Ahira's Hangar

Henry Louis (AKA Skip) Gates, well known Harvard professor, was arrested in his own home. Seems over the weekend Mr. Gates was having some problems re-entering his home after some abscence, lost keys or keys not working as they should, and during his attempts to gain reentry, a neighbor made a 911 call reporting 'suspicious behavior' at the Gates's residence. Police came responding to the 911 call, by the time of the police response Gates had gained entry to his home. During the course of polic response Gates and one of the responding officers had some confrontation and the result was Henry Louis Gates was hauled off to jail. Only in America and anyone still want to argue that racism does not exist in U.S. anymore?

Seriosuly. If this can happen to a well respected Harvard professor in his own home, can anyone say with a straight face that America does not have its share of racism?

*shrug* I think the fact that a black cop was present at the arrest, and later (with a multi-racial cast of co-workers) attested to the arresting officers lack of bias, (And the fact that said arrestor was the guy giving the rest a course on racial sensitivity or something) casts at least question over the role of race in this issue.

My opinion is more along the lines of the prof pissed off the cop, who retaliated the only way cops know how.

--A

I haven't followed this story so I don't know all the facts, but if anyone here has experience with race politics, that would surely be you, Av, being in post-Apartheid South Africa. If, in your estimation, the role of race was dubious in this case, I'm inclined to give your opinion a lot of weight.

However, in my opinion, just because the prof "pissed off" the cop doesn't suddenly give the cop license to arrest him. Mind you, given the stories of aggressive police behavior I've read about both here and in the US in recent years, I'm a bit surprised that the professor wasn't tasered on the spot.

I guess the big question to me would be:

If the middle aged black guy who walks with a cane who mouthed off to the cops inside his own home (who happened to be a well known professor at a prestigious university) had been a twentysomething attractive white or Asian woman in a low cut shirt who got mouthy to the cops in her own home would he had been cuffed and arrested?

I honestly doubt it.

And I fail to see what race the officers belonged affects this? I mean, black officers could be just an unconciously biased against black male suspects as officers of any other race can be, given the underlying societal attitudes and the prevalence of racial/sex based profiling by law enforcement officials.

There are way too many annecdotal stories out there about black men being stopped and/or investigated for literally no reason while they minding their own business while driving/walking down the public road for there to not be some sort of fire underneath all of the smoke.

I guess that I can just sympathize with the professor in this case, regardless of the difference in sex and race. He's a middle aged guy who walks with a cane, coming home from a trip. To me that indicates he is probably already out of sorts, as travel can be stressful. Then you get home and cannot get into your house, and you have to get your cabby to break into your own house for you. So a sort of bad day goes to outright bad day. And then the police show up. Bad day goes to rotten day. I really cannot blame him for getting mouthy, especially if the cop came to his house with an officious attitude. I rarely get mouthy to anyone, but probably would under similar circumstances.

But the thing is - and what turns it into a racist incident to me - is that given I am a middle aged white woman who is not in the healthiest shape, I doubt that the police would cuff me and arrest me on my own front porch in the middle of the day, as happened with this professor. Hell, two of my three next door neighbors are retired police officers, and even if the cops did start to arrest me, my neighbors would likely intervene on my behalf (rather than not recognizing me and calling the police in the first place).

Moonwatcher, I agree with the taser comments. I honestly think that police departments need to start treating them like guns - if a police officer uses one on someone, they should face an automatic suspension, and immense piles of paperwork to justify it. Tasers are not harmless - they can kill. And they have.

Two points or so that are still in my mind. IMO, the issue about if Crowley (the Cambridge policeman) is personally prejuidiced or racist can be less of an issue than we might take it to be. Because, there are issues of institutional biases and prejuidices that might exist and not directly under his personal control.

Next, perhaps because of the historic occasion of the first African American POTUS and this incident we can really start to discuss race in this country. Yes, I know and acknowledge that LOTS of RHETORIC and hot air in this country are already wasted in this country about race and race issues, but WE REALLY NEVER HAVE and HONEST and direct conversation about it. Sometimes the closest we get is when a comedian like Chris Rock or Eddie Murphy say a black joke, and then during its followup they'll say 'see the white people they're all looking around to see if it's OK to laugh!'

Exactly, Taras. The arresting officer himself might not be a bigot per se - the system itself is stacked against African American males with its widespread race/sex based profiling.

Oh, I didn't read the link. Just mentioning that the source is one with a very commonly perceived and strong bias.

--A

Bah! I read the articles you linked to, Mr. Avatar dude.

I should add that I certainly don't think Professor Gates is without fault. It wouldn't have hurt him to have been more restrained in his conduct towards the police, instead of being belligerent. Still, I understand his outrage. While I can't see myself hurling verbal abuse at an officer, I wonder how calm I'd remain in Mr. Gates's position.

Haha, I was postng on the fly...

Anyway, I agree with you. Both of them should have displayed more restraint. Pissing off a cop is always a bad move, even when you're completely in the right.

--A