(Alexandria, VA) -
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) is
concerned about the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Director of the W.E.B. Du
Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Gates was arrested at his home last week by Cambridge Police Department
officers, after a neighbor called police after seeing Gates and his driver
pushing against the front door.
“NOBLE’s concerns with this incident are not rooted in the arrest of a high-profile
individual, but in the arrest of a man in his own home, after he had provided
proper identification and proved that he was not breaking into the home, but
was indeed the home’s owner,” said NOBLE National President Joseph A. McMillan.
“Incidents such as these underscore the need for continued sensitivity and
training in the area of racial profiling. Departments nationwide must ensure
that officers are cognizant of methods to ensure that decisions are made based
on the facts of the situation, and not outside factors such as race, ethnicity,
gender, class or any other cause. Biased based policing leads to racial
profiling. The facts as reported call into question the extent to which this
concept was a component into Mr. Gates arrest and the manner by which the situation
was handled.”
NOBLE News Online is a publication of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Hubert T. Bell, Jr. National Office Complex | 4609-F Pinecrest Office Park Drive | Alexandria, VA 22312-1442 (703)658-1529 |
(703)658-9479 Fax | http://www.noblenational.org
