Legal Commentary

Was Henry Louis Gates Jr. the victim of race discrimination, persecuted by the police...

UPDATE: Gates will not be charged:

The incident... ?was regrettable and unfortunate,? said a statement released Tuesday by Professor Gates, the Cambridge police and the Middlesex County district attorney?s office.

?This incident should not be viewed as one that demeans the character and reputation of Professor Gates or the character of the Cambridge Police Department,? the statement said. ?All parties agree that this is a just resolution to an unfortunate set of circumstances.?...

Professor Gates?s front door was stuck shut, and his taxi driver helped the professor pry it open. According to the police report, a woman called to report two black men on the porch of the home trying to wedge the door open.

Police and Professor Gates offered differing accounts of what happened when officers arrived. According to Professor Ogletree, Professor Gates said he showed the responding officer, Sgt. James Crowley, photo identification, but the sergeant did not believe Professor Gates lived at the home. Frustrated, Professor Gates asked for Sergeant Crowley?s name and badge number, which he refused to give. Professor Gates was arrested on his front porch, where several other officers were standing.

The police said Professor Gates refused to show identification. When told that Sergeant Crowley was investigating a robbery, the police said, Professor Gates yelled, ?Why because I?m a black man in America?? and accused the sergeant of racism. The police report said Professor Gates followed the officer outside, yelled at him and was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Full post as published by Althouse on July 21, 2009 (boomark / email).