Did Racism Play In Cambridge Police Arrest Of Gates?

On July 20, 2009, African American Professor Henry Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct. He had to break into his own home, after returning from a trip to find his door “jimmied.” Police were called and patrolmen Carlos Figueroa and Sgt. James Crowley found him inside his home. Crowley asked for ID and from here the issues become disputed.

Crowley and his colleague state that Gates become hostile attacking them verbally as being racist. Gates states that he displayed his ID. The officers says that he “followed” them out of his home, and was then arrested (It should be noted that they could not arrest him in his home). Gates swears that he asked for Crowley’s name or ID and this cause Crowley to become upset.

We all know that President Obama is a friend of Gates and called Crowley’s action stupid.

This was a very potent statement obviously for any sitting President to make. But those who are complaining about this remark are the same folks who had supported every ignorant and yes, stupid, remark and action that George Bush Jr made during his 2 terms. What is more important here is not to get trapped up in what the President stated, but the deeper issue of what causes incidents like this or worst to occur throughout the nation?

Every single day there are African Americans who are arrested or pulled over or detained by European American Police officers who do so because they find them to be suspicious characters. These African Americans develop a sense that they are targets of “Whites” who wish to oppress them. i.e. not allow them to freely go about as others or discourage them from interacting in community. Many feel that its done to find some reason to imprison them.

Police officers for their part, are trained to look for suspicious or criminal behavior, and by necessity this develops certain stereotypes about what makes up potential criminal or criminal behavior or looks.  Furthermore, the police are always employed directly by, and report to the establishment. Most citizens are not directly tied, but some are perceived to be more closely tied than others.

In the US European Americans have made up the bulk of establishment heads as well as workers. African Americans, Latinos et al have been much less so. But as Dr Rashid and I point out very clearly in our book: 20th Century American Struggle, 21st Century Hope, similar systems exist throughout Europe, Asia and African where folks of the same skin color are in conflict with one another. See www.insightbeyondsight.com.

Professor Gates of course comes from a “class” of people who have traditionally been discriminated against and oppressed. Police officer Crowley both belongs to the dominating ruling class, plus the traditional enforcers of the dominating class. It is his job to enforce for the ruling class, and although he is not a racist, he is duty-bound to follow their dictates. Subconsciously, Crowley knows that most African Americans are not part of the dominating class and his reactions are not out of race, but of class. In fact, if we analyze most incidents of this sort, we will find that the vast majority is based on class, not race.

President Obama was correct. Crowley, being an officer of the law, has professional training to know that emotional situations will arise and he has a second tier duty to citizens. And if he runs across a citizen who is emotional as he claims Gates was, he should have ignored him and left without further issues. Gates obviously let his emotions get to him. Anyone who has ever asked Police for their badge or ID # knows that retaliation follows usually, especially if you are a minority. European Americans can ask, without retaliation, in general if they look like they are part of the establishment–i.e. tax payers etc–but those who do not fit the role are subject to same retaliation as minorities face.

Bottom line. Racism did not actually play a role in Professor Henry Gates arrest, but mere classism; which, if you are the recipient of, feels just as nasty as racism, sexism or any other discrimination. Because it is in fact discrimination that is actually more prevalent and detrimental then other forms of discriminations because it is normally guised as something else and is an area that the law has not seen fit to protect.