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How Henry Louis Gates Blew It
Smiling triumphantly, I opened the front door only to stare straight down the barrel of a police 9mm. I don't think I said a word. Just slowly put my hands in the air. Let the officer cuff me and put me in the cramped backseat of his cruiser.
The scene was Emeryville, California. It was 1993, and I had just entered an unlocked upstairs window to gain entry to the residence where my companion was house sitting. We'd accidentally locked the keys inside. The neighbors didn't know that, though. They just saw an unfamiliar white man trying to get in. Eventually, I was released, upset and humiliated to be treated like a criminal, but I knew better than to get righteous on a police officer. As I'd learned the hard way four years prior, that's a losing game.
Flashback to one Sunday in the summer of 1989, when police had reported to the West Oakland BART station parking lot in response to noise complaints about an afternoon party across the street.
Juke, my old punk-rock band, was playing at a run-down rental house along with Green Day (in its pre-stadium days), and a couple of others. After we'd finished our set, I wandered across the street with a friend. That's when an altercation of other partygoers broke out in the BART lot, not 100 feet from several Oakland police cruisers.
The cops did nothing to stop the fight, but we helped separate the brawling parties, and the cops detained them. Shortly thereafter, with observers crowding around the lot, one officer walked a full circle around my friend, then told him to take a hike or get arrested. At the first word of protest out of his mouth, the officer grabbed and cuffed him.
This struck me as completely unjust, so I spoke up, "Why are you arresting him? He didn't do anything!"
"Shut the fuck up," said a couple other officers.
I wasn't finished. "I have a right to know why you're arresting my friend!" I protested.
They tackled me from behind. Twisted my arm painfully behind my back. Somebody kicked my head into the pavement, leaving a large welt on my forehead. I was cuffed—so tightly it hurt for weeks—and thrown in the backseat of a cruiser piloted by one Officer Jim Burns.
"Name?" Burns finally demanded upon returning to the cruiser. I had no wallet or ID on me.
"Michael Mechanic"
"NAME!" he repeated.
"Michael Mechanic"
"I'll just put John Doe, then," Burns said.
"It's my fucking name!" I responded.
I proceeded, through tears, to taunt Officer Burns, equate him to a Nazi, question his education, his upbringing, and his patriotism. In retrospect, I was lucky he didn't take me to some vacant lot somewhere and beat me to a pulp. Because he could have.
Long story short, I was transferred to a stinking paddy wagon and driven around the city for hours, with no bathroom breaks, until the van was packed with crackheads. I then spent the night in the city jail and was charged with interfering with the police—a felony—and, just for the hell of it, resisting arrest and public intoxication, which was entirely fabricated. Because they can. In the end, it cost $1,500 to hire a lawyer to convince the DA none of it was worth pursuing.
I was shell-shocked by the whole experience. It took me a long time to get over it, but it taught me an important lesson, one that many a poor black kid in Oakland learns from an early age: You don't talk back to the police. You don't question them. And you certainly don't call them a racist, even if you think they are profiling you. (And they most likely are.)
Because you will lose. It doesn't matter whether you're a black Harvard prof, a white kid on his way to attend graduate school there, or a Hispanic high-school dropout. I understand Gates' indignance and what he must have been feeling at that moment. But Gates has clout in the Cambridge community. He could have brought his complaints straight to the brass or to local politicians—and he no doubt will now. But get righteous on a street cop and you will lose every single goddamn time. Gates should have known as much.
Follow Michael Mechanic on Twitter.
I can't believe this on the Mother Jones site
So, the moral of the story is: submit, and hope that later you get a chance to say something? Gates was in his own house and had every right to respond to the officers. It is ludicrous that we live in a society where anyone who opens their mouth in protest gets arrested. We should be examining why that is so, not just letting it happen and admonishing people who do stand up for their rights.
No, the moral is...
The moral is to be street smart, and take it up with the people in power later. The point is that street cops are bit players, and talking back to them is only going to end up badly for you. There's nothing to be gained; you might as well try and make a political point to a cat.
Michael Mechanic is a senior editor at Mother Jones.
Actually...
Okay, in Gates' case, the fact that he got himself arrested just might bring some attention to this issue. But then, Gates is famous, and he knew that. If this happened to me or you, then not submitting, as you put it, would do nobody any good—except, perhaps, your pride.
Of course, if this happened to me now, I would at least blog the hell out of it.
And yes, you're right. It's totally ludicrous. It's also a sad reality that, like I said, I had to learn the hard way.
“…he got himself arrested”
“…he got himself arrested” - - This speaks volumes
I think Michael Mechanic can’t imagine what it is like to be a black person who may have had this happen to you several times before. I know for a fact that this has happened to Gates before. I’ve had this happen to me in a variety of settings. I think what happened to Michael is pretty horrible. I also think it is quite different to have it happen in your own home, and to know that your are being questioned because of the color of your skin and not anything you did or said. Gates was under suspicion even before he got angry. It might be hard for Michael to imagine that even a very privileged Black man at Harvard might encounter certain levels of racism daily. So when you suggest that he submit and play it smart, you must consider the daily submissions and negotiations the even privileged Black people deal with in predominantly white areas. We (Black people + all Americans) only have the rights that we have now because we have ultimately refused to submit to injustice.
"different to have it happen in your own home"
Yessiree. Every day thousands of naive women make the mistake of calling 911 because someone is attempting to murder them in their own homes. The majority who do so are arrested themselves because cops will call it "domestic violence", often when its actually a home invasion and the woman has never seen her assailant before in her life, let alone "have become dependent on a cycle of abuse" which is what the prosecutor will say whether you even know the guy or not. This happened to me and I discovered it is not even slightly unusual. And btw, I don't drink, do drugs or yell at cops and I am not a hooker or someone who brings men I don't know home with me. Are cops racist? Sure. Are they misogynist? Absolutely! Why? It's part of their training as well as their culture.
got himself arrested?
The officer's report said that he'd been shown identification and knew that Gates lived in the house, but remained and continued to engage with Gates, who was admittedly angry. If the officer had just left at that point, no biggie. Instead, he decided his own pride was more important than this citizen's.
RE: Actually...
I appreciate the sentiment of this post and agree with its basic premise that to talk back to the police is to risk arrest and trumped up charges. However, I take issue with the following statement: "I understand Gates' indignance and what he must have been feeling at that moment." The author identifies himself as a white man and as a white woman who has also escalated confrontation with police into a ridiculous arrest scenario I can say that there is no way I can know what Gates was feeling. Mr. Mechanic, I think you blow it with this post. Black men in America are arrested and incarcerated at rates we, as white folks, can NOT understand because it is not our reality. And so, while it may be a truism that to talk back to a cop is to risk almost certain arrest, the symbolism of an elite Harvard Professor and renowned intellect being arrested at his home should not escape public outcry and will hopefully open a dialogue on the realities of mass incarceration of the black population. I find it irresponsible to suggest that this unfortunately typical situation of being black in America is simply an occasion of Gates not being "street smart". To do so is to entirely miss the point illustrated by his arrest.
Understanding
It is the height of arrogance to assume that people can't understand how other people feel in different situations because it is "not their reality". Usually it is just a way to escape the responsibility of trying. Empathy is a good thing; we need more of it. But if we don't have the courage to try then how will the situation improve?
Since Michael Mechanic was arrested breaking into his own home I suspect he has a lot of empathy for that aspect. Perhaps he hasn't been racially profiled but it isn't unlikely that he as been profiled because at some point he had long hair, wore the wrong clothes or was hanging out with the wrong people. If we follow your reasoning then Mechanic understands Gates indignation better than anyone who hasn't been arrested for breaking into their own home. It just isn't "part of their reality" so clearly they don't have anything useful to say about this whole issue. Or perhaps I misunderstood your point.
Does Michael Mechanic understand what it is like to be Professor Gates? I'm sure he doesn't. Does he understand what it is like to be a black man in America? Probably not. But then that wasn't what he was claiming now was it?
The point Mechanic was making, quite clearly in my opinion, was that you will not win a conflict with a cop on the street. Their own safety depends to a certain extent and them never losing and that is a huge incentive. If they are being unfair, unjust or acting illegally then you still cooperate because the real battle will be fought later. Generally, trying to fight it right away just means your pride and ego have overwhelmed your wisdom and intellect.
Empathy
Sam Storm,
Your argument makes sense in a perfect world. Don't resist the police and live to fight another day. Unfortunately the history of this country is that for many black men, even not resisting police authority has still resulted in losing their lives.
If you live in a country in which you feel that you have constantly been asked to swallow your pride, not be allowed to "be a man", and feel constantly belittled and shamed, it is not surprising that you may eventually feel that the last straw has been reached. Add to this the role that social class may have played between a Harvard professor wondering why he has not been afforded the respect his white colleagues would receive and a white police officer wondering why he is not receiving the respect his position demands and you have a testosterone driven, race and class infused drama.
It is possible for someone who has not had these experiences to understand it. Yes, I am not a black man and I think I understand this history, the question is does Michael Mechanic.
Maybe Harvard should offer a
Maybe Harvard should offer a course in how to open your own front door!
The street is not an arena
The street is not an arena to argue or question what cops do, even if they are wrong. An arrest by a cop is not automatically a conviction. You get your chance to stand up for what you believe is right, and that chance is in court. You aren't going to get anywhere arguing on the street with a cop. If the cop did something wrong, he will be fired, reprimanded, or suspended. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. You aren't going to change anything on the side of a street and in fact you would benefit from keeping your mouth shut and not sharing your side of the story with anyone but your legal counsel.
The Ofiicer acted correctly
The officer answered a call made by the professors neighbors who were trying to protect his home from being robbed. The officer was also there to try to protect the professors property from being robbed. Not knowing who the professor was he asked to see the professors drivers license, as is obviously the easist way to end this misunderstanding made by the neighbors (who were trying to be good neighbors and protect the professors property). All the professor had to do, as any logical and rational person would do is hand over the identification and THANK the officer who puts his life on the line everyday for $18 an hour. Instead, he refused to identify himself and turned this into a racial matter, which it was not. Whoever you are, no matter how famous, that does not mean every officer out there knows who you are, and certainly not where you live. No one is above having to show their drivers license to a cop, to identify themselves. By refusing to comply he left the officer no choice but to arrest him. Was the officer supposed to just take his word for it that he lived there?
Gates did show ID and was
Gates did show ID and was still arrested for only asking the officer his name and badge number, over and over when the officer who works for him did not comply.
Nonsense, the guy was
Nonsense, the guy was screaming at the officer proclaiming him to be a racist and yelling about this only happening because he was black. He didn't simply ask for the name and number over and over, stop trying to spread lies.
If you weren't there, STFU
If you weren't there, STFU about "what really happened".
Read the Officer's Report
Yes, according to the officer, Gates showed his ID, establishing his residency there, at which point the officer called Harvard U police, told EEC he was leaving, told Gates he was leaving, and went outside. Gates followed him out on the porch and continued to yell and berate the officer. The officer had answered Gates name and badge number request several times, both inside and outside the home. Name and badge number are both plainly visible, and I don't think it's a huge assumption to guess that Gates can read.
Gates acted unintelligently and immaturely, basically throwing a temper tantrum, but the bottom line is that he got arrested for throwing a temper tantrum on his own porch.
Because cops never lie.
If you believe that police report is 100% true, I have waterfront property in Arizona to sell you.
According to the reports
According to the reports Gates did give his ID to the officer. The disorderly came into effect when Gates asked for the officers name and badge # and he would not give it. Was an arrest necessary?
License and Harvard ID
As widely reported, Gates was already inside, on his way to bed with a chest infection, after nearly two days straight of travel. He had no clue why the police showed up, and he voiced his incredulity. By the time he figured out why the heck there were police pounding at his door and rousting him out, he handed over his Harvard ID and his license--that's two forms of picture ID, either of which should have been enough to link him to the place if the police had bothered to do a proper check, rather than making assumptions. After that, he demanded the officer's name and badge number. Having that information is his ONLY guarantee of filing charges. If you don't get a name or badge number, you'll get stonewalled for months.
The man is not a punk. He's a world-renowned professor. Would you tell Stephen Hawking to get street smarts? Paul Krugman? Madeleine Albright? Lee Hood? How much street smarts should you need, as a famous yet bookish professor, to go to bed in your own house?
The problem of the whole
The problem of the whole thing is timing. They asked for ID, and he at first refused to provide it (as reported by the police, per the NY Times article, and it's true that Harvard professors aren't known for their humbleness). They said what they were there for, investigating a burglary, and he reportedly said, “Why, because I’m a black man in America?" and accused them flat-out of racism. Had he provided ID by then?
If he had, and probably he had, then the police should have left. But even if they were trying to, they probably have a legal obligation under Massachusetts law to answer Gates's question as to what they were doing there. At which point he blew up. And even though the question as to whether he was a burglar was satisfied, "Professor Gates followed him outside, the report said, and yelled at him despite the sergeant’s warning that he was becoming disorderly." When he continued to rage, he got arrested.
Now, it's true that Gates was exhausted and just trying to get home at the end of a long day. It's true that maybe the police weren't at their best, though it's asking a lot of them to put their lives on the line, make them the guilty party in most cross-racial incidents, while, like teachers, paying them so little that many middle-class kids with perhaps more intelligence and thoughtfulness won't work there. But this sure sounds like Gates himself overreacted and accused the police of racism prematurely, especially in a city where if criminals follow the demographics of the city population at large, one out of every four burglars is black.
$18 an hour
Only $18 an hour? Poor little coppie-poos. A daycare worker makes about $6. Ever stop to think that if daycare workers made $18 an hour, we wouldn't need so many over-priced donut gobblers?
Gates' "neighbors"
If Gates' "neighbors" were only trying to protect Gates' property how come tghey had no clue it was Gates' house? The bottom line here is that in America property has rights and people don't
Yes, those neighbors
Long ago, when I was moving out of a suburban house in the middle of a weekday, one of my neighbors whom I barely knew freaked out and decided there was probably a burglary going on -- the events matched a spate of crimes that had been reported in the paper.
What was her first action? She called my house and asked me what was going on. But I'm white.
Something I find just as shocking as the hysterical response of the Cambridge police is the behavior of those neighbors. If they could see well enough to see that a black man was breaking into a fancy house, presumably they could see that the man looked a lot like their middle-aged neighbor. (Unless, of course, black people all look alike to them.) Was there a reason they didn't call and ask him?
Yes, those neighbors again,
Maybe they didn't know his name or phone number. Maybe they've just been taught to call 911 when there's suspicious activity. Most people know better than to try to play cop on their own.
Gates gave him his drivers
Gates gave him his drivers license AND his university I.D. If this P.O. treats an educated,erudite person of color like this who also happens to be handicapped, needing a cane to walk w/ how does he treat uneducated poor black people ?? You need to get all the details before you start defending someone who obvliously is not qualified to carry half the power of God on his hip. Trust me this is not the first time that this so called P.O. has mistreated someone. And he will continue to mistreat others because he can get away w/ it w/ no serious repercusions.
Was the officer supposed to just take his word?
Alan P.
"Was the officer supposed to just take his word for it that he lived there?" In a word Yes. Under the 4th amendment he needed a warrant or at least probable cause. In totalitarian countries one is required to show ID on demand for any or no reason. Under apartheid rule the same was required of native South Africans.
the 911 report of people
the 911 report of people breaking into the house along with Gate's matching the description from the 911 call constitutes probably cause.
You obviously did not read
You obviously did not read anything about this before you commented. Please don't comment on subject you do not know anything about.
Thanks
I am in agreement with
I am in agreement with "Hairlip!" Henry Louis Gate's neighbors, I believe, were vigilant and trying to protect his property. I'm curious as to why his neighbors do not know him? Is it possible that HGL is an elitist, who immediately defined his situation as racially motivated. No, instead he challenged the officers by essentially saying to the them, in so many words--"Do you know who I am?"--by asking them for their badges, not that he didn't have the right to ask.
Although, I think that police officer's should not take this personal; however, the reality is that to many of them it is comparable to the "chalk screeching on the chalkboard." In this case, HGL lost his "cool!" This is my profile of HGL: He is a Harvard professor elitist, who has no interest in getting to know some of the people who live in his community; his motive, in my opinion, was to turn this into a racially motivated personal attack on him and other black members of our society. It is not to say that egregious incidences against the black community have never occurred. I am fully aware that they have.
I grew up in Boston and worked in Cambridge for many years. I had one incident involving the Cambridge police, and in this particular case, I found the officers to be professional and fair. By the way, I am caucasian, and I am an ardent supporter of President Obama. Also, my handicap daughter has a personal care attendant, who happens to be black and is one of my dearest friends. I say this to dispel any thoughts of my being a racist!
Bev of Boston, MA
You've GOT to be kidding me.
Did you really just use the "One of my best friends is black!" argument?
Hey, Bev, why don't you go ask your "friend" (I wonder if she considers you HER friend, the way you consider her yours) if she agrees with you about the Gates incident. I'm not sure you'll like what you hear.
How Henry Louis Gates "Blew It!"
tagged as:- result
Hey "You've got to be kidding me," Don't even go there! IT'S OLD. Everything I stated in my response is factual. It seems to me that your response was unintelligent, if that's all you can come up with. I grew up in the streets of Boston, if you will, and I get it, and you don't!
So put duct tape over that ignorant mouth of yours!
Bev of Boston, MA
Submit and pass the buck/the officer acted like a COWBOY
Bottom line: the cop did NOT have to arrest the professor. He could have explained the situation as soon as Gates identified himself. But no, he decided he had had enough of Gates protesting and threw the book at him because he COULD. Because he WANTED TO.
Police training is inherently dangerous as it takes a person who is WILLING to risk his/her life for $18 an hour (suspicious in and of itself) and makes them think they are gods of the streets, on or off duty. Power corrupts, period and every year, month, day and hour that they get away with acting like they do, that behavior is reinforced. Read about New Jersey lately? The status quo is a dangerous thing.
I was physically assaulted by two off-duty cops in 2006 after one of them drunkenly insulted my wife and I got in his face. I was not violent, all I wanted was for him to repeat what he said and then apologize for it. I guess I expected way too much from a couple of drunk cop cowboys. They used their police training to put my 6'1" dreadlocked ass on the ground and when I got up, there was another cop, on-duty, who saw the whole thing and had them charged and arrested per my request. I was not charged at all. They, of course, got off with a fine and community service which I expected but I do not regret confronting them one bit and I will always stand up to cops (or anyone else for that matter) when they are out of line. If I dont, who will? Not Mike Mechanic; Mr. "opened for Green Day Punk rock lol. (Green Day Punk is an oxymoron these days) I later found out that the aggressor cop that assaulted me was under investigation for KILLING a motorist by tazing him on the side of the I-17 in PHX for unclear reasons. Nuff said?
Michael Mechanic thinks I should save my own ass and let the next poor schmuck in line deal with these powertrippers. I refuse. And I CAN and WILL refuse to identify myself if I have done nothing wrong. Ice-T said it best.....
It is precisely because we let it come to this...
...that the cops can maraud the streets like a bunch of Jackbooted Brownshirts. There is something lacking in our own character that we allow ourselves to be governed this way.
Geez
Nice to see some washed-up punk rocker lecture a Harvard professor on how to deal with the cops. I thought Mother Jones got over the "tough love" stuff with regard to black people back in '97.
Harvard Professors
Harvard professors are suddenly experts on how to deal with police? Good to know. Let's put this question to Henry Kissinger then.
We shouldn't accept corrupt police
I'm sorry this happened to you. Something similar happened to someone I know, and it took almost a year for a judge to hear the case and rule in favor of my friend, acknowledging that the police report was full of lies.
Problem is, if we just accept this, we let a horribly corrupt system continue to destroy the lives of people who can't afford good lawyers. You were lucky that you could pay $1,500 for a lawyer. Many people are not so lucky, and face other disadvantages as well. Such as being black.
Gates is a middle-aged professor who walks with a cane. He had already shown the police his IDs, one of them his Harvard ID. Obviously racism played a role here. The police officers were racist, power-tripping thugs.
Not unlike the cops in our town. And yours.
Should our tax dollars be paying the salaries of people who assault citizens, lie in reports, press false charges, and arrest people for being black?
What a pitiful, cynical column. Don't encourage people to give in. We should all be contacting our representatives and demanding legislation to disassemble the Patriot Act and scale down the power of the police. We should not be fighting criminals with criminals, because too many innocent people get caught in the crossfire.
Also, a word of advice to anyone reading this: If you can safely do so, videotape any encounter you ever have with the police, or ask someone else to. Politely inform the officer that you are videotaping. But do be careful. You don't want to provoke the police, because they can and will assault you.
I knew this would be misunderstood
I agree that we shouldn't accept corrupt police. I disagree on how we should go about it.
You write: "We should all be contacting our representatives and demanding legislation to ... scale down the power of the police."
And you encourage people to videotape, warning: "But do be careful. You don't want to provoke the police, because they can and will assault you."
I believe I was making the same points. I never said you can't talk to a police officer reasonably. But when you start provoking them, even when you're in the right, guess who's going to win?
I was indeed lucky I had $1,500. And Gates has celebrity status, so he didn't even need $1,500. But are you suggesting that some poor kid get in the face of the police to effect change? The only change he'll experience is that he'll end up in jail where he wasn't before. I supposed my post was cynical, but that's pretty much how you feel after such experiences.
You're not being
You're not being misunderstood. You're saying that everyone should allow cops to misuse their authority and to misinterpret the law so that people believe it's illegal to talk back to them. By strongarming mouthy civilians cop cynically perpetuate the myth that rudeness is harassment and creates a pubic disturbance even though they are trained to defuse these situations.
Cops want us to think that questioning their authority will get us arrested and people like you who have experienced just this treatment carry their message for them. Instead of encouraging people to question police misbehavior, you take issue with Gates, accusing him of not being street-smart, an odd thing to expect from a Harvard professor.
You've taken a thoroughly solipsistic approach to this story, based on your own far from analogous experience ignoring the fact that this is really an issue of race. Gates' point is that one should not have to feel the need to manage the internal prejudices of cops. They simply need to stop arresting people who are not breaking the law because it is an abridgment of rights and people must speak up about it until it is clear that it is not allowed.
He is being misunderstood
Since your summary of "what he is saying" is obviously not what he is saying I think that is pretty much proof that he is being misunderstood. Your post has to do with the point you want to make not the point he was making.
Questioning authority isn't wrong and he never stated or implied it was. He was just pointing out that you should choose your battles and that when you are dealing with a cop on the street you are guaranteed to lose that battle. If you are fighting a war then it may have strategic value to lose a few battles but that isn't what most conflicts with cops are about; they are about ego and pride more often than justice and rights.
The whole Gates/Crowley conflict appears to be way more about ego and pride than justice and rights.
I don't think he's saying
I don't think he's saying it's okay to let cops be corrupt. He's saying the street isn't the place to call them out on it, and he's right. When a cop has their mind set on something, it's going to happen and you can't do anything about it at that moment. However, an arrest is not a guilty plea, you are innocent until proven guilty. The court room is the place to dispute the cops side of the story, not the street. In the same way that the cop shares their story in the arrest report, you get to share yours in the courtroom, with witnesses. Arguing your case on the street does nothing to benefit you, and in most cases can hurt you because the cop will know what to expect in court. A lawyer once told me "I don't care if you are being accused of something as absurd as assassinating President Lincoln, you keep your mouth shut around police and wait until you have representation." It's great advice for anyone who finds themselves in trouble with the law.
I'm a lawyer and I will
I'm a lawyer and I will second that. Cops do stupid stuff every day but when clients try to argue with cops, even when the clients are correct, the situation always gets worse. People who keep their mouth shut give the cops and prosecutors little to nothing to twist and manipulate, making the defense so much easier. While it seems like cops have power, the real power is in the hands of lawyers and judges. Cops may have power at the time of arrest, but beyond the arrest they have no influence.
Think about this. Next time a cop sees someone possibly breaking into homes near Harvard do you think they will stop? The professor in this story probably had some very valuable items in his home. Wouldn't you be thanking the cop? I would. In my neighborhood there has been a recent increase in home thefts and I wish the cops here were as responsive as the ones around Harvard.
I'm a lawyer and I will
I'm a lawyer and I will second that. Cops do stupid stuff every day but when clients try to argue with cops, even when the clients are correct, the situation always gets worse. People who keep their mouth shut give the cops and prosecutors little to nothing to twist and manipulate, making the defense so much easier. While it seems like cops have power, the real power is in the hands of lawyers and judges. Cops may have power at the time of arrest, but beyond the arrest they have no influence.
Think about this. Next time a cop sees someone possibly breaking into homes near Harvard do you think they will stop? The professor in this story probably had some very valuable items in his home. Wouldn't you be thanking the cop? I would. In my neighborhood there has been a recent increase in home thefts and I wish the cops here were as responsive as the ones around Harvard.
Henry Louis Gates
Of course you are misunderstood. But there is much practicality in the behavior you purport. An indignant reaction to the police, even if justified, will do nothing other than fan the flames of their power madness. And history has shown that our word -- and muscle -- against theirs is a terrible mismatch. pensilver51
Twentieth-Century Strategy
This approach assumes that an arrested person will inevitably get an arraignment and a trial, and probably get out in bail to make use of political influence.
Those were reasonable assumptions in the 20th century, but not in the post-"Patriot"-Act world. Where does the line fall between a 20th-century-style arrest and a 21st-century "rendition"?
Why the cop?
I agree that Gates had shown ID, and he was arrested for yelling on his very own porch. I don't think that is right unless you're yelling at passersby on the sidewalk or something.
But Gates overreacted, and his overreaction could be construed as racially motivated. If a black cop had arrived and asked to see his ID to confirm that he lived there, would Gates have started calling the black cop racist? No, it's a white cop, and Gates immediately starts calling him a racist.
The cop was not a racist for responding to the call. This same cop has taught a course on racial profiling. Ironically he's the same cop who performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a dying Reggie Lewis when he was a campus cop at Brandeis (and he was questioned then over whether he had done enough to save Lewis -- some even said, "There's the guy who killed Reggie.")
Why does the cop have to be a racist? Couldn't he just be angry with someone who was being totally obnoxious? This is not the bio of a racist cop. Is it just because he's white?
I disagree with the arrest, but I don't see where anyone, Gates included, Obama included, can claim the arrest was racially motivated when they don't know the whole story and don't know the arresting officer.
Great point, it would be so
Great point, it would be so interesting to see this scenario re-done with a black cop responding. Very interesting comment, something we should all think about. The argument that Gates is racist holds the same amount of weight as the counter claim. Gates is racist for assuming the white cop was racist.
The last sentence of your
The last sentence of your comment proves that you are just as bigoted as the KKK, just from a different perspective.
enough crazy talk
With the bad economy, the crime rate has gone up. Way up. You want to scale back police power? The very people who keep us safe from the bad people that are out there, and there are alot of them, we dont see them on a daily basis. But these officers see them everyday,and guess what? They look just like us. Perhaps a little understanding of what a shitty job these guys have, and just comply. If you arent doing anything wrong and are not a criminal, you know these guys are just following procedure and doing their job. No need to make their shitty job any harder by calling them racists and names because they asked for your identification. The professor stated to the officers,"You guys dont know who you're messing with". Obviously a statement made by an inflated, uppity ego with an enormous chip on his shoulder and a superior feeling that he was above being questioned just like the rest of us ordinary citizens. Long live Darby Crash.
It's now pretty clear that
It's now pretty clear that the cop indeed did not know who he was messing with. The arrest has made him look like a hypersensitive hot-head who couldn't deal with being questioned. His name is in every newspaper in the country and the Cambridge Police have been damaged in the eyes of most of the ciTy's citizenry.
So, far from being uppity and arrogant, Gates seems prescient and appears simply to have been stating the facts.
You, on the other hand, have landed completely on the wrong side of this story-over there with those who grumble about some people who think they're better than others without the slightest acknowledgment of the ironic fact that it is your law which was violated by the cop.
Uppity? Oh! I see...Thank
Uppity? Oh! I see...Thank you for clarifying your post.