Press Releases
NOBLE Expresses Concern with Gates Arrest
By NOBLE National Headquarters
Jul 23, 2009 - 5:52:56 PM

Joseph McMillan

(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.”

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