Gates' Real Offense? 'Speaking Truth to Power'

Straight and gay abuse victims must be treated the same, supporters say

(NEWSER) - A spike in gay domestic violence slayings has alarmed advocates in Massachusetts, who say the justice system is insensitive to warning signs of gay-on-gay abuse. The state has seen seven such killings since 2010, but attempts to educate police have sputtered, the Boston Globe reports. “It was pretty traumatizing,’’ says one gay advocate of a workshop attended by police—who walked out. “As soon as we started in on the content, one officer asked: 'Why are we here? This is just like our diversity training. This is a waste of our time.'" More»

Danroy Henry drove into two cops outside bar fight

(NEWSER) - Police shot and killed a Pace University football player after he drove his car into two officers outside a bar where customers were fighting early yesterday morning, the New York Daily News reports. Danroy Henry and two friends were parked in a fire lane outside the bar; after police responding to brawls in the parking lot knocked on his window, he sped off, hitting one officer and then another who tried to pull the first off the car. More»

Pair at center of racial incident spotted at Cambridge bar

(NEWSER) - The black college professor and the white cop at the center of a racial firestorm this summer, and who later famously had beers on the White House, were spotted last night having a round at a bar in Cambridge, Mass. Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley chatted over suds for about an hour in a booth at a pub not far from Harvard, WBZ-TV reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The Boston police officer suspended for referring to Henry Louis Gates as a “banana-eating jungle monkey” is suing the city and the department for violating his civil rights, the Globe reports. The BPD, police commissioner, and mayor are “conspiring to intentionally inflict emotional distress” and interfering with Justin Barrett’s “property rights, due process rights, and civil rights,” the suit claims. More»

Harvard prof kidded Cambridge cop at White House

(AP) - A black Harvard scholar said today he has been able to joke about his arrest by a white police officer that led to a national debate on race, despite receiving death threats and bomb threats. In his first public appearance since meeting with Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley at the White House, Henry Louis Gates said he and the officer found some humor in the incident and have since discussed going out to eat or taking in a Boston Red Sox or Celtics game. More»