Gates Arrest Resonates Through Black America
Charges against Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, have been dropped, and the city of Cambridge, Mass., has apologized for the "regrettable and unfortunate" arrest. But the fact remains that Gates, a prominent black scholar, being arrested in his own home is a chilling moment in the American experience. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
It seems to me that "racial profiling" is unlikely to have been a factor here--after all the officer had received a report of a break-in by two black males, and he had a duty to investigate the situation. On the other hand, it is quite unclear why the officer chose to arrest Gates, other than that his conduct was "disorderly." Has verbal disorderliness become sufficient grounds for arrest? One wonders.