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Subscribe to The Chatterbox's blogJuly 27, 2009
Racial Profiling in America?
And to think I was sick of hearing about Michael Jackson...
I'm sure by now most of you have heard about the arrest of a black Harvard scholar by a white Cambridge police officer that happened...oh I don't know...last week? For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a little article about the ever-continuing coverage on this story.
I am so sick of hearing about this story that I've started changing the television station if I hear any mention of it. (Although here I am blogging about it...go figure.)
I personally don't think racial profiling played any part whatsoever in this arrest. Do I think it happens in America? Yes. Do I agree with it? No way. But I definitely do not think it was the case with this situation. I do think both men overreacted big time, but I also believe that had it been a white man ranting and raving the way this man was, the same outcome would have occurred. And it surprises me that Henry Louis Gates Jr., this Harvard scholar with fifty-something honorary degrees from various universities, was so quick to jump to the conclusion that he was being questioned merely because he was black, not because a conscientious neighbor called about suspicious activity going on at his house. He should be grateful that he has people watching his house, and are concerned enough about his well-being to call the cops if something doesn't look right. And let's face it, seeing two men trying to open a door without a key is suspicious, whether you are white, black, Asian, or any other race. And instead of looking at it from this angle, Henry Louis Gates Jr. had to turn this into this incredibly over-played ridiculous story that even the president felt the need to weigh in on. (Do not get me started on that.)
My opinion...let it go. I understand that it is embarrassing and annoying (to say the least) to be questioned in your own home about breaking in, but had Gates reacted with the respect that any police man that is just trying to do his job deserves, none of this would have happened. The situation could have been chalked up to a misunderstanding, and it would not be dominating the news the way it is now. But Gates is the one who flew off the handle and took it to this level, and I say shame on him.
However, I'm sure there are some of you out there who don't agree with me, and I'd like to know your opinions. How do you feel about this story? Do you think this was a case of racial profiling, or do you think the police officer was well within his duty to arrest this man for disorderly conduct?
- Tags: Racial Profiling, Arrests, Public Safety
Issues of race aside, I have a hard time thinking of any justification for a police officer to arrest somebody who is in his own home and has broken no laws. That is a terrifying notion to me. Too bad if he doesn't like getting yelled at -- it's his job to deal with these situations appropriately.
I agree with Mitch.
Marti
http://www.familyeducation.com/home/
Um...
I absolutely agree that the media has run this story into the ground. Even I have turned the channel and yelled out loud – please stop. However, there is a piece of me that is very disturbed about what happened.
When I first heard about the arrest I was frustrated. I thought immediately he was arrested because he was black (I am sure that is what most black people assumed). But the more I began to hear about what transpired I realized that it wasn’t racial profiling.
Racial profiling is what happens to the boys that I work with everyday. They are walking down the street, a police officer jumps out of their cruiser, with their firearm drawn, pointed at their head just to ask them, “What is your name?”
Not to defend Gates but there is an underlying animosity between African American communities and police officers (whether they are black or white). As a black woman I sometimes feel threatened when approached by a police officer.
I was picking my son up from school one day (the school is located in the heart of downtown Boston at a very busy intersection). Parents double parked which can back up traffic. I was pulling along side a car and a police officer yelled, “HEY, YOU MOVE”. I felt completely insulted. I parked my car, walked up to him and said, “There is a right way to talk to people”. He could have said, “Can you please move your car”.
I can’t imagine what would have happened if I was a black man in that situation. What frustrates me about this whole situation is that Gates made this about him and it is bigger than him. Young black men are being racially profiled everyday. I had one young man tell me that he is stopped, frisked and searched everyday. I asked him to keep track of how many times in one day he is searched.
I wish you could hear the stories my boys tell about their interactions with the police. It is disturbing! Do I think that Henry Louis Gate’s would have gotten arrested if he was Bill Gates – no, I don’t. I do believe that Gates could have handled himself better (and is even blowing this out of proportion) but until we have walked a mile in the shoes of a black man we will never know what it feel like to humiliate by a police officer in your own home.
Did anyone see this article in the Boston Globe?
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/30/bosto...
To make matters worst...