Race in America: Comments on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.
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.
Follow Martha St Jean on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MarthaStJean
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
I am sick of people saying "We have a black President. Get over it." What kind fo a fairy tale do you live in? So you mean because Barack Obama is our President all racial problems in this country disappeared? Not everyone voted for him. I ask those who want to comment on the story to observe the facts. Acquiring ID should have been the first order of business. If you need to follow him in then inform him, so what if he's yelling? The matter should have been resolved once the cop saw the ID. Yelling as grounds for arrest? I am not convinced.
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...
This is so easy. If Mr. Gates wishes, he can remove himself from the police protection list, and if there is a phone call about potential buglers, it is Mr. Gates problem. After all, the police were just trying to protect his property.
Officer Crowley will agree to educate Professor Gates on racial matters.
Those comments are eye opening... to Sunshine, Southern Quaker, American Prospective, and Dave C- No if you were white you would NOT have been arrested in your own home for being insulted at the accusation. Wake up America!
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)
Just because black people or any other non-white group complains of profiling that doesn't mean it doesn't happen to white people. It just sucks that it has to happen in the first place. NOONE should endure that. Women especially-we have enough crap to deal with.
Can a Black Man have sanctuary from police brutality in his own home in the 22nd Century? This "so-called" Millenium? I hope he sues the HELL out of them!!!
You mean blacks have to wait another 100 years for sanctuary? That sucks.
I've read several news stories on the incident, but of course a number of details aren't present for us (the readers) to consider. Such as what type of car did the service bringing Dr. Gates have? Was it the usual town car, or a marked van such as airport shuttle services use?
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.
"I believe Gates did what anyone would do. He yelled at the officer and called him a few names.."
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.
Yes- I'm amazed at how she assumes he "did what anyone would do." Maybe this is the real racial schism - do many black Americans think it is civil behavior to yell at a policeman that is investigating a possible break-in? If I yelled at a policeman when he came to the door, it would only be because I was in a bad mood or had a bad day. In fact I and any of my neighbors that I can think of (even the friendly black woman in the building) would be cordial and explain the situation to the police.
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.
Except the facts state that he was arrested while he was in the house and he showed 2 forms of ID. you wouldn't be smiling sweetly and making nice with an officer if that happened to you either. How many forms of id does a man need to show?
How did the cop get in the house? Was he asked to come in or did he just go in? If he just walked in then Gates should have been mad. Did the cop enter into what he thought was a crime scene with a person who fit the description of the call right there in front of him, did he draw his gun? Or did he ask permission to come in from the person inside and if he did was he still thinking of him as a suspect?
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?
He just walked in. That's a standard show of disregard along with posturing to show one's authority. It's also illegal without a warrant or invite. When the ID proved who Prof. Gates was, the officer had to be thoroughly embarrassed so verbal provocation was escalated to get the payback arrest he wanted.
What did you expect. He was a potential bugler, and you want to cop to remain at the front door, while he potentially goes and gets a gun - really
I'm white so I cannot say that I know what it is like to be black. However, let me say that as a white man, if the police stop me for ANY thing, it is important for me not to get a bad attitude and it is important for me to fully cooperate with them. I will try to imagine what it must feel like to be black and be able to blame all my problems on being black if you will try to imagine what it must be like to be white and NOT be able to blame ANY of your problems on being white. Here's a primer; as a white man if I'm trying to force my way into my own home and somene calls the police, I must keep cool and cooperate. If I start to get a bad attitude or become indignant about them responding to a legitimate call, I can fully expect (and I'm being truthful and sincere here), that I would I be hauled off to jail with no one to blame but myself, my big mouth and the massive chip on my shoulder.
who knew there was a law for stating your case when the cops harass you?
You patronize blacks and then you mock them. As a white man, the officer would've left after you provided ID like the professor did. Get it? Your attempts to rationalize the cop's actions fail because of the underlying disqualifier you've already stated: you don't know what it is like to be black.
The post is a bit patronizing, but i'd like to point out your post makes a prejudiced assumption that as a white man the officer would have left. We don't know because Gates wasn't white. This same prejudice may have even inflamed the situation initially when Gates first encountered the police officer IMO.
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'm white too. Ans so you're saying that I should subscribe silently to the fallacy that it is illegal to talk back to a cop? And to allow cops to misinterpret the law so it siuts their fragile egos? What happened to training which teaches them to manage unruly and angry behavior by defusing it?
And so, you're saying that this is not a racial thing, that anyone can be arrested unless they are properly deferential to the temperaments of police officers? that's not right.
Martha St Jean- Is it protocol in the black community to yell at an officer and call him a few names because he showed up at your house investigating a possible break-in? I'm just wondering because you said:
"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."
Bottom line: Prof Gates was at his own house, repeat, it was his own house, and I truly believe that if a similar incident had happened with a white man the police would have immediately said, oops, sorry, my bad and that would have been the end of it...once white guy had proved that it was his house....r
I'm convinced that attitude is in the mind of the beholder. I've been perfectly silent and been told I had an "attitude". I find this discussion very interesting in light of President Obama's NAACP speech and Bill Cosby's recent speech and book. I have seen much of this "responsibility" argument being used to argue against seeing any racial profiling, bias or misconduct in this situation. I understand that Dr. Gates is planing to start a project talking about the disparities in the criminal justice system. I know it will be good and I can't wait to see it.
I was told the same thing by a civilian security guard on a military base who wanted to bait me into an argument. I hadn't said a word.
CONTINUED (LAST TIME):
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
You actually believe the cop's report? That's your other problem: assumption of police righteousness. NEWSFLASH: Cops lie. Accusations of "playing the race card" started as conservatives juvenile dismissal of blacks complaining about their sneaky race-baiting. You're just continuing the tradition. And you're right. This is a true learning experience for you and other clueless non-blacks in denial about what goes on in this country.
Call me a cynic, but I tend to think most people lie. In this case, possibly both sides. It seems highly probable that Mr. Gates did lose his temper and that the cop did overreact. I would be inclined to think both have attempted to improve the perception of their role in the encounter.
CONTINUED.
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.
Are you serious? If the woman, who wasn't even a neighbor, saw the backs of two white men trying to force their way into a house, she would've struck up a lively conversation about what caused the door to get stuck. You think you're sounding reasonable, but you don't grasp the insidiousness of being negatively stereotyped. Mainly because it obviously hasn't happened to you on the basis of your race.
I really doubt some woman is going to be going up to two men who are trying to force their way into a house and strike a "lively conversation".
Exactly - you are exactly right.
I've read various accounts of this incident, both Gate's, the police's, and in various media. I've also read numerous blogs & comments, and it's quite apparent that most people have reacted by jumping to whatever their personal default position is,, whenever events as this come to light. Unfortunately, this is done in a rush to judgement, without any research, or much effort in being even somewhat objective.
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.
It's nice to read something eminently sensible.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
