What should we make of the incident involving Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department now that the calming balm of time has offset the outbreak of emotion?
There is an undeniable absurdity associated with a story that involves arresting a disabled man, as is Prof. Gates, who is sitting in his home with proper identification, because a neighbor mistakenly thought he was breaking in.
But such absurdity is not beyond the comprehension for scores of men of color. For black and brown men, in particular, it is almost a rite of passage into manhood to have a part of your day interrupted by local authorities because you "fit the description," regardless of guilt.
The lens of race by which many view this fiasco is legitimate, but may not fully explain why this story rose to national prominence. While much of the conversation around Prof. Gates' arrest has centered on race, we might also examine the role "rankism" plays into this conundrum.
Rankism, a term coined by former president of Oberlin College, Dr. Robert Fuller in his book "Somebodies and Nobodies," is an abusive, discriminatory, or exploitative behavior towards people who have less power.
Rankism underlies many of the social ills of society such as racism, sexism, and homophobia, but it is also based on an abuse of power inherent to one holding a superior rank in life.
As Dr. Fuller recently wrote on the Huffington Post, "Rankism is the principal source of man-made indignity."
It is hard to deny Sgt. Crowley's rank as a police officer trumped Prof. Gates' expectation to feel safe and secure in his home. Much has been made of Prof. Gates' subsequent actions toward Sgt. Crowley, but none of it would have likely occurred if the fundamental premise of Crowley's rank and Gates' expectation had not been abused.
Gates' case is also significant because the initial incivility and abuse was legal. Because of its legality, rankism tends to be tolerated in benign and malignant ways far too often in our society, making it more insidious.
But it was not Sgt. Cowley's "rank" that made this a national story. That distinction belongs to Prof. Gates.
After Prof. Gates was arrested at his Cambridge, MA home, the Mayor of Cambridge, the Governor of Massachusetts, and the President of the United States all publicly referred to him as their "friend."
It is a national story not because a distinguished Harvard professor, who may or may not have been a victim of racism, but certainly unadulterated absurdity. It is a story because of his rank in society along with the rank of those who call him friend.
How often is the President of the United States asked to comment on a local police arrest in the midst of a press conference about arguably the most important impending domestic legislation since Social Security?
Likewise, because of his rank or lack thereof, few are talking about Troy Davis, who currently sits on Georgia's death row embroiled in his own man-made indignity and unadulterated absurdity.
In 1989, Davis was convicted for the murder of Officer Mark McPhail in Savannah, GA. He was given the death penalty despite 7 of the 9 eyewitnesses have subsequently recanted their testimony; several alleged they were pressured or coerced by police.
Davis admitted he was at the scene. But there was no physical evidence against him and the weapon used in the crime was never found. The case against Davis consisted entirely of witness testimony, which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial.
As I have stated in previous columns, I don't know if Troy Davis is innocent, but I struggle with his life hanging in the balance based on largely recanted testimony.
Like Prof. Gates, everything happening to Troy Davis appears to be legal, making it even more tragic.
It could be argued that race is evident in both cases, but rankism has us still talking about one case after the charges have been dropped, with the parties involved scheduled to have a beer with the president.
Meanwhile, we're basically silent as a man's life hangs by a slender thread based on evidence that's even slimmer.
Byron Williams is an Oakland pastor and syndicated columnist and blog-talk radio host. He is the author of Strip Mall Patriotism: Moral Reflections of the Iraq War. E-mail him at byron@byronspeaks.com or visit his Web site: byronspeaks.com
Follow Byron Williams on Twitter: www.twitter.com/byronspeaks
by this i simply mean that people of celebrity (gates is a prominent harvard prof, has many appearances as a commentator on tv and has a respected and promising career as a political guru) frequently develop a 'fathead' that gives them an aura of self-importance and disdain for anyone who might question their integrity, including police officers.
can you imagine what orin hatch would be likely to say if asked by a policeman to show some id? 'don't you know who you're talking to (you idiot)?' would be a likely response, prompting the officer to deliver his own, and not-to-likely-to-be-polite, counter response.
john mccain's brother's response to an officer who stopped him while driving during the recent political campaign was full of this very defensive 'who do you think you're talking to' attitude often used by those suffering from 'fatheadedness' when they are put into positions where they have to answer to someone they consider below their 'rank'.
i hope this works out for all involved, and i think we can all take some time to reflect on our own behavior.
thanks
I'm white (but my wife is Chinese) and I take offense when people judge my motives by the color of my skin, assuming because I'm not a visible minority that somehow I must feel "superior" to others. I remember walking down the street in SanFran when a couple Latinos said "here comes the KKK." On that point I sympathize with the cop, it's hurtful, stupid and absolutely ignorant to make such pointless accusations.
On the other hand, police have a lot of power in this country and I can understand somebody getting agitated when they get hassled in their home. At the very least we should reasonably expect law enforcement to be polite. Writing up a retaliatory citation because somebody lips you off is equally dumb and petty minded. It's abuse of authority, albeit small minded. How many tickets get written each day because some cop feels jilted when no real offense has been committed. With all the murders, don't they have bigger fish to fry?
On that point I agree with Obama, the police acted stupidly and cooler heads should have prevailed. I also think it was quite reasonable (and a cool gesture) to suggest having a beer and taking a time out. I think this whole race thing is overblown.
Why are blacks and browns more likely to be stopped, detained, searched, etc.....
Are blacks and browns more involved with crime than whites?
Why are the prisons loaded with blacks and browns?
Are all the jury pools in America made up entirely of whites trying to supress the blacks and browns?
Why are blacks called african americans? Why are they not called just plain American or Citizen?
Why are Asians so darn good at math?
Why are Japaneese so darn dedicated to work ethic?
Why are the French such good cooks?
Why did they drop the charges? If it was a valid arrest then he should do the time for the crime. If the charges are dropped, then he should be compensated for his inconvienence right?
Please help me understand. Thank you! Zorp from the planet Neutron.
The charges were dropped because no crime was committed by Gates, a fact not known at the time of his arrest by the officers who arrested him. There is nothing about dropping the charges that indicates the police either committed a crime or acted with out due cause at the time of the arrest.
There is currently no policy for compensating people arrested for a crime they did not commit if they were not convicted in court. The only policy regarding such compensation is for people who serve jail time for a crime they were latter exonerated for. Gates was never convicted and is therefore not eligible for such compensation.
Telop form the planet Proton. (We are better then the planet Neutron, we are much more positive people then the Neutronians!)
It is certainly evident that Dr. Gates mouth was not disabled during this incident:
"I want your name and badge number!"
“You don’t know who you’re messing with!”
"I'm not someone to mess with!"
"Get the chief!" "What's the chiefs name?"
"Call Tree!"
"You haven't heard the last of this!"
“Ya, I’ll speak with your Mama outside”
To suggest it is "rankism" when proper police procedure for handling just this sort of out of control reaction - when a police officer is investigating a 911 call - is beyond disingenuous, particularly when it is proffered by the pastor of a church.
Bigotry and elitism are colorless diseases which infect those of every rank and educational background. Those carrying the disease often choose to hide the symptoms, or mask them with education, money and power, but they still find a way to manifest themselves nevertheless. The roots of these diseases run deep, but are still opportunities for a true change of heart.
As a former seminarian, I'd suggest some unbiased reflection on the irony of John 19:10f:
"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said to Jesus. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
2 centuries later, we know what the truth was - it looks as though we won't be waiting that long in this case.
I have long held the belief that many instances of racial profiling have been based more in ones mind than reality. Just as it is common for African Americans to say that white people cannot know what it's like dealing with authorities when you're black, people of color have no idea what it's like to deal with authorities when you're white. Do not mis-understand my meaning, I'm not suggesting the treatment is the same, but rather that neither side knows how it goes for the other.
I personally, just in the last three years; have been stopped by police three times. The first incident was because my brother (who was in the passenger seat) resembled a man who had been committing burglaries in the area. The second was winter before last when the police surrounded my work van with guns drawn, and pulled me, my brother (same one) and two of my workers out. My brother and the other two individuals were told to put their hands on the side of the van and they were searched. I was cuffed and placed in the back of a squad car for about 45 minutes. They believed that I was a man who had just robbed a Charter One Bank.
The last time was on Valentine's Day of this year. My girl and I were returning to her apartment when we were stopped for having a plate light out. Not a tail light, a plate light. The officer called a second car and asked if he could search the vehicle. Again I was in the back seat of a squad car, this time for about 30 min and no cuffs.
Given my experiences, if I were black I'm sure I would attribute much of this to racial profiling. And I would be wrong. So I have to ask myself, and whoever reads this post, how much racial profiling is real and how can someone ever know? Police stopping a black person certainly is not enough to qualify because police stop white people. The police stopping a black man who resembles someone their looking for does not qualify because that has happened to both me and my brother. And the police stopping you, searching you, cuffing you, and placing you in a squad car while they search your vehicle is not enough because this has happened to me.
I don't think anyone can legitimately claim racial profiling. You can certainly claim civil rights violations if any stop goes too far, or if you are repeatedly stopped by the same officer or department, or if you are subject to arrest on false charges. But these are not instances of racial profiling. Profiling is the act of making the stop based on race. I don't think this can ever be proven, and in many cases may be imagined all together.
WebForce1, I think what you're saying makes sense. However I do disagree with you on a few fundamental points. To begin its sounds like you've had some unfortunate run-ins with the law enforcement! And while you’ve been stopped by law enforcement 3 times in the past three years I don’t think it’s even close to being similar to what folks of color are talking about. Yes inconvenient, but life threatening? It doesn’t sound like (although correct me if I’m wrong). If you had been stopped 3 times in three years, and all of your white neighbors, friends, family, teachers, professors, co-workers and employers had similar experiences then I would suggest that something is going on. That’s why I would also suggest that you could very legitimately claim racial profiling in this case because there is over 40 years worth of research, which concludes that black and brown folks get pulled over, arrested, stopped, and searched at astoundingly disproportionally higher rates then white people.
Now the next point I have trouble agreeing with is the concept that black and brown folks make-up racial profiling, or they imagine it, or they are overly sensitive. So many white people say this it’s almost become this implicit assumption. In all honesty that's exaclty what I mean by implicit racial bias. Sure you don’t know what it’s like to be someone of color, but all it takes is some listening and some research to know what a serious and real problem this is- that people are treated different because of their race all the time.
When white Americans deny what folks of color have been saying for so long; ultimately that something is wrong and that racial bias is very alive and well, we deny ourselves the ability to see that race really does matter in American society.
I think the central tenant of disagreement with the Gates case is about the reality and the significance of race and racism and “rankism” in this country. The one thing that I keep hearing over and over again from folks for color is that this happens all the time. And I believe this. This power interaction between black citizens and white cops has a deep-rooted history of hundreds and hundreds of years. This power interaction occurs on such a regular basis and as another commenter already stated, it is an interaction of life and death in many cases.
Racism, classism, “rankism” are normal, and fundamental parts of America’s past and present. I really think that If white people could spend as much energy listening and learning, as they spend on being angry and fiercely defending the privilege they already have, race relations in the U.S would greatly improve.
I agree with some of the other’s who have commented, in that there is a certain amount of distrust that I think law enforcement officials have justly earned. I personally don’t trust police and I am white. However I cannot and will never assume that my experiences with the law, as a white person, have been similar to any persons of colors' experience.
Here's what I mean: If I was sexually assaulted at my job by a male boss and another male told me that it had nothing to do with sexism, and that “rankism” was real reason why my boss harassed me (this is purely hypothetical) I would think, in all honesty, that this man was a complete idiot. Sure “ranksim” played a significant role but you would have a very hard time convincing me that sexism wasn’t also involved. If he further tried to explain to me that he had been verbally abused many times by his boss too, so he understood, I think I would be so angry that I would have to just walk away. I’m not saying that sexism and racism are the same but I think they operate in similar ways. It doesn’t make sense for white people to say, to people of color “yes I’ve had that same experience so I know exactly how it feels,” because most while people have absolutely no idea.
Mr. Williams,
I really liked this piece. Thanks for taking the time to share it. It’s interesting how people understand racism, classism, sexism differently based on different life experiences. I suspect that’s an obvious statement. How do we know what’s true if everyone sees the world slightly differently? I was thinking about this as I was reading everyone’s comments. I will just offer my opinion.
I agree with what you’ve written here but I think I would add or emphasize that racial bias and systemic racism exacerbate what you are calling “rankism.” I think racism intensifies the abusive, discriminatory and exploitative behavior so often seen with law enforcement. And I mean racism defined as a system of advantage and disadvantage because intentions are irrelevant. As I think you’ve implied here, race and class are inexorably linked: Gates is a world-renowned professor and although he was treated outrageously (in my personal opinion), he is alive and healthy and has been invited to the white house. Meanwhile another black man waits on death row for a crime he may not have committed. Is it possible that Gates social status as a professor saved him from worse treatment from officer Crowley? I think it’s very likely.
Mr. Gates should not make the mistake of thinking his arrest was prompted by racial profiling; I’ve similarly been treated in a disrespectful manner by law enforcement and I am a well-kempt, blond-haired, blue-eyed white man. Ours is a culture of intimidation/force and one in which the entitlement of individuals trumps justice, reason and common sense—especially when the person knows they can get away with it (and since no one’s paying much attention to abuses, the police know their transgressions will almost always go unnoticed).
So if there is any discrimination here, it’s discrimination against those who have the audacity to challenge or question those in power. It’s no different than a cop booking a harmless troublemaker, simply because he "has it coming” and there's a lesson to be taught. Even when the authorities are not likely to follow up with charges, as in Gates' case (after all, it’s not against the law to be angry), by that point it’s too late—the inconvenience and humiliation are already done.
Until law enforcement shows it wants to change its broken ways, the American people will continue to distrust those whose very job it is to keep them safe.
Thank you, Byron Williams for stripping this story down to its true parts. I've been appalled (but not exactly surprised) by the media's misunderstanding of the scenario Gates faced as he (rightfully) berated a police officer on his front stoop. The news outlets' knee-jerk reaction—and the nation's, ultimately—has been to turn it into an issue of race, but from the moment I heard what had happened, my immediate thought was "abuse of power," which is just another word for "rankism."
In the Gates arrest issue, the best analog is not Rodney King, but the story that almost any American can relate about a police officer becoming abusive, intimidating, threatening, or condescending to them. I doubt there is a single person out there who has not experienced this at some point. And for those who haven’t, all you need to do is approach an on-duty officer and see how unwilling they are to communicate with a public who they just assume despises them (contempt for law enforcement is definitely a problem in our society). But this of course does not excuse the combative attitudes and impunity-tinged actions of public safety officials everywhere, and which are only becoming more and more common (on this I must say I agree with Mr. Greenwood's post).
Gates didn't see it that way. Gates wasn't the least bit intimidated by the officer. His actions, in fact, would by reasonable only if Gates believed he outranked the officer.
He immediately shouted at the officer, and tried to intimidate Crowley with his status and his connections. He picked up the phone to call the police chief. He tossed about baseless accusations of racism.
These aren't the actions of a man who believed the officer's presence trumped his right to feel safe and secure in his home.
The rankism on display also rests entirely with Gates, who obviously felt insulted to have to provide his ID to some working class White police officer. Gates turned this into a racial issue through projecting his own racist views to Powell.
Yes I know I have said the unthinkable in America that a black person could be a racist. But the truth is the truth and until we are willing to accept that race relations in America will never improve. The DWB defense is getting a little old as well. When a white man is stopped for "fitting the description" it doesn't get reported because no one cares. There are no special interest groups or media types to report it. A black woman lies in accuing the Duke Lacrosse players of raping her and it makes national news for months. College students Channon Christian and Christopher Newsome are kidnapped and tortured by five black ,racist, thugs over a period of four days before being brutally murdered and dumped in the trash, and it never makes the national news.
Perhas you should write a column condemning black racism in America.
Additionally, it was Gates that made assumptions based on race. The officer wasn't there because of Gates' race, he was there because he called. It was Gates that assumed the officer was there to harass him based solely on the color of the officer's skin.
Crowley is a uniformed police officer.
Gates is a department chair at Harvard University and a personal friend of the police chief, mayor, governor and President of the United States.
I think Gates outranked Crowley.
And I am wondering how saying this violates Huffpo's moderation policy.
Best,
Byron Williams
Perhaps because Gates knew the President and other influential figures, he felt as though he could kick up dust? I would submit to you that if Gates was an average person (black or white) with no prominent social status, he would have cooperated immediately with out reservation and no one would have even heard of this happening.
1. The police are always right.
2. The police are never wrong.
Why, in a nation built on individual rights and limited government, are we so afraid to admit that a police officer can be wrong? Why is it so difficult to criticize Crowley? He made a mistake. Police officers can and do make mistakes.
Are they? Let me see:
1.) Cambridge Cop arrests upset black Harvard professor on spurious charges....charges dropped....falsified police report filed.
2.) Work associate of said cop sumbits email to Boston Globe, laden with racial, mysoginist, and anti political slurs within one week .
3.) Meanwhile in Hollywood FL, four cops caught on tape conspiring to frame citizen whose car they are guilty of hitting.
I think I see a pattern here.
People who are in positions of authority should lose that authority when they abuse the position they are given.
True for judges.
True for priests.
True for teachers.
Somehow, not true for cops.