Thursday, July 30, 2009

To Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Arrested for Breaking Into His Own House

Professor Gates,
Some time ago in a town very near Cambridge Massachusetts, I was detained by the local police for 'breaking into' my house (as I did not have a key, for whatever reason). However, I didn't get to have any beer with the president as a result of the matter. But then, I was not a member of any elite class nor was I entitled to any special privilege as an apparent result of who or what I was.
AVT



After thought, March 24th, 2015
Though to be clear, in my situation it was termed 'protective custody,' not 'arrest.'  'Protective custody' is a term that is used in Massachusetts to detain individuals which then denies the detained individual any rights to which they would otherwise be entitled if placed under 'arrest' - as near as I can tell, anyhow.