Lawyer’s Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Jorge Rivas

Lawyer’s Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

In a statement released last night, Rev. Al Sharpton called Henry Louis Gates Jr’s arrest “an outrage of no small implication… I have heard of driving while Black and even shopping while Black, but now even going to your own home while black is a new low in police community affairs,” said Sharpton, who is vowing to attend Gates’ Aug. 26 arraignment.

The Root posted a statement on behalf of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. by his lawyer Charles Ogletree.

“This brief statement is being submitted on behalf of my client, friend, and colleague, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This is a statement concerning the arrest of Professor Gates. On July 16, 2009, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 58, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor of Harvard University, was headed from Logan airport to his home [in] Cambridge after spending a week in China, where he was filming his new PBS documentary entitled “Faces of America.” Professor Gates was driven to his home by a driver for a local car company. Professor Gates attempted to enter his front door, but the door was damaged. Professor Gates then entered his rear door with his key, turned off his alarm, and again attempted to open the front door. With the help of his driver they were able to force the front door open, and then the driver carried Professor Gates’ luggage into his home.”

Professor Gates immediately called the Harvard Real Estate office to report the damage to his door and requested that it be repaired immediately. As he was talking to the Harvard Real Estate office on his portable phone in his house, he observed a uniformed officer on his front porch. When Professor Gates opened the door, the officer immediately asked him to step outside. Professor Gates remained inside his home and asked the officer why he was there. The officer indicated that he was responding to a 911 call about a breaking and entering in progress at this address. Professor Gates informed the officer that he lived there and was a faculty member at Harvard University. The officer then asked Professor Gates whether he could prove that he lived there and taught at Harvard. Professor Gates said that he could, and turned to walk into his 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. Both include Professor Gates’ photograph, and the license includes his address.

You can read the entire statement on The Root.

Posted at 8:20 AM, Jul 21, 2009 in Permalink | View Comments