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News & ArtsMonday, July 20, 2009
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Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 12:46 PM
Prominent African-American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested by Boston cops on Thursday because he had locked himself out of his home and was trying to force his way in. A woman called the police to alert them that a (probably well-dressed African-American) man was trying to pry open the door to a home (in broad daylight).
They say that they ordered the man to identify himself and that Gates refused. According to a police report, Gates then called the officer a racist and said, "This is what happens to black men in America."
Whatever really happened, you can be sure that this particular story isn't going to just go away at the end of the news cycle. And whether you think Gates fell victim to his own ego or not—I can see someone reading this brief story and concluding that it's a case of do-you-know-who-I-am-ism gone horribly wrong—I do have to say that Boston is the most racist city I've ever lived in.
2
Hard to say... Why did he refuse to identify himself? I've had to break into my own home on occasion but would not have hesitated to fully co-operate with the cops if someone called them, and explain that I was trying to enter my own home, and volunteer my ID so that they could see that the address matches. (I'm assuming that Gates has lived at this house for a while.)
Right now, there's nothing in the story to indicate that anything racist occurred. No allegations of verbal abuse or manhandling by the cops, or anything other than that it happened in a city renowned for it's poor race relations.
Right now, there's nothing in the story to indicate that anything racist occurred. No allegations of verbal abuse or manhandling by the cops, or anything other than that it happened in a city renowned for it's poor race relations.
3
You've obviously never lived in St. Louis. Or anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line, for that matter.
4
I am generally not sympathetic to cops, especially Boston cops (yep it's old-school racist). But hell, this guy was breaking into a house, and the cops are just checking out a breaking and entering emergency call. That's their job. This artiste author is just a dumbass, trying to play the racist card. Calling Al Sharpton!
5
I think it's probably a little bit of everything. Dude was pissed because he got the cops called on him by a neighbor who didn't know him, and knew that if he was white he would've been left alone. and he's right, he most likely would've been left alone if he was white. so then he's angry, and get's mad at the cops who show up to follow up to the call, even though they have no idea who he is/why he's trying to get in this house. they probably assume that if he lives there he would have keys, and if he did lock himself out, he'd be more cooperative. the situation certainly was racist, and the cops shouldn't have arrested gates, but gates should've just shown him his drivers license with his address on it. that would've prevented it from escalating, even though i can completely understand why he didn't.
6
@2 I agree. I mean if he had been just walking down the street or opening his door with keys I would be a lot more suspicious.
7
So, if another man were trying to break into Gates' house, and the cops showed up to ask him his name, Gates would want the crook to refuse to answer?
I'm confused...
I'm confused...
8
@ 5, we don't know if the person who called the cops was a neighbor or a passerby. If a neighbor, then she's at fault because she ought to know who he was.
9
My dad grew up white and poor in the Boston area, and made across racial divides through pickup basketball (he's been 6'3" since age 15, and still plays in an over-40 league with other former college players). When he moved to Maryland after college, and wandered around in his Larry Bird jersey looking for a game, it took 3 different guys starting fights with him before he realized: everyone assumed he was trying to be a racist asshole with that shirt. He didn't wear it again.
Boston has it's share of embedded racism, in regular society and in the police force (and I say that as a cop's niece), but I think something about the nature of the city itself - the history, the public figues associated with it, something - is partly responsible for that, not just the actual current residents. (Of course, residents absorb that stuff, internalize it...)
The Celtics were the "whitest" basketball team. The names of the city and surrounding towns call up images of white Brits and white colonists and John Adams and Kennedys. Irish pride, even the most inncuous shamrock stickers in bar windows and tacky Celtic-knot tattoos, can feel a little like "pale, freckled people pride" at times; the Italian pride in the area can feel exclusionary, too. Even if every white person in the city was anti-racist in their hearts, something about the history and character of the city will always feel *white* - which means it will always come off a little hostile to the black people who make up 25% of the population, and to the rest of the country. I love my city but this has always seemed so obvious and so upsetting to me.
Boston has it's share of embedded racism, in regular society and in the police force (and I say that as a cop's niece), but I think something about the nature of the city itself - the history, the public figues associated with it, something - is partly responsible for that, not just the actual current residents. (Of course, residents absorb that stuff, internalize it...)
The Celtics were the "whitest" basketball team. The names of the city and surrounding towns call up images of white Brits and white colonists and John Adams and Kennedys. Irish pride, even the most inncuous shamrock stickers in bar windows and tacky Celtic-knot tattoos, can feel a little like "pale, freckled people pride" at times; the Italian pride in the area can feel exclusionary, too. Even if every white person in the city was anti-racist in their hearts, something about the history and character of the city will always feel *white* - which means it will always come off a little hostile to the black people who make up 25% of the population, and to the rest of the country. I love my city but this has always seemed so obvious and so upsetting to me.
10
The Boston Globe (old media!) has a much, much more detailed article than HuffPo's (new media!).
According to "friends of Gates" quoted by the Globe, he did indeed show the cops his drivers license and university ID card before he was arrested.
So it's apparently not so simple.
According to "friends of Gates" quoted by the Globe, he did indeed show the cops his drivers license and university ID card before he was arrested.
So it's apparently not so simple.
11
Paul,
I agree with @2.
Hard to say at this point. Breaking into your house or your car for that matter merely requires you to identify yourself when demanded by police officers. I don't think it's that difficult to do especially for a gentleman of Dr. Gates' caliber.
Also, I've never resided in Boston and only visited it once. But, Massachusetts is one of the most liberal states in the union (one of the 1st states to allow gay marriage) with Boston as its capitol. Merely saying it's "racist" doesn't cut it. Provide evidence.
I agree with @2.
Hard to say at this point. Breaking into your house or your car for that matter merely requires you to identify yourself when demanded by police officers. I don't think it's that difficult to do especially for a gentleman of Dr. Gates' caliber.
Also, I've never resided in Boston and only visited it once. But, Massachusetts is one of the most liberal states in the union (one of the 1st states to allow gay marriage) with Boston as its capitol. Merely saying it's "racist" doesn't cut it. Provide evidence.
12
@5 I would hope not. If the cops see someone prying open a door I would think they would make sure its the owner no matter the race.
@8 I don't know everyone on my street and certainly not well enough that I would say recognize them from behind.
@8 I don't know everyone on my street and certainly not well enough that I would say recognize them from behind.
13
@10 If that is the case then it is a different matter. If he showed ID that indicated it was his house or otherwise verified ownership then arresting him was probably uncalled for.
14
@ 10, thanks for the link; that clarifies things. It's interesting that he was already in his house when the cops arrived and that they arrested him for disorderly conduct.
Giffy, point taken. I would assume that a prominent African American scholar would be well known in his neighborhood but that doesn't mean everyone does.
Giffy, point taken. I would assume that a prominent African American scholar would be well known in his neighborhood but that doesn't mean everyone does.
15
The cops know that they can say anything they want about what happened. They can say that he refused to show ID, that he resisted arrest, or that he assaulted them. Their word is the final word absent a video of the incident. That's just how it is.
16
As a Bostonian, I'm offended that you guys accuse us of racism. This is not racism. He was an idiot to not say who he was, because if he had the officers would have cross-referenced with their housing database and found out it was his house, then HELPED HIM IN.
Boston's not racist. It's pasty, yes, and we don't have a huge black population, but that's because we outlawed slavery in 1773 -- the first colony to make it illegal to own slaves. Thus there was never the influx of africans like in the southern states. 150 years has gone by since slavery, but most people seem to not prefer to move north. That doesn't make us racist.
Boston's not racist. It's pasty, yes, and we don't have a huge black population, but that's because we outlawed slavery in 1773 -- the first colony to make it illegal to own slaves. Thus there was never the influx of africans like in the southern states. 150 years has gone by since slavery, but most people seem to not prefer to move north. That doesn't make us racist.
17
Paul is right. From the busing riots in the 1970s to now, Boston is still a very racist city. Malcolm X used to live in Roxbury. Boston is still very segregated (the subway doesn't even go into much of the traditionally black neighborhoods), and black teenagers are still shooting each other on an almost weekly basis. Boston has one of the worst (and blackest) public school systems in the country with a 65% high school graduation rate -- next to towns like Brookline, with one of the best school systems & a median house price of something like $700,000 and private schools that cost $27,000 /year for elementary school. The difference between rich and poor in Boston is stark (and revolting).
I am white and live in an ethnically mixed and now somewhat gentrifying neighborhood which experienced massive white flight in the 1970s, and white locals who haven't left their blocks in Cambridge in 20 years STILL freak out when I tell them where I live.
The secretary in my office told me she won't ride the bus because, well, you know. (meaning black people are on the bus.) I lived in NYC for years before coming here and Boston feels DECADES behind in so many ways. A bunch of black Harvard students were actually stopped and threatened with arrest by police for playing frisbee or something on Radcliffe yard.
I am white and live in an ethnically mixed and now somewhat gentrifying neighborhood which experienced massive white flight in the 1970s, and white locals who haven't left their blocks in Cambridge in 20 years STILL freak out when I tell them where I live.
The secretary in my office told me she won't ride the bus because, well, you know. (meaning black people are on the bus.) I lived in NYC for years before coming here and Boston feels DECADES behind in so many ways. A bunch of black Harvard students were actually stopped and threatened with arrest by police for playing frisbee or something on Radcliffe yard.
18
Paul is right. From the busing riots in the 1970s to now, Boston is still a very racist city. Malcolm X used to live in Roxbury. Boston is still very segregated (the subway doesn't even go into much of the traditionally black neighborhoods), and black teenagers are still shooting each other on an almost weekly basis. Boston has one of the worst (and blackest) public school systems in the country with a 65% high school graduation rate -- next to towns like Brookline, with one of the best school systems & a median house price of something like $700,000 and private schools that cost $27,000 /year for elementary school. The difference between rich and poor in Boston is stark (and revolting).
I am white and live in an ethnically mixed and now somewhat gentrifying neighborhood which experienced massive white flight in the 1970s, and white locals who haven't left their blocks in Cambridge in 20 years STILL freak out when I tell them where I live.
The secretary in my office told me she won't ride the bus because, well, you know. (meaning black people are on the bus.) I lived in NYC for years before coming here and Boston feels DECADES behind in so many ways. A bunch of black Harvard students were actually stopped and threatened with arrest by police for playing frisbee or something on Radcliffe yard.
I am white and live in an ethnically mixed and now somewhat gentrifying neighborhood which experienced massive white flight in the 1970s, and white locals who haven't left their blocks in Cambridge in 20 years STILL freak out when I tell them where I live.
The secretary in my office told me she won't ride the bus because, well, you know. (meaning black people are on the bus.) I lived in NYC for years before coming here and Boston feels DECADES behind in so many ways. A bunch of black Harvard students were actually stopped and threatened with arrest by police for playing frisbee or something on Radcliffe yard.
19
@10 - thanks for that link. Much more info than the thin HuffPo article. Link to the police report is enlightening. The policeman probably didn't really need to arrest him, but Gates definitely escalated this incident. If a white celebrity forced his way into his own house and then acted indignant and uncooperative when the police showed up, we'd label him an arrogant dick with entitlement issues, and it sounds like Gates deserves the label as well. Do-you-know-who-I-am-ism, indeed.
21
Here is a street view of the block in question. Not exactly the sort of environs where everybody knows everybody on sight.
22
Ummm...Paul...all this happened in the city of CAMBRIDGE, which is a different city than the city of Boston. So if everyone's going to go off on a tirade about evil racist Boston, please don't. Take a look at the city of Cambridge, and the Cambridge public schools, and the Cambridge crime stats, and the Cambridge police force, and so on, and THEN have yourselves a semi-informed self-righteous little rant.
23
So, yeah, it sounds like he was arrested after 1) He had demonstrated that he belonged in that house, as its lessee; 2) He acknowledged that he was one of the two people seen attempting to un-jam the door (which was his door to un-jam) by the neighbor; 3) He got a little upset about the fact that the cop still wanted to "investigate" after the previous two items had been established.
A lot of white folks, I think, get distracted by the "racism" charges, so let's focus on the real core of the issue: If this had happened to you, whoever you are, wouldn't you have been pissed?
To me, it sounds like he got arrested for not having the bullshit-tolerance that the situtation apparently asked for. I hope he gets the cop fired.
A lot of white folks, I think, get distracted by the "racism" charges, so let's focus on the real core of the issue: If this had happened to you, whoever you are, wouldn't you have been pissed?
To me, it sounds like he got arrested for not having the bullshit-tolerance that the situtation apparently asked for. I hope he gets the cop fired.
24
Point of information: the woman who called the cops was not his neighbor, or even a Cambridge resident. She was a resident of nearby (but not adjoining) Malden, Mass., but employed on the same block.
Note also, the visual conditions (lighting, distance, angle, obstructions, etc) sufficient to identify an apparent break-in may be more permissive than the visual conditions sufficient to identify your neighbor.
Ironic (but unconfirmed at this writing), the front door may have been damaged by a recent abortive break-in attempt, presumably while Gates was out of the country.
Note also, the visual conditions (lighting, distance, angle, obstructions, etc) sufficient to identify an apparent break-in may be more permissive than the visual conditions sufficient to identify your neighbor.
Ironic (but unconfirmed at this writing), the front door may have been damaged by a recent abortive break-in attempt, presumably while Gates was out of the country.
25
Thank you for the awesome word "do-you-know-who-I-am-ism." Both sides of the verbal battle seem to have been suffering from this. Professor Gates at first refused to show his ID but the police also apparently refused to show their badges. There is, at some level, a real issue here about power and authority and how it is used in a civilized society.
If we change the language a bit to get a slightly different view (beneath the civilized exteriors), is this a simple case of testosterone poisoning (the dominance posturing of males in the wild) and/or has race played out to give an "unfair advantage" to one side during these dominance displays?
In either case, arresting a man in the home he has proven is his (he did show his ID after at first refusing), just because he has yelled at you seems to be an over-the-top abuse of authority. The police officer (officers?) need(s) some retraining and/or jail time to drive home that such abuse cannot be tolerated in a civil society ("civil" meaning that we we are supposed to have grown strong enough cerebral restraints to be kind and fair to one another).
If we change the language a bit to get a slightly different view (beneath the civilized exteriors), is this a simple case of testosterone poisoning (the dominance posturing of males in the wild) and/or has race played out to give an "unfair advantage" to one side during these dominance displays?
In either case, arresting a man in the home he has proven is his (he did show his ID after at first refusing), just because he has yelled at you seems to be an over-the-top abuse of authority. The police officer (officers?) need(s) some retraining and/or jail time to drive home that such abuse cannot be tolerated in a civil society ("civil" meaning that we we are supposed to have grown strong enough cerebral restraints to be kind and fair to one another).
26
The good news, if there is any to this story, is that it WILL get people talking about what is alive and thriving in ALL cities today--urban, rural, etc. We must, if we are ever going to advance the cause for humanity, talk about our anger whether white, black, brown...we are ALL racist, but confronting ourselves over and over again will go a long way to appropriate expression. signed-
An ongoing trying to overcome my own white-woman "libel" racism.
An ongoing trying to overcome my own white-woman "libel" racism.
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