The Director of Athena Montessori Academy is a close friend, and when needed I have been thrilled to serve as a substitute teacher for her adorable students. Throughout the day toddlers learn that yelling, screaming, and making threats are not socially acceptable ways of dealing with conflict. Problem solving, conflict resolution, and critical thinking are at the core of Montessori teachings. On the surface it may seem simplistic, but it actually takes courage to initiate conflict resolution and see it through. Cambridge Police Officer Jim Crowley, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, activists, bloggers, and commentators could all learn from the problem solving lessons designed for three year-olds. It cannot be denied that the world would be a better place if adults learned to communicate more intentionally, instead of reacting out of emotion.
A person's ability to solve problems in the midst of a heated situation is directly related to the number of possible solutions he can think of in that moment. Both Sergeant Crowley, a leader and trainer on diversity issues for the Cambridge Police Department, and Professor Gates, an esteemed educator at Harvard had more than enough intellectual resources to identify alternatives in a heated confrontation -- both men chose not to use them. MLK, Mahatma Gandhi, Congressman John Lewis and many others have changed the world by understanding the words of Dorothy Thompson, "peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict." Through their activism, these leaders found alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, and ultimately alternatives to violence. We have come a long way with race relations in America, but explosive and emotional reactions are beginning to set us back.
In current and future racial flare-ups, it is incumbent upon the next generation of civil rights activists to challenge each other. Can we think critically and change the conversation from focusing solely on winners and losers to one of greater understanding and progress? Or will we simply use blogs, Facebook, and Twitter to compete in a name-calling diss-fest? Blindly calling someone a racist is as destructive as screaming fire in a movie theatre. Cheerleading the damaged reputation of the Cambridge Police Department does nothing to help heal the wounds of racism. Highlighting Sergeant JIM CROWley's name in a way that elicits comparisons to the contemptible de jure segregation of our nation's past is absolutely ineffectual. All one has to do is spend five minutes perusing commentary about Gates' arrest to find countless examples of useless commentary fueled by anger. The arrest has spurred an extremely charged exchange of views about race relations and police officers throughout the U.S. with only a small number of productive conversations about how to create a greater sense of community and co-responsibility, trust and mutual respect, and appreciation and acceptance of others. Without this dialogue -- after the wrath dissipates -- what are we left with? How can we learn, grow, and evolve coming out of this situation?
Name-calling, mandating immediate and punitive solutions, going on the attack, and ruining reputations are not effective tactics for progress. Rushing to judge comes with huge opportunity costs. Beyond being a teachable moment, Professor Gates' arrest was a perfect opportunity to build bridges with unlikely allies. The unique opportunity for Gates' supporters to engage with Libertarians and Conservatives -- usually staunch protectors of the concept that "a man's home is his castle" -- was lost the moment the racism rallying cry was prioritized over the constitutional issues that arose from the arrest.
In the heat of a tense moment it can be challenging to think clearly, but if we are truly committed to improving race relations we must actively create opportunities to resolve conflicts when they arise. Before Gates-gate, the dismissal of a group of African American and Latino children from the Creative Steps Camp by the Valley Swim Club, a private pool in the suburbs of Philadelphia had people up in arms and activated. The allegations, if true, are more than alarming and hurtful -- they are illegal. Unfortunately, in the midst of the outrage the daycare center and parents missed an opportunity to teach an important lesson about conflict resolution to the people most impacted by the situation -- the children. When the swim club's leadership offered to reinstate the contract and welcomed the children back, the daycare center and parents responded by announcing their intention to pursue legal action. Of course they have a right to sue, but thanks to the NAACP, Pennsylvania's Human Relations Commission launched an investigation that was already underway. The olive branch extended by the swim club -- if accepted -- could have empowered the children and helped them develop critical communication and social skills through a conflict resolution process. Instead of a life-changing lesson, the adults made a decision to be litigious -- a reaction that creates a new set of problems, puts both parties more on the defensive, and most likely strengthens the pre-existing negative convictions of the alleged perpetrators. After the conclusion of the lawsuit, how will race relations have gotten any better?
Racism stems from deep-seeded misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and assumptions, and there is no quick fix that will have us all holding hands and singing kumbaya. After a small, self-recognized stumble on the Gates incident, President Obama invited both Gates and Crowley to a happy hour at the White House. Clearly a resolution will not happen because of a few shared beers, but as David Axelrod said, "the president sees this as an opportunity to get dialogue going..." Tonight's meeting is a necessary step to help resolve the conflict between Gates and Crowley, but more importantly the White House Happy Hour could serve as an important lesson for the nation about cooperation, communication, accountability, empathy, and affirmation -- all must-haves for a conflict resolution process to be successful. When a conflict arises at a Montessori school, the children learn that they need a neutral place to go and talk it out. The children explain how they are feeling, listen to one another, and plan what will fix it. The last step is acknowledgment of conclusion in some way -- kids usually shake hands and hug. Tonight that will be replaced by throwing back a few cold ones. Though we may never hear apologies, hopefully both men can say what the toddlers know to say when a conflict has been resolved, "We declare peace."
A few days ago Glenn Beck called President Obama a racist. Can African Americans truly justify the uproar that resulted from his statement -- with the full backing of moral authority -- when there is a cacophony of voices shouting racism almost every time a black person feels wronged? A white person offending a black person, in and of it self is not the definition of racism. Sometimes bad behavior and bad judgment are just simply bad behavior and bad judgment.
It is a mistake to confuse a call for better problem solving with lack of understanding or denial that African Americans and other minority groups still face horrible injustices, inequality, and systemic racism. In order to reach our full potential as change-agents and combat racism more effectively -- with the specific goal of eradicating it from institutions and hearts -- we need a new way of responding. The leaders of the Civil Rights Movement boycotted and marched and it changed the world. Our generation has an opportunity to contribute new tactics to help move us even further along. It starts with critical thinking and when possible, ends with conflict resolution. This new direction may not appease some people's emotional need to immediately call out and punish potential offenders, but it will help us all become more productive and effective problem solvers. Ultimately, providing the opportunity for our nation to one day finally achieve that often talked about post racial-judged only by the content your character-can't we just all get along-colorblind-society. That is still the goal, right?
Follow Jehmu Greene on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jehmu
Jonathan Rieder: Final Thoughts on Beer Summits and Postracial Paradoxes
Now that the dust from the Gates dust-up has settled, a bit of perspective is in order. Glib invocations of a color-blind society were always too breathless.
The officer was required, by law, to have a search warrant prior to entering Gate’s home. With the officer standing outside the door, Gates stated to him, from inside the door, that he was going to get his ID. By both admissions, Crowley follows Gates into the house without invitation and without warrant. This directly violates the fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. By Crowley's account, Gates was screaming and protesting prior to handing over his ID's. As he should have been! Crowley was trespassing inside his home, uninvited! This is not a grey area to muddle with: this is important or the Founders would not have added that amendment. Without this we, the people, are not “free” no matter how many kumbaya’s you want to have.
If Crowley does not know the law, he should not be a police officer.
My wife was the victim of sexual harassment at work. Did she stand there and just yell "sexists" at the executives at her workplace? Did she blame her predicament on the historical incidents of mistreatment of women in a misogynist workplace? Nope, she put her ex-husband co-worker on notice, and when he failed to cease and desist, she filed a lawsuit and won a large settlement - and it stopped immediately.
Gates the inestigating officer of racism and threatened to use his "rank" to make trouble for him right from the start, then continued his rant outside his house in the front of a gathering crowd. And as pointed out by others in these comments, he had sufficient cause to make the arrest, and the African American officer also at the scene stated he would have done the same. Obama's comments to the planted question about his friend and fundraiser, Dr. Gates, was more than a "small self-corrected" misstep.
If Gates wants to file a lawsuit, then do it. He won't because he played the race and rank card as a Harvard Professor and his inexcusable actions that day will not play well before a jury of his peers.
The only thing teachable here Bill Cosby covered years ago:
"We have to start holding each other to a higher standard. We cannot blame the white people any longer."
The police do have a duty to protect property and life if they are placed in that position. Sgt Crowley would have been wrong to just take a persons word for who they are and that they live there. People lie to the police very day. How do I know this because I was a cop for over 23 years and I have gone to calls of someone breaking into a house only to find out the owner was locked out or had lost their key. It's really not that big of a deal to prove you live in a home.
Semper fi
I think that if American could look at each other from a more cultural lens, things would make a lot more sense. We look at people based almost purely on their race. But the reality is that there so many, many, many different cultures within America where people who look very different have a lot in common.
I believe Gates was free to speak his mind. Crowley was free (no one stopping him) to arrest Gates. Both could have ALSO chosen to stand down. They didn't. That's the point. Even in matters of the appearance of racism there's a lot of value to build bridges instead of attacking and seeking to punish people. Perhaps ppl with the thug life mentality don't get this, but it actually make a lot of sense. Just bc we (yes i'm black) win the battle (lawsuit, loss of job, ruined reputation, etc) doesn't mean we're winning the war. I agree with the idea of more conflict resolution.
Gates and Crowley both made human mistakes. Embarrassing, inappropriate, but ultimately human. Sure the mistakes could have been prevented with a little more self-control but chances are both persons involved normally behave with greater civility on a daily basis. It was just as inappropriate and crass for this author to rate them below toddlers. Who does she think she is?
Obviously Gates was having a terrible day and snapped. Crowley does not possess great skill or knowledge in interpreting the legal meaning of disorderly conduct. Should he be a lawyer as well as a police officer? Perhaps now he will go the extra mile to learn such things so that he's not accused of being worse than a toddler by uppity ups in the future for simply doing his job and making judgment calls to the best of his ability.
Your comments are really unhelpful. Dr. Gates was in his own home, where one is free toexpress himself however one wishes...as I'm sure you'd agree in YOUR own home. Great skill and knowledge in interpreting laws, are the pervue of judges and attorneys...great skill and knowledge in diffusing heated situations if the pervue of policemen, and clearly, this...Crowley did NOT have. P
That beer drink solves nothing and history tells me there will be another law- abiding Black Person shot and killed by the Police in the future and we will this conversation again. You can not reason with people who feel you are not human or deserve to be a citizen of the U.S.A. Many whites(not all) on this board feel that any black man who excercises his 4 amendment rights should be arrested or worse and you want to use Chrisitan principles to deal with these people I say NO WAY !!!!
If Barack Obama can't stand up and admit that there is racial terrorism amongst some cops in Black neighborhoods is willing to back down from a non- racial comment he made then conversatives who have wrote books and enacted polices enforcing race- based policing and harassment in many cities have won this debate, Ms. Greene this is just a continutation of the "Racial Cold War Politics" since 1968 and it's time African- Americans engaged this culture war instead of being passive observers for the last 40 years. Obama's election has not ended this culture war against white americans and I doubt it ever will.
I challenge you, Mr. Daniels, to stop playing "the victim" and see how people start treating you. It takes time as you have to overcome the victim status, but you will be amazed at how people pick-up on that and begin to treat you with respect.
Everything Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley Needed to Know, I Learned in German Kindergarten.
A general decency and politeness.
If both parties would have adhered to it, this would never been an issue.
"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever."
a neighbor tried to do a good thing.
was this neighbor ever thanked?
With the issue in Mass, from what I know, it seems the line was crossed by the prof. when he cussed at the police outside of his home. Such is where I understand things went bad.
If I am wrong on this, I am sure someone will correct me but it does seem that the prof. went over the line and had he not cussed him out in front of his house, the arrest may not have happened? It seems the prof. put the officer in a position that he was disrespecting the uniform and him as well.
The officer was called and he responded. Had the Prof. not forgot his keys, wd. not have happened.
If ones intent is to seek conflict, to look for a fight, and the other side accepts the invitation, then there will be a fight and a war.
The quickness to call someone a racist that is currently underway is trully sad. The word is being mis-used. To call someone a racist is a punch and violence in itself. The sooner we recongize the inter-dependence of all as a human race the better.
We are all human beings and perhaps it is necessary to start there and start being decent to one another.
In a pissing contest, in the end, both sides get covered with piss and perhaps we would all be better of if we stopped pissing on one another.
The racial profiling, the nonsense is on Gates and Obama
Crowley was doing his job!
And, it is wrong to keep using him to further your point
He was doing his job!
A very interesting take on disorderly conduct laws from a former public defender:
http://www.intheagora.com/archives/2009/07/stupid_disorderly_conduct_laws/comment-page-2/#comment-22798
"Law enforcement simply must have a tool available to deal with persons who are creating a public disturbance and refuse to cease and desist."