The Healer in Chief
We need to embrace what our President says. While it can be argued that both Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard University and Police Sergeant James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department overacted in the case of Gates getting arrested in his own home on July 16th after a suspected break-in and the President may have misspoken before knowing all the facts, we can learn from this case.
As President Obama stated, there is a disproportionate amount of blacks and Latinos in jail as opposed to whites and racial profiling does exist in this country. It is easy to see why Gates became angry when Officer Crowley did not believe that it was his own home. One can wonder if that would have happened if he were white. But then, a white man would not have claimed racism which obviously was at issue here.
Just as Obama gave a provocative speech on race relations in Philadelphia during the campaign, and spoke about abortion at Notre Dame's commencement, and talked about responsibility of fathers on Father's Day, and addressed the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt about how we are not their enemy, let this next conversation be about racial profiling.
The thing that makes me scratch my head is why the radio right wing pundits (Mike Gallagher, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh etc.) have gotten so worked up over Obama's position on this issue. Of course not all police officers are racist (and from what I've read, not Sergeant Crowley). But they are not all saints either. Our police force has been used more often than not to oppress people of color. Profiling does exist and it is a natural response for an African American to question incidents such as this one.
Perhaps the President should not have used the word "stupidly" to describe how the Officer Crowley responded but it was a gut reaction. Let's look at the history of blacks and police in our nation in this century.
According to the "African People's Solidarity Committee" in St. Petersburg, Florida, the police killings of black teenagers TyRon Lewis (1996), Marquell McCullough (2004), Jarrell Walker (2005), and Javon Dawson (2008) are "part of a policy targeting the African community with violence and cover-ups."
The case of Jarrell Walker comes to my mind because I was living in St. Petersburg, FL at the time. On April 12, 2005 in an apparent drug raid, a flash bang grenade was used by deputies to break down Walker's door and enter his house. Jarrell was shot in the back by Deputy Christopher Taylor while he lay sleeping on the couch. Taylor said Walker had a gun under the couch but no weapon was ever found.
To date no officers or deputies have ever been charged or held accountable in any way for these violations. In reference to the four teenagers mentioned above, to quote "the African People's Solidarity Committee":
With their whole lives still in front of them, each teenager was unarmed and in a vulnerable position. Two were shot in the back, one as he was allegedly running away. Another was shot in the side and one with his hands up, as countless witnesses verified.In every case the victim was black while the shooter was white. Not one victim was in the process of "crime." In every instance the murders were ruled "justifiable" following questionable investigations by State Attorney Bernie McCabe.
And who can forget the incident in 1999 where Amadou Diallo, a 22-year-old immigrant from West Africa was shot 41 times by white New York police officers in the vestibule of his apartment while he reached for his ID? The officers thought he was going for a gun (no weapon was found). It was a case of mistaken identity where they thought he was a serial rapist.
In 2006, bridegroom Sean Bell was shot 50 times in his car by police outside the club where he was having his bachelor party the night before his wedding. The plains clothes officers never identified themselves and when ordered to raise his hands Bell, possibly thinking it was a burglary, accelerated the car running into an unmarked police minivan. The officers opened fire. Again no weapon was found on Bell.
In each of these cases the officers were acquitted. They were doing their duty we were told.
Just as they did their duty to Rodney King in LA, CA (1993) and Thomas Jones in Philadelphia, PA (2004) and countless other examples of police brutality.
The story is always familiar. The police say they are protecting lives and the community. Why is there such a culture of fear that officers (and sometimes ordinary citizens) shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to African Americans (particularly young blacks.)?
Why is there such a disproportionate number of blacks jailed? Do they deserve it or is there some discrimination here?
This latest incident between Gates and Crowley seems relatively mild considering this country's history of racial tensions between police and citizens of color. What Obama said about each man being a good person and getting the two men together with him for a beer is a start.
We have to seize this moment and realize what an historical shift it is. Never before has the President of the United States taken such a personal stand against a long tolerated prejudiced practice by some of our men and women in blue. It must be comforting and empowering for African Americans to have a leader that stands up for them in our ongoing changing social dialogue.
Although it is clear we have a long way to go, this is, as President Obama has said, a "teachable moment", just like our conversations on race, abortion, fatherhood, and Islam. Hail to the Healer in Chief!
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"let this next conversation be about racial profiling"
Are you sure whites are ready for the conversation about what they did to my people, Latinos? Taking NM, AZ, NV, and CA from Mexico? What about what they did to Native Americans? What about what they did to Asian-Americans during WWII? What about what they've done to blacks? Yes, groups do lots of bad things to each other. Most whites are killed by other whites. Most Latinos are killed by other Latinos, etc.
But whites in this country have done some truly terrible things to everybody - historically speaking. And I don't think they want to have that type of discussion. In fact, millions of whites are already insecure about the influx of Latinos as they are about an African-American President: so many of them erroneously believe this is "their country" and "others" and "visitors" and "2nd class citizens" are taking it away from them, the "real Americans". That's pathetic, and that thinking is real.
I believe we can have a conversation, but unfortunately, this country has NEVER been honest about race to its citizens. We'll see if something can be jump started from this.
"One can wonder if that would have happened if he were white"
Agreed. if a black Sgt. arrested a white professor in a white affluent area, and hauled him off to jail in handcuffs, that black Sgt. would be placed on desk duty "pending an internal instigation", because the outcry from whites statewide, regionally, and possibly nationwide would be intense.
Think about it: a revered white professor in HIS OWN home, screaming at a black officer, gets arrested before throngs of his white neighbors? Really? Trust me, pressure would be put on Massachusetts' Black Govenor to "do something" about the Black Sgt. who dares to arrest a white professor.
No one can tell me that most whites wouldn't see this thing differently if the shoe was on the other foot.
Bologna! If the president wanted to give another speech on race, he should have done so. Instead he waded into a local police issue without knowing the facts. The teachable moment should be "don't speak unless you know what you're talking about."
Unfortunately, Obama believes the press about him being a "healer," as the author of this piece calls him, which apparently gives him license to spout whatever "truths" he wants without judgment.
How interesting that the president was so quick to jump to the defense of his friend, a Harvard professor, and throw the entire Cambridge police department under the bus. Give me a break. The president misspoke and he should act like a man and apologize. His parsing of words is Chicago-lawyer-speak at its best.
He admitted he didn't know all the facts when he spoke. He gave his opinion because he is only human and it was a gut reaction. No one can deny that racial profiling does exist and that blacks are often unfairly imprisoned. He is a healer in that he invited both Crowley and Gates to the White House for a beer to discuss this. It is a teachable moment in that we all can learn from it.
Most whites, myself included, have no idea how pervasive racial profiling is in the country. As a black man, Obama does. I wouldn't doubt he was a victim of it in his younger days.
Bernard Monroe
Michael Mineo
Sharif Abdel Kouddous
Michael Reyes
Willie McCree
Tarika Wilson
Kathryn Johnston
The town of Tulia, Texas
Michael Newby
Kenneth B. Walker
Alberta Spruill
Jose Colon
The list goes on to the thousands of innocents beaten, shot, killed, wrongfully arrested by police. Race is a huge problem in this country and it's not going away any time soon.
Gates, Obama and Wright - "typical" racists!
Here we go again! More stereotyping!
VERY GOOD COLUMN
WHY AREN' T MORE PEOPLE READING IT?
is there someting wrong with this comment?
Very good column...
Why aren' t more people reading it...
This is the problem in America
Good column. I hope cooler heads do prevail. President Obama has confronted alot of hot-button issues in his 6-months in office and before in the election. I applaud his courage and steadiness. Many of our citizens and media don't make it easy for him to offer his remarks on a given issue. I hope we get better as a nation at respecting a diversity of opinions and backgrounds.
Good column.
U name all of these atrocities yet w/ the same breath is certain tht Crowley is a good cop. Whte pple have no conscious and no sense of personal responsibilty 4 their bigotry. Although every ethnic group of color can account of some injustice by the white majority--blks, Mexicans, Native Americans and Arabs--you guys still insist you have the best of intentions. Your rational is sickening and gut wrenching. I guess you guys would have to eliminate the entire minority in order for you to question whether some of these folks are "good guys". Obama said Crowley was a good cop b/c he was pressured to. U acting as if he meant it after seeing the pressure he was under and his first gut reaction is indicative of the illusions whites live in. No, the President doesn't think he is a good cop but the president is a good politician and is well aware there are many angry racist whites who are driven by their biases and illusions.
I had read that Crowley led seminars teaching cops to not use racial profiling which may be why he overreacted to Gate's charge of racism. And there was a black officer on the scene who said Crowley acted appropriately. (Hard for me to believe.) In any case, there are good cops and bad cops. We need to acknowledge the good ones and point out and prosecute the bad ones.
With that said, context is important and history is important. To try to divine why things went so bad at Professor Gates's home without considering history and context is like trying to decipher a foreign language that you have never heard before....it cannot be done. This is not an isolated occurrence.
Obama was not prejudging the police department. Though Obama didn't have all of the details of the incident, he knew after the police confirmed that Gates lived at the home that it was inappropriate to arrest him...and it was.
Questions I have:
Would the neighbour have called the police if Gates and driver were white? Was there an assumption of foul play arising out of race?
Why did the neighbours Gates and woman not know each other if they are neighbours?
Did the officer unwittingly use a certain tone and attitude in addressing Gates which he uses only when dealing with people of African Ancestry? My experience of white Americans in general is that they are often unconscious of the racist assumptions and attitudes that influence their behaviour towards people of African ancestry.
I hope the next time someone breaks in to that house, it is for real, and the neighbors do not call the police.
Amen!
I agree with you. And thank you for pointing out all the other innocent black men who were gunned down 41 and 50 times.
Perhaps it would be best to not conflate the whole of American Black / White history with the single act about which Obama commented.
Commented without full knowledge of the situation.
Commented on the situation negatively against one party and for the other without full knowledge.
Pre-judging the situation based upon his personal bias.
I'd say we saw an authentic Obama moment.
because regardless of everything GATES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ARRESSTED. it is is NOT ILLEGAL OR A CRIME TO BE RUDE TO A COP. and this incident is SO related to history otherwise gates wouldn't have thought he was being profiled. because obama entered this incident cops all over the country are gonna think twice before shooting.....whether it's their mouths or guns. HAIL TO THE CHIEF!!!
Absolutely...elitism and limousine liberalism at its best.
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