CAMBRIDGE Mass. – A Harvard scholar and the police sergeant who arrested him last July after a confrontation outside his home both missed opportunities to “ratchet down” the situation and end the encounter more calmly, according to a review of the case released Wednesday.
The independent review said “misunderstandings and failed communications” and a “certain degree of fear” each man had for the other led to the six-minute dispute that ended with the renowned black scholar being placed in handcuffs by the veteran white Cambridge police sergeant.
Sgt. James Crowley arrested Henry Louis Gates Jr. for disorderly conduct at his Cambridge home July 16 while investigating a possible burglary. Gates alleged he was a victim of racial profiling. Charges were later dropped.
The conflict sparked a national debate on race relations, and President Barack Obama invited both men to the White House for a “beer summit.”
“The committee believes if Sgt. Crowley and Professor Gates had been able to make their positions understood, and had made greater efforts to de-escalate the tensions of the encounter, the incident could have been resolved quickly and peacefully,” said Charles Wexler, chairman of a 12-member panel that studied the case and wrote the review.
The panel, assembled in September, was made up of law enforcement personnel, academics, and experts on race relations and conflict resolution, none of whom had direct ties to the Cambridge Police Department.
The situation at Gates’ home quickly escalated when it shouldn’t have, according to the review. The report suggests that Crowley could have more clearly explained what he was doing and why he was doing it, especially after being shown Gates’ license and university ID. For his part, Gates could have used a more respectful tone to address the officer.
