911 tapes have been released in the Gates incident. Do they reveal shocking evidence of racial profiling and bigotry? We are excited to find out.
The caller told the dispatcher that she was walking down Ware Street when a concerned neighbor stopped her.
Listen to the 911 call first, and notice how Lucia Whalen makes no mention of seeing black men breaking into Professor Gates' house.
"I don't know if they live there and they had a hard time with their key, but I noticed they had to use their shoulder to barge in, and they got in. I didn't notice if they had a key or not, because I couldn't see from my angle," the caller said.
The caller was asked about race, rather than having brought it up herself.
The caller told the dispatcher that the men were still in the house."Are they white, black or Hispanic?" the dispatcher said. "There were two larger men. One looked kind of Hispanic but I am not sure. The other one entered, and I did not see him at all," the caller said.
Listen beyond the tape of the caller, Lucia Whalen. The recording continues as Sgt. Crowley communicates on his way to and after arriving on the scene. Almost immediately upon, he reports that the man he encountered is uncooperative, and he asks for Harvard Police to be called to the scene. No racial profiling (on the part of the caller), immediate resistance from the Professor. Beyond that, not much is revealed - although an experienced law enforcement officer might be able to glean details of what was going on that a layperson would miss. The tapes were released after a press conference. Listen to City Manager Bob Healy continue in the ridiculous charade pretending that this was a racial incident on the part of anyone other than Skip Gates. It's a nice bit of liberal self-satire.