Maybe I'll get a new name, get a new face

The more I learn about the Henry Gates arrest, the more convinced I am that Mr. Gates is almost solely at fault. I say almost because, despite the corroborating testimony that indicates as much, all of the facts of incident have either not been, or never will, be made available for public consumption.

When the story first broke, I didn't know what to think. I could see it going either way. I imagined a scenario in which Sgt. Crowley, for whatever reason -- maybe he didn't take well to the sight of an affluent, seemingly well-educated black man -- treated Professor Gates so poorly that he provoked him to the point where he lost his temper, which would have been warranted. This scenario, however unfortunate in today's climate, seemed plausible. But another scenario, equally as plausible, had Crowley doing his job by the book, but because of his negative feelings regarding the police, whether based on direct or indirect experience, he misconstrued Sgt. Crowley's intentions.

I didn't expect the story to make national news, though it wouldn't have been unheard of, considering Professor's Gate's stature. In my opinion, the story didn't have national legs; it wasn't of the caliber of O.J. or Rodney King. But, because we have cable news stations that air twenty four hours a day and need to fill that space up, and because Gates had connections and wasn't going to let the matter rest, I wasn't terribly shocked when the story blew up on the national front.

When it did, I made a concerted effort to educate myself more about the incident. I discovered that, based on the information available, an informed opinion could be garnered. Yes, at its core, the matter was a he said/he said situation, but there was enough to go on to come to the conclusion-- which, if new contradictory evidence comes to light, will be subject to revision--that Professor Gates had little or no cause to behave the way he did during and subsequent to the incident.

To begin with, we have the testimony of Professor Gates. He admits to being abusive with Sgt Crowley. He admits he was uncooperative. He admits to tagging Sgt. Crowley as a racist. Most importantly, he has not once, as far as I'm aware, contradicted Sgt. Crowley's police report, which he's had ample opportunity to do, given his predilection for the spotlight of late.

In the police report, Gates comes off as arrogant-- "Don't you know who I am?"-- and abusive--"I'll talk to your mama outside". He is described as being uncooperative to the point where he prevents Sgt. Crowley from doing his job efficiently. Despite that, he is treated with the utmost respect. To wit, after repeated warnings to calm down, Gates is handcuffed, hands facing front, a position that put Sgt. Crowley more at risk because of it's freedom of movement, but one that was allowed because Gates claimed discomfort when he was cuffed behind his back. Gates was also allowed to hold onto his cane, an object that could be used as a weapon. And, back at the station, he was booked in the presence of Harvard University administrators and was held in a room with more comforts than a cell. Again, Gates did not contradict any of these details.

The fact that Crowley taught racial sensitivity classes to cadets, that he gave CPR to Reggie Lewis, the African American NBA player when he worked at Brandeis(something a racist might be loathe to do), that among the officers, a Hispanic and an African American were present during the incident, that, to date, his record as a police officer has been exemplary -- all of these things point away from the type of man, this "rogue cop", that Gates has portrayed.

And, in order for him to have the support from the Cambridge Police Department, to still have a job, his record had to be spotless. Shit trickles downward, and no less than the President has been critical of Sgt. Crowley (an irresponsible and unfortunate statement, saying he acted stupidly). So have the Governor of Massachusetts and the Mayor. Ordinarily, Crowley would have been crucified, whether he was guilty of what Gates accused him of. Someone always has to take the fall, it's the way things work. Again, shit trickles downward -- each of the above-named politicians have referred to Gates as being a friend -- if there was a shadow of a doubt concerning Crowley's actions, he would have been tossed to the wolves. A sacrificial lamb.

What I find unsettling about this matter is it's ramifications. It has brought race to the forefront of our nation's consciousness. In a different context, that could be a good thing, something, like the Rodney King incident, or the story of Rosa Parks, to help educate us towards racial equality. But this matter, if anything, could propel us backward in that regard.

We have become so politically correct in this country that we have practically become unable to address the issue of race in a healthy manner. We're okay talking about it as it concerns racial injustice as perpetrated against African Americans, but when the roles are reversed, we clam up. We shouldn't. If our goal is equality, we need to stare racism in the face, no matter where it manifests.

In order for there to be true equality, white America has to get over it's collective guilt without, of course, reverting back to an antiquated viewpoint, and African Americans, as a whole, need to drop the mantle of victim hood. I'm speaking generally, of course, and don't wish to suggest that all African Americans play the role of victims and all whites harbor unhealthy feelings of guilt toward them, or that all white Americans are afraid to speak on the issue of race in a healthy, honest, manner. Perhaps, it's time to get beyond all of that and begin to see each other, while still acknowledging and honoring our pasts, as fellow human beings.

The above two paragraphs were difficult to write. Reading back, I think I simplified matters too much, but how could it be otherwise when you boil down race relations to two paragraphs? Maybe I should have approached it a different way, I don't know. It's never so simple as two paragraphs, hence the national debate, but I tried. Even those I disagree with regarding the incident, including Gates himself, I sympathize with. I have not had the experience that Professor Gates has had in his life. I have not had the black experience. And, even though I side rather heavily with Sgt Crowley in this matter, and find Gates' behavior throughout it to be exploitative and damaging, I can see how things turned out the way they did.

The Wire is one of my favorite shows. To me, it's Shakespeare. I love everything about it. While listening to David Simon's commentary over one of the episodes, I learned that the show had more African Americans in it than almost any other show in history. It had never occurred to me, or to be more precise, never mattered to me, all those years watching the show, that this was the case.

One day, and I believe it's achievable, I'd like to see everything be that way.