Upon hearing that Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., was arrested, my first thought was that he must have been protesting some injustice. I do not mean to be flip. I thought he must have purposely gotten himself arrested to make a point. I then recalled that Gates is no Al Sharpton.
I was outraged to find out that Cambridge police officers arrested him outside of his own home. According to The Boston Globe, Gates was having trouble unlocking his front door. He provided identification and according to the officer's report told the officer he had "no idea who he was messing with." I believe Gates did what anyone would do, he yelled at the officer, probably called him a few names and maybe told him he was not too smart. Out of wounded pride, I believe the officer decided to arrest the scholar.
As of today, all charges against Gates have been dropped. Would the officer have arrested a white Henry Louis Gates Jr., even if he was "loud and tumultuous"? I think the officer would have walked away and wondered if he had placed his job in jeopardy.
What interested me more than anything else about this story were the comments people were bound to make. Race in America is still a very sensitive topic. The web medium has allowed unfiltered reactions. From the Jena 6 to this current situation, as Americans, we are able to dissect the social constructions of reality that our neighbors have formed. Events, such as this arrest, demonstrate that we have a long way to go. I urge you to go through the comments section on a variety of sites and engage yourself in the discussion. It does not hurt to know what your neighbor is really thinking. Take the time to share your thoughts.
On Boston.com Dave C. wrote,
Enough of throwing down the race card ... we have a Black President now, so that tired old ship has sailed. The guy got indignant like any self-important Harvard professor does, pulled the old "Do you know who I am?" routine, and got arrested as a result.
On theRoot.com American Prospective wrote:
black america like white america has to use common sense and tell the professor very clealry he was in the wrong for shouting at the officer, making a quick judgement of race being used against him and act like an adult professional should act like. Talking calmly and intelligently and willing to cooperate to the questions of the concerned officer doing his job would have avoided this altogather. He should then appollogize for his wrongfull treatment to the officer and thank him for responding to a 911 call that might have been his last. If this professor is not willing to man up to this and black america refuses to tell him he was wrong. Blacks will continue to be at bay, only due to their own arrogance. P.S. my daughter is married to a kind intelligent black man and he aggrees with this concerned point. It's not always about color. Treat others with respect and you will almost always get it back..
On Oliver Willis's website Southern Quaker wrote:
Jay, I agree, from the perspective of a middle class white woman who has never been harassed because of my race, Gates probably over-reacted.
But then, I'm a middle-class white woman who's never been harassed because of my race.
On Feministe.us Danny wrote:
You didn't think the criminal image of the black man could be so easily dispelled did you?
I'd like to know what justification they had to come into the house in the first place. And I also find it odd that they arrested him after he was yelling at them. Since when is yelling at someone, even the cops, grounds for arrest (well I can think of a few but they are off topic so nevermind).
On Aol.com Sunshine4U1203 wrote:
I am WHITE and if I did what Gates did I would have been arrested also. I am tired of the RACE CARD being player EVERY time a black person is arrested/questioned or ANYTHING else that happens with the police. I am not saying that there aren't "BAD" cops but this is getting ridiculous.
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I am not condoning yelling at cops. Gates is lucky because the situation could have ended VERY badly if it was a different police force. It is never wise to antagonize a cop. Not every exchange between a cop and a civillian has been friendly and not all of them have ended in arrest. Why was the ID not enough?
The comments on different websites are along the lines of "Black people need to stop using the race card everytime something happens...." Well as long as racism exists there will always be people complaining about it. Burying your head in the sand won't make it go away. If you're sick of hearing about it, imagine having to actually deal with it? I understand in times like these people will take sides. Ignoring the facts won't validate your opinions though. Just think about it.
I do have something to add tho- white women get profiled too. Never wear short shorts while walking under an overpass in Queens. Youll be threatened with arrest by cops too (I learned the hard way)
Also for those thinking the Dr. had a "chip on his shoulder' remember that he had just returned to Mass. from China, so he'd spent the better part of the last 24 hours in airports and aircraft with little real rest. And are we certain the officers spoke to him with the respect accorded a citizen? People can make it evident in tone and speaking style when they are speaking down to you, and to a tired and stressed individual that can be irksome and lead to less than respectful counter-speech.
Plus I believe it was said that he initially thought he was dealing with Campus Security responding to the phone call about the door issue, which probably led to some confusion about the ID request. Would providing right off have nipped this in the bud? Maybe, but still it should have come to an end once it was established this was his residence. And in light of personal experience dealing with police in the South I also have to wonder if the officer involved escalated the situation in order to prove he was top dog.
Really? Someone sees your front door being forced open and wonders what's going on, and makes a call. The cop shows up and asks for your id and you immediately have to say "why, because I'm a black man in America?". How about this? Good afternoon officer, yes I was forcing the front door because it was broken. I'm the homeowner and come with me and I will show you my ID. The cop looks at the ID and says thank you sir, I just have to check out every call. You don't follow him to the porch yelling that you're being questioned because you're black.
Gates chose to make it a racial incident and he's still doing it. He's a victim in his own mind.
I would like to think it was simply a bad day for Gates. I would hate to think it is standard behavior because he would not be a person I would want to befriend nor respect.
Or was the cop just amusing himself by hassling the guy who seemed to be at home there, just because he could and knowing that even though he was inside the guy's house, he had to power to restrain and detain the guy and haul him away from his own home and just decided to do it because he could?
No man likes to be accused of racism (whether they are or aren't racist), especially police officers. Is it possible the racially charged assumption in the beginning from Gates helped cause the officer to overreact? This in no way justifies arrest, but I ask you is it possible?
"I believe Gates did what anyone would do, he yelled at the officer, probably called him a few names and maybe told him he was not too smart."
That is certainly not how I would have reacted- I may have wondered why the officer was there and had a laugh that someone on the block thought it was a break-in. But I would have explained the situation as best I could, showed my identification, and I might have even thanked the officer for coming over and checking on things. Maybe it is par for the course to yell at police or anyone else on that comes to your house unexpected in your household, but I like to be polite and cordial as possible with people despite the situation.
Being belligerent with people is never the right way to act. No this man should not have been arrested for it but I can't imagine saying "Gates did what anyone would have done."
Why did Gates feel so outraged by the cop doing his job? Why call him names & shout at him, why the attitude of "how dare you ask me to show you my ID"? "Don't you know who I am"?
I'm disappointed in Prof. Gates' behavior, as had he calmly handed over his ID, the cops would've walked out the door, and this would not have become the "issue" that it is. It truly pains me, as it sets back the drive to educate & enlighten white Americans to the reality of the double-standard system of justice.
When outrage arises from incidents unworthy of such response, rather than open eyes & minds, it merely reinforces the negative stereotype of "playing the race card", or "crying wolf". In a land where there are so many blatant examples of racial profiling, beyond even a shred of reasonable doubt, this seems like a wasted chance for a true learning experience...
He didn't just have a sticky door-lock, his door had been damaged, very likely a failed break-in attempt while he had been out of the country. After letting themselves in the back door, Gates & his driver then tried to force the door open, leaning their shoulders into the door, and shoving in. Now, Gates had been gone, the car out in front was not his, thus unfamiliar, and a neighbor saw the backs of two men trying to force their way into the house.
Shouldn't any good neighbor call 911, seeing this happen on their street? If I had to break into my house to get in, cops showed up and demanded ID, I would gladly hand it over, and be grateful I had a neighbor concerned enough to have called them. They would've have verified I'm me, lived there, would be on their way, case closed.
I first want to say that I believe the cop over-reacted by arresting him, since while it appears he was belligerent & shouting at him, that did not rise to the level of "disorderly conduct", he wasn't in public, it was the middle of the day, & he was at home... I'm also quite aware, and actively bring attention to the racism evident in who is arrested & sentenced, & who aren't. In fact, I believe until we bring pressure to bear on the government to remedy this gross violation of justice, this country will never truly progress..
However, what I don't get, is how anyone, white or black, could believe there is something somehow wrong, with cops arriving to investigate a potential break-in of your home.