(I chose this older image because this is how I remember him.)
That for three(?) years my office was across the hall from that of Prof Henry Gates Jr does not give me any special insight into the sudden controversy over racial profiling.
Let me cut to the chase – before more general thoughts – about what I think (not what I know) about the situation with Prof Gates being arrested then released with charges dropped.
- This was not racial profiling. Period.
- Prof Gates overreacted in how he treated the sergeant who came to his home.
- The arresting sergeant who came to his home overreacted to Prof Gates.
- Both overreactions are to a large extent understandable – which is the more important issue than what did or did not happen that evening in Cambridge Massachusetts.
Let us start with the first point. The facts are not in dispute and a copy of the police report (with more private information blacked out) has been obtained and posted on the internet. Early reports in the press were based on highly incomplete information and/or solely upon the initial account given by Prof Gates – thereby giving a highly false impression of what happened. Someone sees two “black men” shoving their way into the house. Is that a break-in. Calls the police to investigate. Police arrive. There is someone in the house. Of course they are going to talk to that person and both confirm that person is the owner of the home and try to find out what happened such that someone thought they saw a break-in in progress. (“Ma’am what you thought was a break-in was your neighbor trying to open a stuck door”.) That is their job. It has absolutely nothing to do with “race”. Both Prof Gates and the police report confirm that when he arrived home he had trouble opening his front door which was stuck – and he and his friend(?) used their shoulders to shove it open.
(I have had police on two occasions come to my home because of a reported crime and ask me for identification. “Yes I live here… Well fortunately I have my wallet and driver’s license on me”. I have also “broken into” my own home on many occasions when I locked myself out.)
Therefore for Prof Gates to respond as he did was unwarranted. He should have been realized the officer was just trying to make sure the person he was talking to was the resident/owner and not some burglar. He did not know the police officer. He could not read his thoughts – one trusts – and discern his intent. Not to mention that standing right behind him were two other officers one African-American and one Hispanic. It was wrong and unjust for him to accuse the officer of being “racist”.
(I did not know Prof Gates at Cornell University but I certainly knew of him. And I saw him several times each week passing by stopping at his door and/or coming out of his office. I recall smiling and exchanging polite greetings such as “good morning how are you?” “fine thanks” and so on. He never struck me as an arrogant hothead. But then not many people know what a vile temper I have when one of my buttons gets pushed.)
Now about that disorderly conduct thing. Police officers deal with uncooperative citizens all the time – whether they are suspects/criminals or innocent bystanders/victims. They are trained to deal with verbal abuse. It is unclear (to this outsiders who was not there and I will come back to this) that arrest was necessary.
Now if they both overreacted – their overreactions were understandable. Prof Gates was tired from a long – very long – trip. Exhausted human beings even of such intellectual and academic stature do not think or reason very well. I have been exhausted and responded badly to situations that normally I would just sit there and take it or respond better. It also turns out that racial tensions were running rather high in Cambridge because of crimes/situations involving African-Americans during the past few months. And it is not inappropriate to throw in the history of American society – an African-American of that age not only might have strong negative memories but is a high profile scholar who might be drawing upon collective memory. I would suggest he was not responding to the sergeant and this situation – he was responding to the real ghosts of real white racist cops of the past.
Now what about the police sergeant? This is a man with an exemplary record who teaches fellow officers how to avoid racial profiling. And he of all people is accused of being a “racist white cop” – and in the course of just doing his job. Sometimes when someone accuses me of something and I do/am just the opposite – I can become particularly indignant. Yes this is about wounded pride but that is a reality right or wrong. Given my background I would be exceptionally offended by someone who accused me of racism just because I happen to express an opinion about politics-society-culture that does not fit “liberal orthodoxy”. Think how you would respond if you are the hardest working person in your office and hardly ever take vacation time – and some stranger from company headquarters says you are being let go because you are lazy and are not doing your job. (That is a real example from a friend.) Yes one hopes we would just say “no you are quite incorrect” and calmly explain their misperception. But that is not what always happens.
This is largely speculation because – once again – I was not there and do not know all the facts. Which is why it was dreadfully inappropriate for President Obama to inject himself into that situation. I also dare opine that the “invite you both for a beer at the White House” thing is insensitive (do these two men after what they both have gone through really want to knock back some brewskis for the a shameless photo op? come on now) and lacking in class.
Some of the responses to this situation have been unfortunate. That certain groups and individuals who epitomize “racial identity politics” quickly turned this into a “racial profiling… what a horrible nasty racist nation America still is” incident does not speak well of them. What did they know? And what facts we know indicate strongly that they were just plain dead wrong. And let us be fair – some of the negative attacks on Professor Gates have also been underinformed and unwarranted.
But there have been voices of relative sanity. Kudos to one writer at Big Hollywood who invited people to understand how and why racial tensions had been so high in Cambridge. And – to pick two examples – Jonah Goldberg and Cal Thomas (white conservative columnists) who spoke on behalf of Prof Gates as a person even at the same time they explained why this was not racial profiling.
Yesterday on NPR – yeah yeah I know – Neal Conan interviewed an African-American social commentator who was truly a breath of fresh air. (No pun intended. Cut it out.) In a nutshell he said he had never been called the N-word and has not experienced overt racial discrimination. In other words American society has come a long way and we need to recognize that. And he balanced that with the observation that many African-Americans remember the past when it really was bad – they sometimes interpret present situations in terms of their past experience and they sometimes pass on their memories/experience to the present generation (that otherwise would not think American is so awful and nasty and racist).
There is still racism. And there still is (unjustified) racial profiling. Unfortunately my evidence for this is – among other things – an email sent by one resident in this neighborhood to everyone on the Neighborhood Watch list concerning a recent break-in. And now some might be tempted to look with suspicion on any of the fine African-American young men who just happen to live here with every perfect right to do so.
Oh yeah – not to mention African men. One of my congregants is renting a house on the next street. One of the finest Christian men I know. He is from Kenya. His skin is darker than mine. Will he be stopped or arrested just because he is out for an evening walk?
People overreact. People can be wrong. But their overreactions can be understandable. And their emotions – whether or not based on the facts of the current situation – are still real. One of the most basic principles in Pastoral Care is “the apparent problem is seldom the real problem”.
