shows them leaving his home in handcuffs. Once the officer had confirmed that it was indead Dr. Gates entering his own home, he should have left. This incident was not at night, but during the day. It is clear that the officer overreacted in handling the situation. Let us not forget, Dr. Gates was not arrested for burglary, but disorderly conduct in his own home. As a professor of criminal justice specializing in law enforcement, the officer had the discretion to not arrest. It is good that the prosecutor was wise enough to drop the charge.

  • Kim

    When you are in the dark attempting to enter a home without using a key and the police ask for ID…give them the ID not the race card.

  • ricknap

    There are always two ways to handle a matter. One way uses honey; the other uses vinegar. I think the professor used vinegar. I think that the professor was loaded for bear when the police officer showed to handle the call on a potential break-in. I wish our Black people would refrain from immediately using race. It's a damn shame.

  • Caroletta

    I have heard reports that Dr. Gates gave the officer two forms of identification, his faculty id and his driver's license. It was also reported that the officer arrested Dr. Gates outside of his home, after Dr. Gates followed him calling him a racist. Yet, the photo of Dr. Gates arrest shows them leaving his home in handcuffs. Once the officer had confirmed that it was indead Dr. Gates entering his own home, he should have left. This incident was not at night, but during the day. It is clear that the officer overreacted in handling the situation. Let us not forget, Dr. Gates was not arrested for burglary, but disorderly conduct in his own home. As a professor of criminal justice specializing in law enforcement, the officer had the discretion to not arrest. It is good that the prosecutor was wise enough to drop the charge.

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