June 30, 2010: The Henry Gates arrest: One year later

>> Rooney: TONIGHT ON

"GREATER BOSTON," THE

ARREST OF HENRY GATES

LEWIS, JR., AND NOW AN

INDEPENDENT REVIEW FINDS

FAULT ON BOTH SIDES.

PLUS THE VIRTUAL STREET

CORNERS PROJECT, FINDING

COMMON GROUND IN DIFFERING

NEIGHBORHOODS.

AND SOPHIE TUCKER, THE

LAST OF THE RED-HOT MAMAS.

JARED BOWEN GOES CENTER

STAGE.

 

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>> Rooney: GOOD EVENING,

THE ARREST OF HARVARD

PROFESSOR HENRY LOUIS

GATES, JR. WAS A NATIONAL

STORY, STOKING DEBATE BY

RACE RELATIONS AND

CULMINATING IN A BEER

SUMMIT AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

NOW AN INDEPENDENT

COMMISSION HAS RELEASED

THE FINAL REPORT ON THE

GATES' AFFAIR.

IF YOU'RE HOPING FOR A

DEFINITIVE PICTURE OF WHAT

HAPPENED THAT DAY, YOU MAY

BE DISAPPOINTED.

IT WAS LAST JULY 16th,

WHEN POLICE WERE CALLED TO

THE HOME OF HARVARD'S

HENRY LOUIS GATES', JR.

FOR A MISTAKEN BREAK-IN.

GATES HIMSELF WAS ARRESTED

BY SERGEANT JAMES CROWLEY.

AN ENCOUNTER THAT A NEWLY

RELEASE REPORT SAYS IT WAS

DOOMED ALMOST AS SOON AS

IT BEGAN.

 

>> THE SECOND CROWLEY AND

GATES ENCOUNTERED EACH

OTHER, THE SITUATION

DETERIORATED.

EACH REPORTED A CERTAIN

DEGREE OF FEAR OF THE

OTHER MAN AND CONFUSION

ABOUT THE OTHER MAN'S

BEHAVIOR.

 

>> Rooney: CAMBRIDGE

REVIEW COMMITTEE CHUCK

WEXLER SAYS POLICE AND

CITIZENS NEED TO DEFUSE

TENSE ACTIONS, SOMETHING

THAT GATES AND CROWLEY DID

NOT DO.

 

>> BOTH MEN CONTINUED TO

ESCALATE THE ENCOUNTER.

BOTH MEN MISSED

OPPORTUNITIES TO REACH A

BETTER RESOLUTION OF THE

SITUATION.

 

>> Rooney: TODAY'S

REPORT STOPS SHORT OF

SAYING THAT CROWLEY SHOULD

NOT HAVE ARRESTED GATES,

BUT CAMBRIDGE POLICE

COMMISSIONER ROBERT HANZ

SAYS THAT WHILE THE PUBLIC

SHOULD KEEP THINGS CALM,

LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS TO

TAKE THE LEAD.

 

>> SOMEBODY HAS TO TAKE

CONTROL OF THE SITUATION

AND BRING IT TO A

SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME.

 

>> Rooney: THE REPORT

CALLS FOR POLICE TRAINING

AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT,

AND THE APPOINTMENT OF A

CAMBRIDGE POLICE COMMUNITY

ADVISORY BOARD.

 

>> THE FORCES ARE COMING

TO UNDERSTAND THAT HOW THE

PUBLIC PERCEIVES OUR

ACTION WITH POLICE IS JUST

AS IMPORTANT.

AND IN SOME CASES, MORE

IMPORTANT, THAN THE ACTUAL

OUTCOME.

THESE TRAININGS HAVE

GENERATED SOME REMARKABLE

CONVERSATIONS, AND REALLY

CHALLENGED SOME OF THE

MORE TRADITIONAL

APPROACHES THAT POLICE

HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO USE.

 

>> Rooney: WHAT THE

REPORT DOES NOT SAY IS

WHO'S ACCOUNT, GATES' OR

CROWLEY'S WAS CLOSER TO

THE TRUTH OR EXACTLY WHAT

ROLE RACE PLAYED.

PIERS THIS IS NOT JUST

ABOUT RACE.

THIS IS ABOUT SOMETHING

ELSE AS WELL.

YOU CAN'T TAKE RACE OFF

THE TABLE, YOU CAN'T TAKE

CLASS OFF THE TABLE OR

POLICE AUTHORITY OFF THE

TABLE.

 

>> Rooney: THAT LEAVES

THE FINAL MEANING OF

GATE'S GATE UNCLEAR.

JOINING ME IS CAMBRIDGE

CITY COUNCILLOR, KEN

REEVES, AND THE PROFESSOR

OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AT

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY.

STARTING WITH YOU, KEN,

WERE YOU SATISFIED WITH

THIS REPORT?

, YOU CAN SAY NO.

 

>> AS IT ROLLED OUT, IT IS

ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THE

INCIDENT THE POLICE

COMMISSIONER HAD A PRESS

CONFERENCE, AND HE SAID

THAT WE'D HAVE A

FACT-FINDING REPORT, AND

IT WOULD TELL US THE

DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO

WHETHER OR NOT PROFESSOR

GATES SHOULD HAVE BEEN

ARRESTED.

A WEEK AFTER THAT, OUR

CITY MANAGER HELD A PRESS

CONFERENCE WITH THE MAYOR

AND THE POLICE CHIEF AND

THE COMMISSIONER AND SAID

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE

COMMISSION, AND THEY'RE

GOING TO TELL US

EVERYTHING BUT WHAT

HAPPENED, WHETHER OR NOT

IT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED

THE WAY IT DID.

SO IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME.

I LIKE THAT IT IS

WELL-WRITTEN.

IT IS AN INTERESTING

WHITE-WASH, AND I'M HERE

TO BE THE BLACK RINSE OF

THAT TO SAY THAT YEAH,

RACE WAS IN IT.

POLICE DISCRETION EXISTS,

BUT WITH IT GOES THE

IMPLIED GOOD JUDGMENT.

AND I DON'T KNOW THAT GOOD

JUDGMENT IS EXERCISED WHEN

YOU GET ARRESTED IN YOUR

OWN HOUSE FOR TALKING BACK

TO THE POLICE.

IN AMERICA, THAT EQUATION

DOES NOT SEEM TO ADD UP.

 

>> Rooney: PETER, I KNOW

YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE

TO LOOK AT IT THOROUGHLY,

IT IS 69 PAGES LONG AND WE

HANDED IT TO YOU SHORTLY

BEFORE YOU CAME HERE.

IT SEEMS THIS WAS AN EN

FACTO INDICTMENT OF THE

POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THEY WERE SAYING WHILE

CITIZENS HAVE THE

RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTROL

THEIR TEMPER, IT IS REALLY

THE POLICE THAT HAVE TO

TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS.

THEY WERE PUTTING THE

GREATER BURDEN OF THIS

INCIDENT -- THAT'S HOW I

READ IT -- ON SERGEANT

CROWLEY.

AGREED?

 

>> THE REPORT IS, AS YOU

SAID, I READ VERY QUICKLY

IN HIGHLIGHTS, AND THE

DATA -- THE GENERAL DATA

THERE ABOUT DISORDERLY

CONDUCT AND ARREST REALLY

HAVE NO BEARING ON

ANYTHING AT ALL BECAUSE

THEY'RE BASED ALMOST

ENTIRELY ON THE REPORTS

THE OFFICER WROTE.

 

>> Rooney: WHICH IS

STUPID, TOO.

 

>> REALLY OF NO VALUE

WHATEVER.

WE HAVE EDUCATED PEOPLE

WHO ARE VERY SOPHISTICATED

ABOUT WRITING REPORTS AND

MAKING THEM REASONABLE

WITH RESPECT TO ACTION.

THE SECOND POINT IS THAT

THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE

ENTIRELY PLATITUDINESS,

AND I HAVE NO OBJECTION TO

WHAT IS STATED.

I THINK THE COMMITTEE --

PROBABLY THE THING I TOOK

THAT HAD THE MOST POWER TO

ME WAS THAT CITIZENS,

INCREASE, ARE OVERWHELMED

BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE

POLICE.

THEREFORE IT IS THE POLICE

JOB TO MAINTAIN CIVILITY

AND JUSTICE IN THEIR

DEALINGS.

BECAUSE AN INDIVIDUAL

PERSON IS LIKELY TO BE

EMOTIONAL, UNHAPPY,

UNWILLING TO DO.

I THINK, SECONDLY, THE

IDEA OF EXPLAINING AND

DISCUSSING WITH WHAT THE

ISSUES ARE WITH THE PERSON

AT THE TIME IN A QUIET WAY

WE KNOW WORKS VERY, VERY

WELL IN OTHER

CIRCUMSTANCES.

AND THE FINAL POINT WAS,

THE CHIEF SAID, WELL, HE

WAS ACTING WITH RESPECT TO

JUDGMENT.

AND LATER ON HE SAID

SOMETHING ELSE.

THERE WAS NO REASON TO

ARREST MR. GATES AT ALL.

HIS ADDRESS IS THERE.

HIS NOTORITY IS CLEAR.

 

>> Rooney: HE DIDN'T

KNOW WHO HE WAS.

 

>> THERE IS NO REASON TO

ARREST HIM.

HE SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY

SPOKEN TO HIM BRIEFLY.

 

>> Rooney: BUT, KEN, YOU

MUST FEEL DISAPPOINTED,

BECAUSE I KNOW I AM, THAT

RACE WAS NOT ADDRESSED.

I MEAN, THAT WAS THE

800-POUND GORILLA --

 

>> I HAPPEN TO THINK NOT

ONLY RACE.

BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE

POWER DYNAMIC HAS NEVER

BEEN SPOKEN TO ME.

BUT THE TRUTH IS, I'VE

DEVOTED MOST OF MY ADULT

LIFE TO LOVING CAMBRIDGE

AND MAKING IT A BETTER

PLACE.

 

>> Rooney: I KNOW YOU

DO.

 

>> I REALLY DON'T LIKE

THAT ONE INCIDENT AND ONE

OFFICER HAS BEEN ABLE TO

TAKE US TO AN

INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION

THAT WE DON'T DESERVE.

 

>> Rooney: WELL, I DON'T

KNOW IF THAT IS EXACTLY

TRUE.

 

>> WELL, I BELIEVE PEOPLE

DID FEEL THAT WE'RE A

LITTLE LIKE BOSTON MUST

BE.

AND WE HAVE TRIED VERY

HARD NOT TO HAVE THAT

DEFINITION.

BUT I WILL SAY THIS, AND I

MUST SAY THAT PROFESSOR

GATES IS A GOOD FRIEND OF

MINE AND A NEIGHBOR OF

MINE, AND SOMEBODY WHO IS

DEMINUATIVE AND HAS A

CANE.

BUT SOME OF THIS JUST

DOESN'T ADD UP, PERIOD.

 

>> Rooney: IT IS A VERY

CAMBRIDGE REPORT, KEN --

CAN I JUST SAY THAT?

IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

 

>> BUT NOT THE KIND THAT

WOULD BE COMMISSIONED BY

THE PEOPLE.

 

>> Rooney: IT'S

POLITICALLY CORRECT.

 

>> BUT THIS IS NOT THE

PEOPLE'S REPORT.

THIS IS A CITY MANAGER'S

REPORT.

 

>> Rooney: THEY WON'T

ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS.

WE OBVIOUSLY WANTED THEM

HERE TODAY.

 

>> I THINK THEY WANT

CREDIT THAT THEY DIDN'T

SWEEP EVERYTHING UNDER THE

CARPET.

SO THIS REPORT IS THE --

IS IT PALIABLE?

WHAT HAVE A REPORT TO NOT

ANSWER THE QUESTION ABOUT

THE INCIDENT THE REPORT IS

ABOUT.

 

>> Rooney: WE WANT TO

KNOW WHO WAS RIGHT AND WHO

WAS WRONG, AND HOW THIS

THING ESCALATED TO THIS

POINT.

WE WANT A BLOW-BY-BLOW.

AND THERE WERE OTHER

WITNESS THERE.

IT WASN'T JUST CROWLEY.

 

>> WHAT WAS THE CRIME?

WHAT WAS THE CRIME HE WAS

ARRESTED FOR?

 

>> WELL, THE COMMON THING

IS CONTEMPT OF COP?

 

>> Rooney: NO.

IT WAS DISTURBANCE OF THE

PEACE.

 

>> BUT I'M SAYING --

 

>> DISORDERLY CONDUCT.

PART OF WHICH IS

TUMULTUOUS BEHAVIOR, WHICH

HAS WHICH DEFINITION?

I THINK IT IS VERY

IMPORTANT THAT THE MEN OF

COLOR IN CAMBRIDGE WANT TO

KNOW, DOES THIS MEAN WE

CAN BE ARRESTED IN OUR

HOUSE FOR TALKING LOUD TO

POLICE IN OUR OWN HOUSE.

AND AMERICANS WANT TO KNOW

WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE IN

YOUR OWN HOUSE.

THE FACT THAT THE MAN WAS

IN HIS OWN HOUSE AND HE

IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AND HE

A HARVARD PROFESSOR --

SHOW ME THE LIST OF

HARVARD WHITE PROFESSORS

WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED BY

THE POLICE FOR TALKING?

 

>> Rooney: OR ANYBODY.

 

>> SO THESE ARE AMERICAN

ISSUES.

I DO NOT BELIEVE HE SHOULD

HAVE EVER BEEN ARRESTED.

 

>> Rooney: I THINK THIS

IS THE DISAPPOINTMENT IN

THE REPORT, PETER, THAT IT

DIDN'T -- THESE ARE THE

BIG ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN

DISCUSSED FOR A YEAR, BY

THE WAY, IT TOOK THEM TO

COME UP WITH THIS.

AS NICE AS IT IS NICELY

WRITTEN --

 

>> IT WAS PROMISED IN

SPRING AND WE'RE GETTING

IT AT JULY'S DOORSTEP.

 

>> MY GUESS IS YOU HAD

ENDLESS COMPROMISE IN THE

COMMITTEE BETWEEN THE

SCHOLARS, AND CHUCK

WEXLER, WHO I KNOW VERY

WELL, BUT WHO IS, AFTER

ALL, HEAD OF THE POLICE

SEARCH FOUNDATION.

AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE

WAS AN EFFORT THERE TO

MAKE A RATHER, AS I SAY, A

GLOSS OVER THESE DEEP

QUESTIONS.

I THINK THAT IF IT HAD

BEEN ANALYZED CLOSELY, IT

WOULD HAVE BROUGHT UP THE

POINT THAT FUNDAMENTALLY

WE HAVE TO IMAGINE AND

REMEMBER THAT OUR CIVIL

RIGHTS ARE JUST ABOUT AS

GOOD AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD

IN WHICH WE LIVE.

THAT'S IT, A QUOTE FROM MY

COLLEAGUE, PETER MOS SIC,

WHO IS A POLICE OFFICER IN

BALTIMORE AND HAS A

Ph.D.

 

>> SO HOW YOU MOVE TOWARDS

CIVILITY AND JUSTICE AND

EQUAL TREATMENT OF PEOPLE

EQUALLY, IS REALLY THE

QUESTION.

I DON'T THINK TRAINING

DOES IT.

I DON'T THINK EDUCATION

DOES IT.

I TEND TO BE VERY --

SHOULD I SAY

PESSIMISTIC --

 

>> I TEND TO BE

CONSTITUTIONAL.

AND AS AMERICANS WITH

INAILLIABLE RIGHTS, I

DON'T EXPECT THE POLICE TO

BE COME TO MY HOUSE AND

ARREST ME FOR TALKING.

IT DOES NOT REFLECT WHAT

THE GOVERNMENT WANTS FOR

CAMBRIDGE.

AND THIS POLICE

COMMISSIONER HAS BEEN VERY

CLEAR THAT THE

DEPARTMENTAL ANGST OR WAYS

THEY WOULD MOST WANT TO

MOVE IS NOT REFLECTED IN

THE ACTIONS OF SERGEANT

CROWLEY.

I WILL SAY THAT ABOUT THE

REPORT.

IT DID, RATHER THAN JUST

CO-SIGN EVERYTHING

SERGEANT CROWLEY DID, IT

DOES SAY THAT, YOU KNOW,

THIS IS NOT REFLECTIVE OF

WHAT IT IS WE WANT TO BE

DOING WITH THE COMMUNITY

AND WITH THE PEOPLE IN THE

COMMUNITY.

 

>> Rooney: IT SUBTLELY

TOOK RESPONSIBILITY ON THE

PART OF THE POLICE

DEPARTMENT.

RATHER THAN SAYING THIS

WAS ALL WRONG.

THIS WAS A HOT-HEADED

MOVE.

I MEAN, I COULD HAVE

WRITTEN THIS REPORT.

 

>> IT IS RATHER -- IT IS

SO PREDICTABLE.

IT JUST SEEMED THAT ALL --

TO HAVE A COMMISSION THAT

WAS NOT TO STUDY THE

QUESTION AT HAND WAS A BIG

TIPOFF, AND THAT IT SORT

OF CAME VERY LATE, AND IT

WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN

SPRING.

THE COUNCIL, OF COURSE, IS

IN RECESS FOR THE SUMMER

UNTIL AUGUST.

IT DOES NOT REFLECT

ANYTHING THE CAMBRIDGE

CITY COUNCIL PUT ITS

FINGERS ON AT ALL.

I WILL SAY THIS: THIS IS

OUR CITY MANAGE'S REPORT

THAT IS REPORTING AN

INCIDENT FROM ONE OF THE

DEPARTMENTS.

IT DOES NOT REFLECT THAT

THEY HAD COMMUNITY

CONVERSATIONS AT 3:00 AT

THE LIBRARY.

IF YOU WANT THE COMMUNITY

IN THE CONVERSATIONS --

GIVE ME A BREAK.

THIS IS WHAT IT IS.

 

>> Rooney: SADLY, THIS

IS NOT GOING TO END THE

DEBATE.

PETER MANNING AND KEN

REEVES.

THANK YOU.

 

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

 

>> Rooney: WHEN WE

CONTINUE, FINDING COMMON

GROUND BETWEEN TWO

NEIGHBORHOODS.