Fear, Race, and Pride in the Gates Arrest

Not every situation like this can be diffused. When they can't be, an arrest is the next course appropriate. I should hope that the behavior publicly exhibited by Professor Gates is out of character for him, even if it is because he was frustrated. But his frustration cannot be the deciding factor here, only his self control can be. When confronted with such uncontrolled behavior it would be remiss for a police officer--white, black, man or woman--not to take appropriate action.

"Have you noticed that officer Crowley's police report is generally embraced by the media as gospel truth while Professor Gates' version of the story is rarely mentioned?"
--Please note that eye-witness accounts--including that of a black police officer who was on the scene--corroborated Crowley's story.

"But suddenly, the professor found himself confronted by a white cop who couldn't accept the fact that a black man might own a house in an exclusive Cambridge neighborhood."
--The story gave no indication that this was the case. Crowley needed the information from Gates to have on record--imagine writing in a report that "a man in the house told me his was its owner, so I left it at that." I'd hope any police officer would have asked for ID. Gates reacted with hostility and Crowley reacted.

"His terse police report focuses almost entirely on professor Gates' alleged histrionics (a preemptive strike against an anticipated complaint)"
--Or maybe because his "alleged" histrionics--which were corroborated by other eye-witness accounts--were the reason he was arrested?

"Crowley had been led to believe that two big black men with backpacks were trying to break into a home in a posh Cambridge neighborhood."
--This is, in fact, false. The woman who called the police did not mention their race because she didn't know what it was: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/...

Alan, despite your best attempts to understand both sides' perspectives, it seems you're having a really hard time doing this and have already inserted your own narrative into the story. This narrative focuses on some facts but neglects others. The truth is more complicated.

Alan Bean, apparently you know all about police protocol. You also want to simplify the story to fit the racial profiling trump card. It seems that people like you can't wait for these types of incidents to happen, so that you can keep up your good work for justice. I'd love to see your Friends of Justice actually work for justice for all, and not just for the people you favor. This does nothing to improve race relations in America.

"Have you noticed that officer Crowley's police report is generally embraced by the media as gospel truth while Professor Gates' version of the story is rarely mentioned?"
--Please note that eye-witness accounts--including that of a black police officer who was on the scene--corroborated Crowley's story.

"But suddenly, the professor found himself confronted by a white cop who couldn't accept the fact that a black man might own a house in an exclusive Cambridge neighborhood."
--The story gave no indication that this was the case. Crowley needed the information from Gates to have on record--imagine writing in a report that "a man in the house told me his was its owner, so I left it at that." I'd hope any police officer would have asked for ID. Gates reacted with hostility and Crowley reacted.

"His terse police report focuses almost entirely on professor Gates' alleged histrionics (a preemptive strike against an anticipated complaint)"
--Or maybe because his "alleged" histrionics--which were corroborated by other eye-witness accounts--were the reason he was arrested?

"Crowley had been led to believe that two big black men with backpacks were trying to break into a home in a posh Cambridge neighborhood."
--This is, in fact, false. The woman who called the police did not mention their race because she didn't know what it was: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/...

Alan, despite your best attempts to understand both sides' perspectives, it seems you're having a really hard time doing this and have already inserted your own narrative into the story. This narrative focuses on some facts but neglects others. The truth is more complicated.

If I take the word and judgment of the black Cambridge Police Sargent who was on the scene, Professor Gates was disorderly and should have been arrested, whoever was investigating. Gates was disorderly because a white Police Sargent was investigating him, and he (and, unfortunately, the president for whom I voted) had profiled white police Sargent and predetermined that they could not be arresting a black Harvard Professor except for unwarranted reasons.

I thought James Taranto has has some good commentary on this issue. He wrote last week after saying that Crowley seemed more at fault in the initial confrontation:

In a confrontation between a policeman and a private citizen, the former has far more power, and concomitantly more responsibility. But in a public debate over race, the black Harvard professor is the one with authority. Neither Gates's social status nor his race absolves him from the responsibility of acknowledging and working to overcome his own prejudices.

Alan Bean writes:

But suddenly, the professor found himself confronted by a white cop who couldn't accept the fact that a black man might own a house in an exclusive Cambridge neighborhood. Gates interpreted the encounter in terms of the oppression narrative he knows so well. It wasn't that officer Crowley was asking for identification as a formality; the man clearly didn't believe that Gates was telling the truth.

I'm not sure where he gets his ability to know what was going on in Crowley's head at the time. Did Crowley say that's what he was thinking? But I don't blame Gates for drawing this conclusion and being reticent to comply. It sounds like this has been his experience. But he's clearly biased and prejudiced against white police officers. He assumes the worst. In the future, I would hope that similar incidents of prejudice expressed by non-black Americans are given equal understanding. Past experiences matter.

Absolutely, that's why I said I don't blame Gates for drawing the conclusions that he did and being reticent to comply.

To BelovedFollower: The black Sargent said that had he gone in first there probably would not have been any problem, but if there had been, and Gates continued to behave as he had with the white Sargent, he would have arrested him. Apparently you too have profiled white police Sargants and have predetermined that no white Sargent is going to arrest a black Harvard professor for just cause, and anyone who suggests the possibility, black or white, is either unbalanced in their judgment, or reticent to speak the truth.

Thank you, Jesse3. You echoed my sentiments exactly.

According to Sgt Crowley's report, he arrested Gates for "yelling" on his front porch. Does this constitute disorderly conduct? Not according to what I understand. If you handcuff and arrest someone for an offense, and the person's behavior did not rise to that offense, isn't that false arrest? Even the yelling Gates supposedly did is not heard on the police tapes...

I have been framed by a police officer before and I am a middle class white man. I was not arrested, but it was a helpless feeling. The evidence proved that I was the innocent party, but thanks to cell phones, the other party was able to call a friend to come to give false testimony against me, and was evidently friends with the investigating officer as well. I wanted to yell too and I guess I did, but I left because I thought I would eventually be vindicated because I was right. What a joke. The "witness account" was so full of inaccuracies that it was obvious that he could not have witnessed the incident. I pointed this out to the police, but it did absolutely no good because the witness SAID that he didn't know the other party. I can only imagine what would have happened if I had been black. (I live in Alabama after all.)

Absolutely, that's why I said I don't blame Gates for drawing the conclusions that he did and being reticent to comply.

To BelovedFollower: The black Sargent said that had he gone in first there probably would not have been any problem, but if there had been, and Gates continued to behave as he had with the white Sargent, he would have arrested him. Apparently you too have profiled white police Sargants and have predetermined that no white Sargent is going to arrest a black Harvard professor for just cause, and anyone who suggests the possibility, black or white, is either unbalanced in their judgment, or reticent to speak the truth.

I dont believe I've profiled anyone and think you havent carefully read my entry. I'm allowing for any number of possibilities here. You'll notice I said "even IF he thought Crowley had overreacted" which doesnt mean that I believe he did think that, or even that I think it, for that matter. Its just offered up as a possibility. The point I was trying to make is that when we know and associate with people on a regular basis, we tend not to see their individual actions as totally separate from what we already know and feel about them and so we're less likely to make judgements based on one incident. I also mentioned previously that he might have known such a reaction to be "out of character" for Crowley. I dont think that sounds like profiling!