My Take on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.
After watching an update on the news (and reported here at CNN.com) about the arrest of Gates and subsequent media fallout, I thought I’d chime in with my thoughts.
While some doubt it is a teachable lesson, I still think it’s possible. It all depends on how it’s handled.
It’s true. Most whites and blacks view the same incident through a different lens. Personally, I think both sides overreacted a bit. But – I sympathize with Gates. He is a respected scholar. He has lived through segregation and has experienced the burn of racism first hand. He has worked on several documentaries tracing the ancestors of several high profile black Americans. He’s accomplished, respected and no stranger to racial profiling. I can’t help but believe it’s the lens he viewed the situation through. And when you consider the fact he’d been locked out of his house – well, it’s not unreasonable to think he might’ve been in a bad mood before being approached by the police. (This is just my surmise.)
So, when he’s questioned by police (a white man) in his own home, the home he has worked & paid for and earn the right to live in, it’s not surprising he would be offended and upset.
But – stop here. I think he should’ve just obliged and provided ID. And I think when the police finally saw his ID, they should have left. No further action. It’s not as though Gates slammed the police officer against the wall or took a swing. He got enraged and offended. It appears to my uninformed eye, the police officer used his force because his own ego was engaged. His authority had been questioned and Gates had given him a hard time about showing proof of identity. Crowley overreacted.
So, at the end of the day, I think the arrest was stupid and unneccesary and despite how much flack President Obama got for saying the police department acted ’stupidly’, I agree with him. They did.
What are your thoughts? Personally, I hope it will show there is still work to be done and wounds to be healed.
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July 30th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
The thing everyone forgets is the officer asked Dr. Gates to step outside, why to remove him from possible danger. The report was two men entering the house, so even if Mr. Gates showed his ID there is nothing saying he was still not in danger if the police left. Once outside, away from the possible intruder who could have been waiting to hurt Dr. Gates after the police left, could the PD get the real story. If the story remained the same the Pd leaves, if Dr. Gates says no a kidnapper is in my house and is planning to kill me after I give him all my money, the police would now be recognized for quick thinking heros (yes I feel they are and no I am not an Law Enforcement person).
The police deal with more situations then the average person realizes. Obey the law due what they ask and they treat you with the same respect you give to them.
A wise man once said don’t judge a man until you walk a mile in their shoes.
As for the arrest when you cause a ruckus and people notice and you start to create a bigger problem than the one the police responded for originally they need a way to defuse the situation. In this case seeing Dr. Gates was not charged, consider comparable to an adult time out. Sounds like a good solution to me.
July 30th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
You make some very good points – particularly about the issue of having him step out of the house.
But – the issue remains, once they determine he is not in danger and is actually the occupant of the home, Gates’ behavior, while reactionary, is not sufficient cause for arrest, in my opinion. The police are not here to put adults in time out. They are here to protect and enforce law.
In my opinion, they both overreacted. I am able to put myself in Gates shoes enough to understand his motivation, even if I think he should have behaved more appropriately. I do not understand why the police officer insisted on arresting him once they determined he was safe and had a legal right to be in his own house.
July 30th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Let me add this – I don’t view Crowley as a racist cop looking to bust a Black man. I just see a man, reacting to another man, who is reacting from a perspective already tainted by years of distrust and harm inflicted on his race.
I think they both overreacted. I think it should serve as a reminder that there still is a deep wound in our country. Perhaps this can be a starting point for opening the conversation and finding ways to authentically heal the racial divides and move forward.
July 31st, 2009 at 6:15 pm
What would have happened, if, when the media reported this scenario, they left out the adjectives that described the race of the people involved…. A Man, stopped by an Officer. Would this discussion even be necessary? The only way race will stop being an issue is for people to stop making it an issue!
July 31st, 2009 at 7:32 pm
What if the media had reported this scenario without adjectives? A man confronted by a police officer. How would this have played out then? Would this discussion even be going on? Let’s lose the adjectives! We are all part of the HUMAN race; that’s all the race that matters!