dropped charges against a famed Harvard professor. Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested for disorderly conduct after he was seen breaking into his own house.

Gates' attorney doesn't believe that the professor was guilty of disorderly conduct. Professor Charles Ogletree told CNN's Kiran Chetry and John Roberts that the professor suspected race was an issue in his arrest.

According to Ogletree, Gates' told police, "I live here, why are you doing this to me? I told you this is my house, I gave you my I.D. and I'm the owner of the home." Gates charged that the police would not have treated a white man in the same way. "You're doing this because I'm an African-American and you're a white police officer? This makes no sense for you to question me like this in my home."

But when Gates stepped out of the house to talk to police they arrested him.

"He was very frustrated, there's no question about that, but belligerent is not the case. He never touched the officer, never pointed at the officer and in fact, he was trying to stay in his house having produced identification saying what more do I need to do," said Ogletree.