Harvard professor Gates arrested

   - Story Highlights
   - African-American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. charged with disorderly
   conduct
   - Cambridge officer came to his home last week after report of break-in
   - Police report: Gates refused to ID himself, accused officer of racism
   - Gates' lawyer and fellow professor writes about incident on Web site
   The Root

From Deb Brunswick
CNN

*(CNN) *-- African-American scholar and Harvard University professor Henry
Louis Gates Jr. was arrested last week on a charge of disorderly conduct
after a confrontation with an officer at his home, according to a Cambridge,
Massachusetts, police report.

According to the report, officers responded to a call Thursday from a woman
who said she saw "a man wedging his shoulder into the front door" at Gates'
house near the university. The report, obtained by CNN affiliate WCVB-TV,
indicates Gates refused to identify himself to a police officer, claiming
the officer was a racist.

Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department stated in the report
that he told Gates he was investigating a report of a break-in at the
residence. According to the report, Gates "opened the front door and
exclaimed, 'Why, because I'm a black man in America?' "

Crowley wrote in the report that he warned Gates two times he was becoming
disorderly. After Gates continued to yell and accuse him of racial bias,
Crowley wrote he arrested Gates for "loud and tumultuous behavior in a
public space."

A statement by Gates' lawyer and fellow Harvard professor Charles Ogletree
said that the incident occurred when Gates returned to his home after a trip
to China.

Gates, accompanied by a driver, found the front door damaged.

He entered the house with his key through the rear door. Then, he and and
driver were able to force the front door open, Ogletree said in his
statement.

The statement was published on the Web site The Root, of which Gates is
editor-in-chief.

An officer arrived and told Gates he was investigating a call about a
breaking-and-entering at the residence, Ogletree wrote.

Gates identified himself at the officer's request, according to Ogletree.

"He [Gates] turned to walk into the kitchen where he had left his wallet.
The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University
identification and his valid Massachusetts driver's license to the officer,"
Ogletree wrote on The Root.

Ogletree's statement also said that Gates asked Crowley for his name and
badge number several times without success.

Then, when Gates followed Crowley to the front door, Crowley said, "Thank
you for accommodating my earlier request, and then placed him [Gates] under
arrest," Ogletree said.

The Cambridge Police Department would not release any information regarding
the incident.
Gates has one of 20 prestigious "university professors" positions at Harvard
University <http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/harvard_university>,
according to WCVB, and joined the faculty in 1991. He is considered one of
the nation's pre-eminent scholars of African-American studies. In 1997, Time
magazine placed him on its list of the 25 most influential Americans.

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