"Gates Gate" is an unfortunate diversion for many reasons, not the least of which is the ammunition it grants Black American academics to affirm that racism is alive and well, irrespective of empirical findings, even at the most empyrean reaches of the profession. The underlying problem is complex. Black Studies has staked its academic legitimacy on the advocacy of historically disadvantaged minority groups from the supremely advantaged position of academic privilege. This triggers the need for a common narrative of discrimination. Where that commonality does not exist, it must be coaxed into being through the staged politics of outrage. That is what has happened here.

I studied race prejudice for 40 years. I know of no empirical findings that suggest it is not alive and well even as it has declined and adapted to changing conditions.

You might be right: the ADE.org report on PhD placements in English by minority group for 2003-4, for example, indicates that self-reported Black American candidates have a significantly higher tenure-track placement rate than white candidates . In any case, my claim above is that such evidence, however read, is not a significant consideration in accusations of racism.

What? I'm sorry, but, claiming the police are being racist because they're investigating a break in at your house-- in an exclusive neighborhood, as I'm sure it is--is preposterous. If you mouth off to the police when you're doing something that looks illegal, yes, they arrest you. But, okay, go ahead. America could use a good giggle. Also, he has some nerve enlisting the taxi driver. Talk about the selfish tunnel vision of the privileged. If you're out there, driver, make sure you milk this for everything it's worth.

I wish I were a minority so that I could behave obnoxiously and then scream "Racism!" so that I'm never accountable for my actions. How pathetic is this man!

@ nobama, Prof Gates has publicly apologized for the incident and thanked the Harvard staff member for reporting a suspected break in, so how then is he "pathetic" or how is he evading accountability? Answer: he's not. He's a 50+ year old man who uses a cane to walk, who was already in his house by the time the police arrived, who was arrested for berating a police officer. A police officer who could have deescalated the situation. Let's be clear folks: the police report states Gates provided his Harvard ID (because he lives in Harvard housing). The police report also states Gates was identified using his drivers license. This isn't "the staged politics of outrage", this is an incident involving a man who provided ID in his own home and who was cuffed and perp walked from his own home any way. Read the police report. Gates was arrested and cuffed because he called an officer Racist. Whether any of you (or yesterday's commenters) believe this is appropriate, it is his right to do so. You know, with free speech and all. After all, with little to no critical thought, many of the individuals who have commented today have called the professor "pathetic" and "selfish" ...how is this any different than Gates calling the police racist for their clumsy, botched response? Kind of makes me NOT want to be a minority, so I could comment obnoxiously about "minorities" with callous disregard for facts and absent basic human empathy, high from my perch of self-appointed moral superiority, and with no regard for the obligation of the police to use common sense or basic deescalation techniques. Actually, I don't want that. But I would like for us to consider how absolutely ridiculous the scene was (IF the police report is accurate): an old man with a cane on his porch shouting "This is what happens to Black men in America!" What could have been an hysterical Simpsons/30 Rock/Boondocks moment was turned into something more by a police officer who decided to turn around and cuff the professor for disorderly conduct. Should have never gotten that far. Sure, Gates could have kept his mouth shut, but he had a right to say something. That doesn't mean the police NEEDED to arrest him, cuff him, and pose him for a mug shot. @ quidditas, the taxi driver is also black and the call was made because it appeared to the caller that two black men were trying to break into the house. Exactly what do you want the driver to "milk" for "everything it's worth"? Perhaps instead of snarky snipes, you could learn more about the situation before smarting off about it... unless, of course, you don't want your comments to make sense.

This article's description of what occurred seems to be based on police statements. Gates' description of what occurred is rather different; for example, he claims that he provided the officer with both his Harvard ID and his driver's license, which confirmed that he was in his own home, and that when he asked the officer for his name and badge #, the officer refused to provide these (there's a brief audio clip of Gates' comments and other commentary at http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/22/no_charge_but_gates_case_seethes/, and http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks has text from an interview).

People might also want to look at the police report, which can be downloaded from http://www.syracuse.com/today/index.ssf/2009/07/harvard_scholar_henry_louis_ga.html; for some reason, the report that downloads from the Boston Globe page is incomplete). Do any of us know for certain just what occurred? No. We may have beliefs about this, but our beliefs aren't knowledge. I am a white woman, and I recognize that there's still plenty of racism in this country, but I can also imagine that this is largely a case of non-racially-motivated police abuse of power -- that the officer didn't like being asked for his name and badge # and was frustrated by Gates' initial refusal to leave his house.

Or, if I really knew the facts, perhaps I'd come to some other conclusion. Regardless, the Chronicle should have done a better job reporting the different versions of what occurred, and I encourage readers not to assume that we have all of the facts and not to cherry-pick facts to support an argument (that's bad research, and CHE readers should know better).

My comments are based primarily on the police report (which is avail via the Boston Globe) and the police department incident report, which confirms Gates DID provide his Harvard ID (which the report suggests was acceptable identification, because the officer did initially leave before arresting Gates). The police report also states that officers were able to confirm the professor's identity using the professor's drivers license. The complete incident report is available at Gawker, linked here: http://gawker.com/5318918/black-professor-and-white-lady-reenact-crash-in-cambridge Professor Gates has provided interviews to websites and local Boston press. These interviews can be found easily. Some of this material was not available for Chronicle writers this morning when they posted the news brief.

nycedphd, Your first comment would have been perfect if you could have ended at the second comma: "@ nobama, Prof Gates has publicly apologized for the incident and thanked the Harvard staff member for reporting a suspected break in." Professor Gates was obviously frustrated and upset because he couldn't get into his house and then to make things worse he was suspected of a break-in. So he gets a little mouthy. The cop then overexerted his authority a little. The city said "drop the issue." Professor Gates, after having a little time to cool down, issued an apology for over over-reacting and admitted (indirectly) that he should have thanked the cop for duing his job and helping to prevent an assumed and reported attempted break-in. It might have been nice if the cop called Professor Gates to apologize, too. Then the city could have/should have gone to the press with a statement, "No charges will be pressed. Both sides apoogized for the misunderstanding and have shaken hands." Case Closed. And this should end a non-racial misunderstanding now that Professor Gates effectively said so. Cooler heads have prevail.ed at last and we can all move on.

The circus continues. The only publicly available police report online that I have been able to locate at time of writing has been provided by the Cambridge Chronicle and TAB (google for Gates racism claim). The Globe and Gawker versions have been truncated, and the Cambridge PD has formally invoked an exception to freedom-of-information requests for release of the document. This Cambridge Chronicle pdf. indicates that while Professor Gates eventually provided his ID to Officer Crowley, he refused to do so initially. His arrest, moreover (there has been considerable misrepresentation here) was for creating a public disturbance, not for suspicion of burglary. Professor Gates is now, though not earlier, on record as disputing the accuracy of Crowley's quoted attributions, including the "your mama" and the "you don't know who your [sic] messin' with" comments. The CPD released a statement (also widely misrepresented) exonerating BOTH Gates and the department from blame. It specifically apologized for the conflict RESULTING from the arrest, not for the arrest itself. Again, the basic issue is this: Black Studies has no professional legitimacy apart from its asserted identity with the historical oppression of black Americans. The field produces only a limited "contribution to knowledge." To its credit, it does not usually pretend otherwise. But Professor Gates, who is said to be recovering from this outrage at his Martha's Vineyard retreat, is not in any sense an oppressed black American. By contrast, he belongs to special class of elites among the elite--one whose judgments, however empty or nonsensical, no academic body would ever dare counter. This creates a very strong incentive to reaffirm a sense of common oppression. As discouraging as it might sound, Professor Gates needs to project himself as the wrongly accused American black man attempting to assert his right to the Anglo-Saxon white man's most sacrosanct right: dominion over his own property. It little matters if the facts, now or in the future, establish the case. It MUST be shown to be true, if Professor Gates is to justify his rent-free house and inflated salary while black Americans elsewhere continue to suffer.

Probably the most racist thing in American law enforcement is the Department of Justice blatantly lying about the number of blacks in prison for drug offenses: http://www.tremblethedevil.com/my_weblog/2009/04/even-without-lies-the-damage-is-already-done.html

It will be interesting to see if the academy (i.e. ethnic/minority/gender studies departments)chooses to jump head first into this story. On the other hand, some people may have actually learned from the now infamous Duke 88 Listening Statement. Time will tell.