I'd be interested in your comments on the Gates arrest in the Socialist Republic of Cambridge. Here's the police report (see link below), which Gates says is the figment of the officer's imagination, though he does say he asked for the officer's name and badge number. Personally, I have some sympathy for the police in investigating a possible break-in, and I think it was appropriate for the neighbor to call the police (which Gates also seems to be OK with). The police never know if someone is armed etc., whether black or white. i think the key here is when Gates showed them identification that he lived there. if right away, they should have just let the whole thing go. But if he refused to do so immediately, then started yelling at them for being racist, I don't have too much sympathy for him, though 4 hours in jail seems a bit much. He strikes me as a little arrogant (not that people from Harvard are ever arrogant) and I think I've heard that before.
What do you guys think?
Dad
Story from Boston.com
7 comments:
The question I think is when (or if) this became a racial profiling case. Naturally, if I see someone jimmying a lock, whether he or she is black or white, I'm going to call the cops. Maybe Gates said or did something that warranted being arrested, maybe not - it looks like it will just descend into a war of words.
I don't know whether it happened in this case specifically, but the fact is that African Americans are more likely to get pulled over by the cops, more likely to be arrested, and more likely to end up in prison than us white folks.
Actually I disagree with Dad, I don't think 4 hours is a very long time to spend in jail. There are others suffering much longer sentences. We'll see whether Gates will use this to improve his own career or improve conditions for those really suffering from the effects of discrimination.
Yeah, it's hard to know exactly what happened (his version is told here), but I agree that once he showed them ID that he lived there, there shouldn't have been any problem. Even if he'd shouted at them for being racist first, once he proved that he lived there, they should have just left in peace. On the other hand, if he absolutely refused to give any information to the cops (as the police report seems to claim) then of course you have to arrest him.
Interesting story though indeed!
I'm surprised Diana, the only member of our family that's been handcuffed (that's another story which we won't get into), doesn't think being handcuffed and stuck in jail for 4 hours is a big deal. Actually, I think being in jail for just about any length of time would be a scary thing, especially depending on who else is in there -- mother rapers, father stabbers, father rapers, mother stabbers, . . . .
Diana, you've been handcuffed!? Spill the beans already! The things I would never have known if we didn't have a family blog...
Austin, that's one of those little family stories we like to keep quiet, so don't press Diana on the details. Let's just say, we've moved on. Of course, the entire time, Diana was shouting, "Is that how you treat a white woman in America?"
I agree with Diana -- the real test of this case is if Gates will use it to help end racial profiling/discrimination or to profit his own career. Four hours isn't too long in an American jail -- look at Mandela with years of prison life in a country where prisons are really scary places.
Benjamin shared this on Google Reader, and I thought it had some really interesting thoughts: http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/the-gates-case-and-racial-profiling/?hp
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