How do you like “post-racial America” so far? I, for one, can’t tell the difference. Last week, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested outside his own home in Cambridge, MA, after returning to the States after a trip abroad. He had locked himself out of the house, so he and his driver (who is also black) pushed against the front door in an attempt to enter.
He eventually got in, but police soon arrived because a passerby had called 911. According to Gates, the cops entered his home without permission and demanded identification. He offered his ID and asked the cop to identify himself; according to Gates, the the officer refused. Then, according to the police report, Gates began “exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior.” Naturally they had to arrest him for not quietly submitting.
“These actions on behalf of Gates served no legitimate purpose and caused citizens passing by this location to stop and take notice while appearing surprised and alarmed,” the police report said. For heaven’s sake; we can’t have that on the streets of Cambridge. Gates is a well-connected man and a prominent resident of Cambridge. The charge against him was dropped yesterday, presumably due to pressure from the community. Most victims of police harassment are not so lucky.
As you may have guessed, I am not inclined to believe the police report. But some authoritarian-types will give the police the benefit of the doubt no matter how much evidence points to their corruption or stupidity. I have read a lot of stories and blog posts about the Gates incident, and seen far too many people insist that Gates should have known better than to stand up for himself. Police apologists claim he was out of line and had no business causing a ruckus.
Of course, you’ve got to be careful when dealing with the trigger-happy police, but that doesn’t make it right. A lot of people accuse Gates and his supporters are “playing the race card.” Because black people aren’t in any position to give an “objective” report on racial profiling or racist brutality. White people say it can’t be happening because they don’t see it.
Well of course white people don’t see it! It’s not happening to them. And since it’s not happening to them, to the “objective” individuals in society, it’s either not happening at all or there must be a good reason for it. It reminds me of how men don’t believe women who complain about street harassment. “Strange men tell you to smile? That’s absurd! I don’t do that and I’ve never seen that, so you must be imagining it.”
It’s happening. It happens when there are no witnesses. The powerful abuse their positions and in extreme cases, innocent people die for Existing While Black or having the audacity to believe they have civil rights.
This is spot on. The really idiotic thing is that people who are intent on being oblivious will be oblivious even when they’ve done it themselves. “Oh, well, I guess I told that one girl to smile a while ago, but she looked so sad!” “Well, yeah, I treated that black guy like he was dangerous, but…he might have had a gun!” Because they’re so convinced that they have a perfectly defensible reason, and at the same time that members of marginalized groups are exaggerating, seeking pity, or are just plain wrong by default.
So so infuriating. I don’t believe that police report for a SECOND. I have unfortunately seen many a bullshit police report that gave the cop some justification for pulling over a person (usually man) of color. Sidenote: I’m sure the Gawker commentariat considers itself to be largely liberal (judging by comments during last election) but I can’t ever READ the comments on the Gawker posts about this issue. I can only IMAGINE the comments on right leaning website So much for post-racial America.
This story is a reality check on that lovely little post-election fairy tale about “post-racial America”. The man was in his own home when the cops came in, he proved to them that he lived there and they lost it because he was angry about being questioned *in his own home*. It makes me cringe.
My experience of cops is that women do a much better job than men in confrontational situations. Their…uh…sexuality isn’t on the line. Men always have to play alpha dog and it’s much more important to them to be respected than to find out the facts or treat people respectfully.
I haven’t seen the actual police report, but if I was challenged in my own home by police threatening to arrest me and disbelieving my id, I might get “loud and tumultuous,” too.*
But nothing would happen to me, because I’m white, and therefore nonthreatening.
*Not saying he did… just sayin’.
I am SO not surprised this happened.
And that makes me really, really sad.
Others have said it already, but I’m pretty sure I’d have few loudly raised objections if someone tried to arrest me for entering my own home. One of the things that people seem to find objectional is Gates saying ‘you have no idea who you’re dealing with’. Reminds me of the ‘uppity’ accusations levelled at Obama during your election.
I read in the Guardian yesterday that Gates is now developing a documentary about institutional racism in the police force with his own experience central to his investigations. Sounds interesting.
If this can happen to Skip Gates, black men are completely screwed.
Oh, and it wasn’t his neighbor who called 911. I read a correction of that fact this morning.
Fixed, PhD. Thanks.
Thank you for posting this. I live in Cambridge, and was having drinks with some friends last night and we were talking about this story. And I was so saddened and horrified when my very good friend had bought, hook line and sinker, the argument that Gates was out of line and must have done something to deserve being arrested.
Maybe part of it is that people want to believe police are interested in the welfare of individuals, because it is a really threatening concept to think that the police force is sometimes run by power-happy egomaniacs.
wow martha that is terrifying. of course privileged people think the police are looking out for them — they probably are. just not anyone else.
Yeah, J.D.R., you are probably right on. As a well-dressed white chick, I have noticed that I can walk out of Target or Best Buy or wherever and have the security thing beep because someone forgot to deactivate the theft deterrent and the security guy just waves me on by, but they definitely stop more “threatening-looking” individuals. I am almost tempted to shoplift something just because I am 99% sure I can get away with it and smile while I’m doing it. So, so unfair, and apparently there’s no end in sight to the double standards.
I’m really surprised that so many people are questioning if race was a factor here, or finding Obama’s comments last night inflammatory. Regardless of Gates’ reaction–he wouldn’t be in the position to react if he weren’t black. When I heard his (alleged) response “You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” I heard, “I won’t let you get away with this.” Nor should he. He’s exactly the kind of person–educated, prominent, well-connected–who’s in the position to fight this conduct.
It also seems like the media is reaching for another explanation–class, town v. gown. Not that those factors don’t exist as well, but COME ON. I don’t understand why white people are so defensive all the time. When I first heard the story, it was just absurd, and imagining Gates telling off that cop was awesome, but the pictures of him in handcuffs are really upsetting.
“Well of course white people don’t see it! It’s not happening to them.”
“It happens when there are no witnesses.”
You are exactly right that white people don’t see racism because it doesn’t happen to them, but it’s not because it doesn’t exist when someone is looking. Rather, racism happens all the time in front of witnesses. The witnesses see it, but they refuse to call it for what it is.
When you are not the one being harassed, it is a lot easier to close your eyes and blame something else. People want to believe that they live in a just society. They want to believe that they deserve and have earned their privilege, so they ignore racism even when it’s blatant.
A good point, Alyssa. Even when it’s right in front of them people will try to turn racism into something acceptable, or something deserved (so it wasn’t racism).