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Can’t I Just Be Black in My House?
Distinguished...and racially profiled.
Those of you who care about the world have probably heard about the incident in Cambridge, MA involving the Black Harvard Professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., that was approached by police for “breaking in” his own home. If you haven’t heard the story, basically someone saw him trying to open the jammed door to his home (with the assistance of a cab driver that was dropping him off). A neighbor saw that it was 2 Black guys at the front door trying to get in and called the police. By the time they got there, the professor was already inside the house. They knocked and asked him to identify himself and to step outside because a break-in was reported at the residence. He got irate, as would most Black men being asked to step outside of their home at the request of a police officer. Nonetheless, he ended up getting arrested for disorderly conduct. The cops should have known this wasn’t going anywhere good as soon as they found out who this man was
Click here for the full story.
The joke going around is that it’s now a crime to be “In Your House While Black”. Of course this is a play on the common and unfortunate offense of “Driving While Black”. I’ve never been pulled over as a result of racial profiling, but I certainly know the frustration of dealing with police officers that overstep their bounds. We’ve read about enough shootings, beatings, and wrongful arrests and convictions in the last year to last a lifetime. However, this particular event riles me up for a few of reasons.
1. The professor is 58 years old.
I know criminals have no age limit and can commit a variety of heinous offenses without killing anybody (see Bernie Madoff), but did the officers really think this sophisticated and seasoned man with glasses on face would really just break into the front door and then casually be chilling there? Really though?
2. The professor was dressed casual, yet conservative and professional.
Not that forcefully opening a door while wearing a beater or long white tee makes it any worse (even though it does make it worse), but this just goes to show that no matter how a Black man dresses or presents himself that he’s still subject to the same stereotypes and suspicions as a 17-18 year old deliquent. I still see people clutch their purses when I get on the train with my shirt and tie. It pisses me off. B*tch, I’ma follow you home just because. Grr.
3. People are suggesting the professor should have quietly went outside and this incident would have been avoided
I was chatting with a co-worker about this who understands the plight of the Black man, but also has the law enforcement perspective. When I initially wrote this part, I was ranting about how only ignorant folks wouldn’t see the bigger issue of racial profiling and stereotypes. Now that I’ve cooled off, I gotta say that it’s frustrating to see/hear that the professor should have just did what the police said and stayed quiet. I think a lot of people fail to realize that many of us, black, brown, and white, are programmed to respond with resistance when we see a police officer. I know that if the shield knocked on my door and I opened it to see them there asking me to step outside that I’d resist. I also don’t like being accused of things I didn’t do…particularly when I’m only guilty of being a minority.
Now I’m not saying all of this to give the ‘ol “woe is me” speech. I’m saying all of this to show that race, as evident in a few of this week’s posts, is still a hot topic. But what does everyone else think of this incident? Did the police OD? Should the distinguished professor have just did what the police said with no resistance? Has anyone else faced similar circumstances? If so, how did you handle it? A lot of questions. A lot of intelligent readers. Let’s discuss.
Sneaking into his apartment daily,
101 Responses to “Can’t I Just Be Black in My House?”
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I thought ths whole siutation was handled terribly. When Gates identified himself the cops should have backed ff, even if is he a tad testy. He didn’t get in their face or make any confrontational gestures, he was just peeved. Much like 2520s and eveyone else would be when feel they’re being disrespected.
Slim you forgot one point. Gates walks with a cane and has a visbale limp. I’m not saying people with slight disabilities can’t be criminals, however, when someone has one leg that is a bit shorter than the other it is less likely that said person would be bereaking into houses during the day…and staying in the house… and answering the door when the police knocked… and showing I.D.
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Slim, I disagree for so many reasons.
1. The dude is a professor at Harvard in a nice neighborhood in CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS. Why the hell is he acting like he’s standing on the front porch in the projects? This ain’t PG County, 8 Mile, Compton, West Philly or Gary Indiana … its friggin Cambridge, Massachusetts.
2. That being said… sometimes you need to stop playing the victimized black man.
3. The cops were just doing their job. If they are called, they will conduct an investigation. They should not be yelled at, harassed and publicly humiliated.
Think about it: How can they hold authority if we citizens are allowed to poop on their lives in public?
4. All he had to do was comply. Explain that he just got home, there may have been a mix up, but its his home and everything is fine.
5. Check it: If you are pulled over by the police, would you start hollering at them that they are racist and profiling you?
How will you feel when they just wanted to tell you that you have a broken tail light?
6. We have got to stop being so dang sensitive. Gates reacted when nothing happened. For the man to be so educated, that was really stupid.
In full disclosure, this issue makes me hot under the collar because I am the product of 2 police officers. The media may portray them as racist, violent, dishonest and trifling monsters with guns and ultimate authority, but most of them are good people just trying to protect their families, friends and neighbors.
Gates should apologize and thank them for trying to protect his house.
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Satya Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:01 am
1st of all what does “acting like he’s standing on the front porch in the projects?” mean? If someone came on your property and began accusing you of burglery I highly doubt you would have a pleasant attitude.
2nd You’re correct police will do an investigation when they are called. Perfectly reasonable, however,your tone and approach to your investigation make all the world of difference. Upon arrival, certainly the officers could see the door was not forced open, an older well-dressed, well spoken physically disabled man opened the door. It was reasonable to conclude that robery was not in progress. Do you think the officers said “Sir a potential robbery was reported at this address, could you show us your i.d”… Highly doubt it.
But hey what do I know. I’m from a city where police always protect and serve. They’ve molested a man in the precint bathroom in the 90s and last year in a subway station, shot a man 40+ times for reaching for his wallet, shot another man 41 times for allegedy having a gun that has yet to surface, an undercover cop murdered a marine on his own property, and a cop shot another off duty officer b\c he thought he was a suspect. I guess these people should apologize b\c officers were to “protect” the people.
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Still Water Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:23 am
Actually, I have been at home… several times when the police were called. They receive tips and they answer to them. Usually its just a concerned neighbor who saw something that they thought was suspicious.
And like I said, I was raised by cops, so the sight of them does not make me angry. I would react with concern, because I would naturally assume that a burglar is staking out my house and looking for an easy way in.
All of the news articles that I have read admit that the details are sketchy. We truly don’t know what the cops said when Gates open the door. They could have simply said, “We are investigating a possible break-in. Are you ok? Have you heard anything?”
I mean, what do you think they said to him? Why do you doubt that they would treat him with anything less than respect?
I guess I am just trying to look at this reasonably. Even if when they arrived, everything looked peachy king, they know that there has to be a reason why someone would call the police. It would be irresponsible to not try to determine the reason.
And yes, your examples of police brutality are gruesome, but I will say this. There are thousands of police officers in America who answer to hundreds of thousands of tips and calls per day. The horrible stories you tell are the exceptions, not the rule.
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Rox Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
Ok ok, but I live in Cambridge, MA & have witnessed FIRST HAND the ignance that some of these Cambridge cops display. I actually work in close proximity with several lovely Cambridge police officers & have had conversations with them about their suspect colleagues.
Look, there are good cops & there are bad cops. Cheer on the good ones, but this isn’t about them so you shouldn’t get defensive about the OD bad ones. As a Cambridge resident, I was among the 1st to hear about the incident. Gates’ arresting officer seemed more embarrassed & peeved that a black man wasn’t compliant than he was concerned with just doing his job. Gates wasn’t even mirandized. The officer FAILED.
So we should be less sensitive… Let’s imagine that a white man had opened the door. C’mon, we all know it would’ve been different: “Hi sir, are you the owner of this home?” “Well there was a report of a possible break-in to your home & we just want to look around to make sure you & your home are safe.” Subsequently they may have looked at the man’s i.d. There would have been none of this “can you step outside please.” We KNOW what that means… if an officer asks you to step outside your car, a restaurant, your house, you name it – it’s bad news (at least you’ll think it is & that is a natural reaction).
My mother has been stopped for driving while black, my brother has been apprehended & shoved up against a parked car b/c he “looked” like a suspect cops were looking for. The way many of us react is 100% reflective of how we are approached. For all we know, the cop looked at a black man & felt he could execute an upper hand. For all we know, Gates reacted to a disrespectful bigot. For all we know… maybe not, but I doubt it.
Remember the 6yo black girl who was arrested in florida for being disruptive to her kindergarden class? The police arrested her & claimed they were well within their rights to do so given the child’s behavior. What!? A 6yo!?
When it comes to race, cops have proven themselves well versed in justifying their actions… & lucky for them, the racism that has become intrinsic to “the system” substantiates them time & time again – & will continue to do so unless we, like in this situation, make a stink about it.
There is nothing wrong with calling BAD or even good cops on their BAD ish.
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KG (True 2 Life) Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
still water – “i was raised by cops.” lol…that sucks.
honestly, i don’t care if the cops feel they are being publicly humiliated. they shouldn’t take the job if they cant handle it. its not for everyone. we have every right to hold them to the highest level of professionalism. we employ them! its our tax dollars that pay their salaries. we shouldn’t be harassed by those we pay to serve and protect.
there is statistical data that shows minorities disproportionately being profiled / stopped / harassed whatever by law enforcement. that puts minorities, rightfully on edge when dealing with the fuzz. and if cops feel some sort away about that, fuck em.
of course there are some good cops, but there are bad cops, and they all RIDE together. the bad ones will be protected by their colleagues.
in this situation the Crowley (the pig) should have left after Gates produced both forms of ID. the cop had to LURE Gates outside in order to hit him with an arrestable offense. He couldn’t do anything from while Gates was lawfully inside of his own home. So he made up an excuse to bring him outside. and why didn’t the cop provide his badge # or any identifying information when asked. Isn’t that protocol? I have no doubt that situation would have been different if the suspect was white. to honest, the situation probably would have never been called into the police.
i feel like Gates should push this situation to the max. He has the big homie Obama’s attention now. The Cambride PD should be sued / fined whatever. Crowley should apologize as well. He even though he said he wouldn’t. Which is probably because Gates is black and making a big deal out of the situation.
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Slim Jackson Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:31 am
I’m going to wait and see if anyone else shares this perspective…I’m somewhat surprised at the reasons you’ve outlined. I’ll have a more thorough response later.
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ASmith Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
Here’s an article his daughter wrote from his perspective:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-22/my-daddy-the-jailbird/
And when you read that it changes things. For one, he was inside his home when the police showed up. He says he asked a few questions (probably where he may have raised his voice and the police got irritated) but he showed his ID and answered their questions. THAT was the point where the police needed to say “ok, good to know you got in, we’re gonna go…” but instead they coaxed him outside and arrested him.
I know that cops have a hard job and often times are damned if they do/damned if they don’t in the public’s eyes, but I don’t think there’s much wiggle room to argue that Prof. Gates brought this on himself. I think it’s pretty clear he was arrested because he wasn’t as compliant as they wanted him to be (which, btw, isn’t truly a crime…)
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Still Water Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:12 am
Actually… its a misdemeanor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disorderly_conduct
I am not saying that the police couldn’t have just turned around and walked away. But there are many laws that most citizens are not aware of. Officers typically turn a blind eye.
But anyone who has ever been pulled over for speeding or driving while black, and went on to spout off at the police, may have found themselves with a ticket for the graduation tassel hanging from their rearview, a broken taillight, too dark tint on your windows, and the crack in your windowshield.
Sometimes with some people, the hot-headedness does not pay off.
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ASmith Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor, but I don’t think what he did, if the way he tells the story is factual, is actually disorderly conduct. How much disorder can a man with a limp and who needs a cane (who was already inside) cause? What I said was he got arrested for not acting just as the police wanted him to and since he was inside his house, by himself… I’m pretty sure he was within his rights.
If they had a case, they wouldn’t have dropped it — they would have had a point to make.
Overall whether what he did was a misdemeanor or not, the cops at least share in the blame on this and that’s my point.
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Ms. Cherry Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 am
I 100% disagree. I have issues w/ police officers not because of the media but because of the things I’ve seen and experienced first hand. I’ve seen racial profiling, I’ve been a victim of it myself and I’ve seen it happen to friends and family.
I’m sure your parents are great people. My cousin and his wife are both police officers, and my grandmother is a retired police officer who lives in the same ward where she served and on more than one occasion she’s had to call up old friends and complain about the ignorance she’s encountered when dealing with “the law”.
A few years back a friend of mine was held at gun point by police for sitting and talking w/ a friend in his car late at night. Was it 2am on a weeknight… sure. Can I see a someone being suspicious about that, of course. But not when he was in front of his momma’s house in a neighborhood that he’s lived in all his life. Either way, when the police came up to his window, in the middle of suburbia, guns drawn, he was calm, but THEY were hostile.
I appreciate that police are trying to keep the streets safe but that doesn’t mean I should have to fear that one day my mother is gonna wake up to find me shot dead by the cops in our own driveway!!!
There was a time when cops used to walk their beat and get to know the people in the neighborhoods they patrolled so that bullshit like this doesn’t happen.
One night about 2 years back I was out in front of my house when one of my neighbors was out in front of my house talking to a friend who had stopped in the street. Dude was driving past and when he saw her so he stopped. It was around eh… 10pm. There was no traffic so he just stopped in the street and she walked over to chat for a second. It’s nothing unusual in my neighborhood. So a police officer pulls behind dude and tells homegirl to get on the curb. Within seconds 4 more cruisers come and SURROUND dude’s car. My whole street was lit up blue and read. They ask dude to step out the car, he says “what did I do?!?!” and the cop was like “stop in the middle of the street” (w/ a smirk on his face). A few seconds later they have dude spread out against the trunk. There were 5 white cops surrounding this kid (the one punk ass black cop stayed in his cruiser). I could see this situation was a few seconds away from turning into a “misunderstanding” dude looked hella shook and the police officers looked entertained.
I decided to go inside and snap a few photos just in case things went suddenly wrong. Soon as the flash from my camera went off it was like magic!!! The cops went scattering like roaches when the lights come on. They hopped in their cruisers and were GONE! Now I ask, if they were so in the right and just doing their job, then why run?
I’m not saying that all cops are a$$#oles, but there are a lot of officers who, in my opinion, get bored on the job and decide to escalate simple situations and who get off on their ability to make other people feel helpless.
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LilBrownSkin Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 am
2 snaps and a circle. I’m loving the visuals.
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Still Water Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:37 am
Ms. Cherry… I am speechless.
Good looks on snapping the pictures. I would have sent that to whoever your mayor is and copy the local news.
A. Smith, I can certainly rock with their being fault on both sides. I can understand why Gates would feel the way that he did, but me personally, I would not have acted that way. And again, the police could have just walked away, but they were apparently on a power trip as well.
My initial concern was that the Campridge PD were painted as these violent racist thugs with badges who were intimidated by Gates being a highly educated Black Man, to the point that President Obama called them “stupid”. I just think thats OD from the information that has been provided.
A few people have already said that it’s all speculation, but it would have been great if Ms. Cheeks was their with her camera.
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:55 am
Yeah I can’t rock with your reasons here. Good cops are good. Not one disagrees. But I can’t say that this situation would have played out the same way if the man was white. Like it or not, race plays a role in how cops apply the laws you speak of.
And just because race played a factor doesn’t mean we (or I) are calling them racist per se. This is the lovely system we have to deal with. (Peep some comments from Tuesday’s post).
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RightCoastLexSteele, Eff you and Miranda Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:18 am
MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN, F*CK THE POLICE!!
I see the point you are trying to make, but as trained law enforcement professionals, you should be able to tell what’s up…I guess this guy fails the detective’s test every year. I mean, he showed his ID to prove he lived there…I don’t know how much more complicit you can be. What, did he think dude forged his ID for situations such as these?
“5. Check it: If you are pulled over by the police, would you start hollering at them that they are racist and profiling you?”
Uh…HELL YES! It’s never gotten me out of a ticket, but letting that fool know I know the law has certainly kept me from some illegal searches, I’ll tell you that much. I understand they put their lives on the line to “protect and serve”, but these cops do a lot more serving than protecting. Yea, we should grow tougher skin, but these cops need to stop acting like their shield and gats make them invincible.
That being said, I hate cops, but state troopers ROCK!
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Ms. Cherry Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 am
Sheeeeeeeeeit!
Eff State Troopers! They can be dicks too. My sister flipped her car in an “out of nowhere” down pour on 81 and the trooper had the audacity to show up at the hospital and write her a ticket for failure to say right. I don’t think her plan was to have the car flip over in either direction. She was all bruised and beat up, IVs all over the place and he’s gonna flip his book open w/ an attitude at that!?!?! It took two nurses to keep me from getting arrested when I cussed him out and was determined to physically throw him out of the hospital room.
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RightCoastLexSteele, Eff you and Miranda Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
Look, the man still had a job to do. I’d appreciate it if you got off the back of NY’s truly finest.
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I think this is a textbook case of people placing their personal experiences, opinions and biases on an event for which we don’t have all the information. I’ve heard people arguing that Prof Gates should’ve come quietly. I’ve heard people arguing that the cop was a racist bastard. Because we don’t have video or recording of the incident, I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure what exactly happened. Anyone who’s been in academia for more than five minutes has probably seen the wrath of an indignant, self important professor. They’ve worked hard to earn their distinction and they won’t be denied thier respect. Of course, I think pretty much everyone breathing has had a run in with an asshole cop. I’ve dealt with Boston PD. Some are bastards. Some are real stand up individuals. I think this situation had less to do with race and more to do with a power struggle between an officer and an academic. I’m pretty sure both parties could have handled the situation differently to avoid it being front page news. The officer knew from the get go that Gates wasn’t a suspect. He just wanted to be respected for his title. He probably got pissed at being called a racist and decided he was going to show Gates who was boss. Gates knew that he had nothing to hide and that cooperating meekly would put an end to the situation. He wanted to be respected for being in his own home and a chance to highlight what he saw as an injustice, so he decided he was going to show the cop who was boss. Personally, I blame the sensationalist media for blowing it up because people are sick of hearing about the bad economy and michael jackson being dead….
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ildolceamore Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:12 am
“Personally, I blame the sensationalist media for blowing it up because people are sick of hearing about the bad economy and michael jackson being dead….”
Word.
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Slim Jackson Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:33 am
I don’t think we can ever have all the information when it comes to news. There’s always gonna be some type of speculation about the facts. At this point, I think we have as much info as we’re probably gonna get unless he really files a law suit and this goes to court. With that said, I don’t think it’s bad for folks to speculate because that’s what allows us to see/hear perspectives which will usually spark further discussions. So for today let’s just work with what information we do have.
Look at you comin thru with potent comments and ish Ironman.lol.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:08 am
Wait..I am all done for discussions about police brutality? But what is the point of speculation? Its just another way of saying gossiping which is a sissy-like trait and doesn’t involve any intellectual skill or solve any problems.
Satya could say the police said this
and Still Water could say the prof said that.
Than there is the awful comment: “How would you have acted.”
At some point we as a people have got to stop with that one… sorry but white people don’t act like us when it comes to police. So there is always a huge pointless divide when it comes to “how would you have acted.” There is legal and uncivilized. Gates was legal, but from what both sides agree not very civil. Plus homey has a reputation for making a point.
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Slim Jackson Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:15 am
Speculating isn’t the same as gossiping. I’m only respond because you put the word “sissy” in there. There’s still speculation about what’s in the Bible…but I don’t even wanna go there again today.lol. If folks want to talk about the police, then they can talk about the police. The bigger issue…is that this is an issue. It’s about the implications and factors at play regardless of the specifics. This made people feel some type of way regardless.
By the way, I have a video of a culturally insensitive freestyle from this past weekend by a particular individual.lol. Won’t discuss that here though.
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Guns & Butter Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:15 am
eff all that. I don’t believe he did anything wrong. Cops love to call a nigga “disorderly” cause they don’t yes sir, or yes massa him whenever the cop says something.
Policemen aint nobody’s fathers (except their kids) and questions about their requests do not = being disorderly… and “being angry” isn’t cause to be arrested either. Jake just got all nervous cause an old black man wouldn’t take his shit.. so he did what they always do and that’s reach for their gun/pepper spray/cuffs.
I have been pulled over for driving while black many times and i put on my “good negro” act so I don’t have to deal with the bullshit but sooner or later, i’ma have to take Huey and Bobby’s lead, learn the laws, know my rights and stand strong in the face of the law unwavering. Eff them…
- Pistols & Parkay
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
the bible is sissy……
but I’m not against talking about this event. At all. But no need to put words into other people’s mouth or put others into the situation and compare.
And I ate that negro alive. Haitians >>Africans.
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JG* Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:38 am
“White people don’t act like us…..”
What do you mean by that? I’m asking seriously because I wasn’t sure in which direction.
Where I’m from…. (NW FL which is a lot like Lower Alabama.. we call it being from L.A.) white people get belligerent with the cops QUICK. I mean I’ve seen drinks thrown, cursing, spitting, yelling, “Do you know who my father is”, all of that. And the whole time the cop is “Calm down son, you don’t want this to get ugly son, watch your mouth” but no cuffs.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:15 am
JG… ill give you that. That cops treat us and them differently.
But its a difference between acting entitled to officers and looking to cross officers. The 2520′s attitude is You can’t arrest me. The AA attitude is you are looking for a reason to arrest me.
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@Still Water- completely valid points. These instances are not the rule but it appears acceptable in NYC. There are several cops in my family and all have commented on how Nyc’s police comissioner has not done enogh to reprimand and rectify the brutality that ensues.
Anywho, much like Ironman said we don’t have all the facts and we can speculate all we want.
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I think it boils down to entitled respect. The cop probably didn’t like how Gates was trying to challenge his authority, trying to challenge the badge. Gates probably didn’t like being questioned in his own home.
You have the right to demand respect at your job and you have the right to demand respect in your own home.
However, this country has had long history of racism and it’s fair to think that race had something to do with it.
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Tatica Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:23 am
Add to that the academic badge Harvard professors think they carry and ego certainly plays a huge part in this. I understand that Gates was indignant, I would be, and I don’t think he should have ended up in cuffs. But I still think it was more about who is the biggest dog, even more so than race (which I do think was a factor). The demand for an apology and the response from the police reinforces my opinion of it all.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:13 am
“Add to that the academic badge Harvard professors think they carry ”
Is that a subliminal PWI diss? lol, you got a little Raekwon in that comment.
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Tatica Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
lol, no just pointing out the status thing, which I’ve witnessed in a professional capacity.
You know who I’m curious about (read: mad at) though? The neighbor who called the police. Would she have called the cops if a old white man was fumbling at the door?
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Rox Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:45 am
Hells no she wouldn’t have…. but really, it’s a shame ppl don’t even know their own neighbors these days…
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:00 am
Hell naw she wouldn’t have called the po-lice.
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Rox Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:04 am
Haha if I were a black 58yo Harvard badge touting academic HELLS YEAH I would tout it proudly. He’s risen to the top through opposition that none of us will face. He should be proud of his achievements & as a result feels like he should be respected for them as well.
So you’re right, hella egos were at play… but let’em play on b/c our fight for equality in the eyes of the law ain’t over yet.
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Tatica Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
That ‘badge’ is not about pride, it’s about entitlement…
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Rox Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Pride, entitlement… eh, that’s all semantics to me… my argument still stands – the man worked hard for it.
I get sick of white ppl, & some black ppl too, justifying the inaptitude of our ppl by asserting that we don’t work as hard, or wondering why when we have access to the same education system, we don’t do as well… we’ve all heard these ignorant arguments before.
Well Gates worked hella hard to be better, after all, that’s what we black ppl have to do to even get the least of respect from our counterparts. Yep, I’ll say he’s entitled to equal treatment under the law, dayum straight.
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Tatica Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
It’s certainly not the same thing; understanding differences serves us well, and there is nothing wrong with understanding semantics, we would better communicate if people weren’t so willing to throw that out the window. I’d be very insulted to be called entitled, it’s an ugly trait, but I sure as hell am proud of my accomplishments.
And I hardly argue that he’s not entitled to equal treatment under the law, that badge comment was meant to serve as an illustration of where the ego comes from, which you already agreed was part of the issue here. Entitlement to fair treatment yes; entitlement due to your status as an academic does not really have a place here.
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Reecie Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:00 am
I agree with you. both of them felt some type of way, probably. both of them couldve done things differently. from the LE perspective I see where this went wrong on Gates end–from reading the police report, of course the report was from the two officers present, but I do think Gates jumped the gun on “this is how you treat a black man” stuff. And apparently the officer was giving him the information he requested –his name and info but Gates kept yelling and talking over him. But besides all that, I blame all this ish on the damn neighbor. for reals.
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Rox Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:46 am
IF the report is factual… we have no way of knowing that any of that is true, unfortunately
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Reecie Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
yeah you are right.
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I agree with your points, Slim… and the fact that he was a bit unruly is totally understandable. I’d prolly be cuttin fool also if the cops were to disturb me while I was in MY home, lounging on MY couch after a long business trip.
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Ain’t it nice to be living in this “post-racial society”? *side-eye*
Anyhow, Slim, I completely agree with your post. Those who are blaming him for acting unruly are blaming him for his human instinct. It is natural to resist capture for a crime you didn’t commit. The man is entitled to be able to be able to chill in his own home without harrassment.
As far as him “playing the victim”, I’m TIRED of that response to every single instance that pulls the forbidden race card. I wrote about this at my blog before…it’s a delicate subject to me. Yes, there are those that abuse the card, but people are getting too comfortable with the “stop playing the Black victim” card that it’s beginning to trump the race card. Hell, it already has. Especially nowadays with our Black President who was allegedly the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to our racial dirtiness. GTFOH.
It’s the unique circumstances that especially scream racial profiling, and if we can’t raise our eyebrow about this, what can we raise our eyebrow at? It’s not always about being a “victim”, it’s about gaining the respect we are most definitely entitled to.
Also, even though most of the attention is being thrown at the cops, honestly I sat back and thought how maybe most of the racial profiling was done by the neighbor who reported him…
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:03 am
You know, I really need someone to tell me what the hell a “post racial society” is. Like, are there not still black people and white people and asians and latinos? Did race disappear? I’m confuzzled.
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Remi Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Lol. Seriously. I don’t think we will ever be in a “post racial” society, whatever that means. Race is too indoctrinated in our society.
As for Prof. Gates, all I can say is ridiculous. After he showed his ID, it should have stopped there. Anything that happened after that was the police overreacting b/c if he were white I know they might not have even asked him for his ID. I’m sure those officers were not exactly friendly or respectful. I know it’s speculation, but just based on what I know about the police, I know that I am not off base.
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Cheekie Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Yeah, we’ll never see the light of a “post-racial society”. Like one action is gonna make like Pleasantville and everyone is colorless. Black folks have gotten plenty of high positions regardless of the color of their skin…and racism still lives on, don’t it. Just because a man got the highest position, it won’t change it.
Besides, I think people saying that this is a “post racial society” is less about “let’s all hold hands and sing Kumbaya” and more about “I don’t want the heavy burden of racial guilt anymore”.
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I’ve actually had a very similar incident happen to me, and I was ignorant, too. And it was BLACK cops that showed up at my door, but the prejudge-ice door swings both ways. In my situation, I was driving around the (all white) neighborhood with my niece (who was 16 and just got her permit) and someone called in some teens that were “drunk driving” and looked to be “joy riding in someone else’s car.” I own a really nice car by the way (too nice for a black person apparently). Anyway, it wasn’t 3 minutes I’d been in my house before FIVE police officers showed up at my door asking to come inside. I said no. Then they asked if I had been drinking (and actually I had a glass of wine in my hand that I had managed to pour in the 3 minutes at home), and of course I said yes. So they asked me to step outside, and I said NO. Then they threatened to arrest me, and I’m like WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE AT MY DOOR??? And they told me someone had called in a drunk driver, etc. etc. And basically I laughed in their face. So then they asked me to tell my niece to step outside, to which I told them to please get off my porch. How ridiculous. Anyway this all escalated to the point where no one was laughing anymore, and I ended up getting taken to the police station as well. Needless to say, some badges were up for discussion once they found out who I was and what had happened.
Now, I don’t think these cops (or the ones in Cambridge) were necessarily being racist, but they were most certainly racial profiling. I honestly think we can’t compare this to what would have happened to a “white man” in this situation because it wouldn’t be the same. Like we’ve been saying all week, your past experiences and the history of your culture all affect the way you perceive things. The cops brought with them their past experiences with black perpetrators of crime. Dr. Gates probably felt threatened and offended by what the cops were insinuating, given his knowledge of history, and most likely (given his age), his own terrible experiences with racism. And like other people have said, we don’t know what happened or that they even made it clear why they were even there in the first place before asking him to step outside, etc (as they did in my case).
Eh. It’s the world we live in. Sad, but it’s up to us (educated black folk) to gradually change the image of African Americans just by being atypical and breaking (some of) the sterootypes. Or is it??
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Mc Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
I completely agree with you about separating the world racist from racial profiling.
I have had a similar incident pulling into my driveway in my predominantly white neighborhood and honestly, for me, there was nothing more humiliating and hurtful than being yelled at with hands on guns to get out of the car. I was scared and therefore did what the cops told me and therefore did not get arrested. But as the cops left, no apology or anything when they realized I lived there, I was left to feel unsafe and unprotected in my own neighborhood.
Since I am young I feel it is easier for me to brush off the incident. But if I was 58 yr old Henry Louis Gates Jr. who has worked hard his entire life to gain a position of standing in society I would be deeply angered by the incident. To have done nothing wrong in your life and then be reduced to “another black criminal” in a matter of seconds smh.
idk its good to be objective.. it may or may not have been a case of racial profiling, but regardless it reminds me to say yes sir and no sir (or ma’am) to the police because although I see myself as an educated black Woman, they may see a criminal.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:24 am
Your case sounds way more like BS than Gates. Everything you said was legal and the cops had no right to question you about drunk driving when you are already in your house. The only thing up in the air is wheather or not your car (which I hope you will let me borrow the next time I have a date) was the stolen car in question, which was easily cleared up.
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Joey Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
There wasn’t even a stolen car!! Whoever reported it just assumed we were joy riding in a stolen car because we looked “too young” to have a car like that. In other words, too dark…
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ASmith Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:30 am
I HATE euphemisms.
They love to use ‘em… “too young” “urban” all that crap.
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Joey Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:39 am
oh, and cheekz, you ain’t driving my car unless you’re taking ME out on a date… and you gotta pay… and you gotta put out… shiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeettt. LOL.
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racial profiling is whack.
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:07 am
word up.
and like joey said, it is not to be confused with being racist.
However racial profiling is a product of institutional racism. Hit me on the side bar for that intellectual conversation.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
We Coppin Dem Chickens?!!!
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To put it simply, there were three acts of ODiage:
The Neighbors: Uhm why hasn’t anyone said anything about these dumb arse neighbors?! As far as I’m concerned, it’s all their fault. Why do you not know the
onlyblack man on your street? Stop it.I guess it is Cambridge, though…Mistah Henry: Uhm he OD’d, too. Let’s just assume, for a moment, the cop was civil and said “Sorry to bother you, sir, but there was a report of a break-in, and we just need you to identify yourself to make sure all is well.” Had Gates taken a moment to think about the past 10 min and how sketch it could’ve looked when he was tryna get into the house, any logical person could see how that’d raise suspicion. Yea, it sucks that your neighbors are triflin, but why are we assuming the cops should just know who he is? It’s not their fault, they were just doing their job at that point. I’m on the bandwagon that he could’ve just said “Damn that’s def a misunderstanding, I was locked out of my house…” No need for unruliness from the onset.
5-0: Handcuffs, though? After he identified himself, they shoulda just kept it movin. Yea, he may have gotten unruly, but no need to flex your power just to make a point. My dad’s a cop
and black, and his arrogant, machismo arse would’ve prolly done the same thing just to make Gates look bad. I agree with someone’s point that they were tryna just one-up each other in the “proving who’s boss” arena of things. It was just too much testosterone.My main point is, even with as little information and lack of clarity on the details as we have, the neighbors seem the most racist to me.lol
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ASmith Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:29 am
From the moment this story hit I was asking about the neighbors. Never once, not even as he was being arrested, did the neighbor go “oh, wait, I know him; he does live there…”? Fail.
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LilBrownSkin Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:32 am
Seriously!!! Its your damn neighbor for goodness sake. Your neighbor with the limp. Your BLACK neighbor with the LIMP! I’m sure we all have some neighbors that stick out for one reason or another…come on now
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Rox Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:08 am
Hahahahahaaaa. That was my initial reaction too, but ppl don’t know their neighbors anymore, especially the black ones
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Cheekie Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
THANK YOU. I was wondering how far away they were. Right across the street? Next door? Eff their eyesight.
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Still Water Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:56 am
Actually Nyela, that was the very first thing that I thought!
But some news reports say that it was some people in a car driving by that called… So maybe it wasn’t his neighbors.
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Slim Jackson Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 am
@Still Water: Some people driving by? Wow. Good Samaritans like that eh? lol.
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Joey Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:30 am
This was my first thought also. I literally said “How you gonna be nosey enough to be lookin at someone break into a house, but not nosey enough to know that’s the man who lives there??” But I guess they figure all black people look alike and can’t take any chances…
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:09 am
They probably overlook him. Nobody brought him any warm apple pie (pause?) when he moved in…
Or maybe he’s gone a lot, so they didn’t recognize him. He is an academic rock star you know…lol.
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Still Water Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
It’s Official: The person who called the police was NOT a neighbor.
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MaPockets Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
COOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-sign.
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Still Water, I’m sorry that because you are a product of two up-standing police officers, you frequently have to hear the negativity, but unfortunately, it exists. There is NO WAY IN HELL you are going to treat me like a criminal in my own home. If I have already provided you with the necessary identification, attitude or not, yo gon’ GTF off of my damn property. We work too hard. I think for me, this is a matter of…what will ever be enough? Is it not enough for us to go out and get PhD’s and MDs and JDs and combinations of the three? Will we ALWAYS be profiled no matter what we do to uplift our communities? This is just sad. I can definitely say that I would be IRATE if someone tried to tell me I was breaking into my own fly a$$ house (which it will be). So, for anyone to say that he should have been more calm…GTFOH. I used to wear my Cornell para (LOL) and people would have the AUDACITY to ask me, “Where did you get that from?”, or, “Who do you know that went there?” Ummm, I did, THANKS. Needless to say, I would have been peeved as well, but then again…I am the product of a hot-headed father…
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Nyela Goodness Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:43 am
“If I have already provided you with the necessary identification, attitude or not, yo gon’ GTF off of my damn property.”
Word. I feel you on that. The argument is that he didn’t provide identification and just went off… Identifying yourself first, and then going off is a different story.
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I’ll be honest at first I was huffing and puffing “how could they?” and “this is an outrage”….
But then I peeped this post->http://rippdemup.blogspot.com/2009/07/henry-louis-gates-jr-open-and-shut-case.html
and not only was I on the floor laughing and rolling like tumbleweed, I was quickly reminded that no matter what I accomplish and no matter where I go I will always be that black guy/girl who can never be immune to the injustices of racism…I tip my hat to the prophet Dave Chappelle who I admire more and more day by day for stepping out of the limelight
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Joey Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:34 am
Yeah I was saying that a few days ago, “Open and shut case, Johnson… just sprinkle a little crack on him.”
I know that entire stand up word for word; i didn’t even have to open the link LOL. We were crackin up about it in my office all day the other day.
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“That being said… sometimes you need to stop playing the victimized black man”
Well there are two sides to every story and we will probably never find out what transpired at the scene. Just a little background about me. I have a lot of friends that are in the various branches of law enforcement. Professor Gates may have been irate but then again who would not be in a situation like that. Many times no matter what the race of the person dealing with a police officers are they are sometimes irate. There has been many examples where we see for instances Caucasians blatantly disrespect the officer or simple just say whatever is on his or her mind only to have the officer say sorry about the interruption have a good night. However given the same circumstances the minority gets arrested and charged with everything from resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and so on. This does not go without saying that black men are more prone to be irate when they feel like they are unfairly being disrespected. Yes unfortunately some black men out there cry racial profiling and foul unjustifiably. All too often I look at a situation and say “Damm! this person is ruining it for the rest of us by crying foul unnecessarily.
As I said I have a lot of friends who are in law enforcement so they give me pointers on how to deal with officers in the field and yet still many times no matter how eloquent , sophisticated or respect full you are it just doesn’t matter. Police officers have a mentality in which they sometimes demeanor and disrespect the public at large especially minorities. Now there are some people out there that’s going to say No that is not the case. Followed by officers have to treat everyone the same because you never know how a person is going to react. Well many officers themselves currently on the force and retired will tell you that this is not the case. Not only do officers have to adjust their attitude towards the sensitivities of the public at large they also have to take into consideration that because a minority or a black man say’s something with his voice raised doesn’t mean he’s threatening the officer he is just trying to be heard.
As a black man I believe that officers should be well respected for there courage and bravery that they face everyday. But I too have been the victim of racial profiling even though I already knew how to talk to an officer after being pulled over. On one incident I was pulled over dragged out of my car simply because the officers felt the need to be a D****k on that day. I did nothing to provoke the situation, in addition I was courteous and pleasant and complied willfully with everything the officers asked me to do. The officers without cause dragged me out of my car with for no reason. A friend of mines who is an officer just happened to be passing by and saw the drama unfolding and intervened. When my friend came to my aid they were confused and knew that they had stepped into the proverbial pile of Sh**t. There were also many witnesses who was in clear view of the area where this happened. After wrongfully abusing me physically and verbally when my friend intervene they said that I was going to be arrested and receive a citation. The officers put me in car to take me to the precinct Instead of doing that they took me a secluded location and they preceded to taunt me and they release me with a citation. The officers did this because they knew that had they had they taken me to the precinct they would of be worse off. However the situation ended in many complaints to the city and many court dates and reports with the officers with the final result being that the officers involved got a file on there record about the incident and nothing further.
“This and many other incidents happen because you have officers out there that travel 80 miles a day to come to police minority neighborhoods for lest pay not because they want to better serve the people of the community’s they work in but to have a license to do what they want with out recourse of action. “
The above statement is a statement that has been repeated by friends and other law enforcement officers currently on the force. They also talk about the stark prejudice that takes place at work everyday within their branch of law enforcement. Now to think if between fellow officers whom are brothers in arms against crimes, there is so much racism and bigotry amongst the people they work with supposedly trust their lives with, what is to stop them from doing worst to the minority community at large they are here to serve.
In closing I respect the law and the officers out there that put there life on the line to protect us from the criminals who are out there committing violent and stupid crimes. Without this barrier “Police officers” City’s would run ramped with criminals. I respect the fact that officers need to protect themselves and need to treat everyone as a potential danger, as they do because you don’t know when someone is going to snap for whatever reason. A lot of the things that officers do I don’t think I could even do. However officers need to be mind full of the people that they serve and make better judgment calls as to whether or not they should forcefully arrest or harass minorities.
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ASmith Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
There has been many examples where we see for instances Caucasians blatantly disrespect the officer or simple just say whatever is on his or her mind only to have the officer say sorry about the interruption have a good night. However given the same circumstances the minority gets arrested and charged with everything from resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and so on
Exactly. I party with the 2520s (hey, I don’t turn away free stuff… I’m just saying) and when they get drunk they are THE definition of disorderly and I’ve seen the cops interact with them and they are SO disrespectful to the cops but in the end, we all go home in one piece. With black folks… well… let’s just say it never gets to disrespectful because if we’ve been drinking and we see cops we go the other way…
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Joey Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:36 am
Yeah OMG for sure. I have this one friend who seriously she could be going 50 miles over the speed limit and she will start poppin off at the mouth when she gets pulled over and nothing ever happens to her. Yet I (and Mr. Gates) got arrested in my own home for that ish and didn’t even do anything!!
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This story doesnt pass the sniff test to me. Getting a lot of effect and not much cause. Dont expect the stories to match but I’ve never seen anyone get arrested in their own home unless they did or said something stupid to the police.
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All I know is for allt he talk about post racial society and racial profiling, theres a county in PA (sicklerville) where me and my frat would ALWAYS get pulled over and get a “ticket for speeding” when heading upstate. Didnt hhelp that the car was always full of black men and we’d purposely watch the speed gague and laugh when we got pulled over.
Shyt is tuff
At the same token, WE ALL KNOW Prof Gates said that “Ya Mamma” line to the cops. LOL. I would’ve too in his position. Either way, I cosign with Obamas sentiments.
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 am
Yeah word, I’m so glad he said something and let folks know that this mess ain’t new…
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In this case, the racial profiling belongs to the neighbors and not the police.
Gates and the officer had a pissing contest. Gates as a mouthpiece for educated Black Americans and a Harvard professor felt disrespected and stood his ground. Defiantly.
The cops in turn responded to show that uppety Negro who was in fact the boss. As White cops, and Black cops, are known to do.
I have to say though, there’s a way to be intelligent, snide, get your point across and check a cop. They get more pissed when you don’t get ignorant and still put them in their place. I’ve done it during my many DWB incidents. Yelling at a cop is never the best idea. I been there before as well.
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Don’t let me get no Ph.D and write mad books and have cops talking to me all crazy in my own house…It’ll be on like popcorn on my stoop. Earrings off and e’erythang.
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had to say Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
why did I just spit out my Strawberry Banana tropicana!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Joey Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I don’t even gotta do all that girl… I’m fine with my GED and Associates sho ‘nough poppin off at the mouth at 5-0 on my doorstep for no dammm reason!!!!
Sike yall I ain’t got no GED but MAD LOVE for those that do.
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:38 pm
“…sho ‘nough poppin off at the mouth at 5-0 on my doorstep for no dammm reason!!!!”
I heart you.
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What happened to neighbors knowing each other? I would have thought Skip Gates was pretty well known in his neighborhood. It’s getting to be a crime just being black. However, I wasn’t shocked by the incident. Just because we have a black prez doesn’t mean all racism will disappear. But all the stories I read have left me wanting to know more. If he showed his ID why was he arrested?
I’m pretty sure the police overreacted. Some cops seem to have these big ego problems. They demand respect but forget to give it. I’m glad charges were dropped because things would have gotten ugly.
For all we really know the prof. started getting agitated after showing his ID. There comes a time to be cool and then you have to act a fool. I think he was well within his right to go off on them.
The cops don’t bother me where I work (probably because they think I’ll write a big tell-all article). But I did had a run in once with campus police during my college days. The officer caught an attitude with me over something stupid. I tried being nice to him, but he kept acting rude. Soon I caught one right back. He asked for my id and I wouldn’t show it. Next thing I know, there were six other campus cops surrounding me. Mind you this was over a permit to table which I did have. I thought I was going to jail. UF did after all tase a white student. They probably would have did worse to me. Ultimately I got something like a referral from the college which stayed in my personal records for a year. I could have probably diffused the situation by keeping my cool and giving the office what he wanted. But I’ve never been one to bow down to intimidation.
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Just wanted to share. I wrote a blog on this a couple of days ago (although my beef was heavily with the neighbors) and someone from my hometeam posted this comment. Please excuse typos.
~~~~~
This story is a flashback to Tallahassee days. Nearly this same exact thing happend to my roomates and I, more so to one of my roomates. We got the police called on us on a noise complaint because we told the girls who lived below us ahead of time that we wanted to have a party. At first they were ok with it, then they had an overly dramatic change of heart. Well they called the police ahead of time to complain about the noise. When the police arrived I was washing dishes, and my to roomates were silently eating dinner. All of the lights were on in the house and the only sound you could hear were plates being scrapped in the sink and running water. It was at this time that we heard a foceful knock at the door, when my unlucky roomate answered the police officer in a commanding tone told us that we need to shut the party down and clear out our house. We were all shocked seeing as how there was not only no music playing, since all of the lights were on you could see that there where clearly no people besides us in our house. I guess he was embarassed and didnt want to waste a trip to our house, because he then proceeded to ask for all of our ID’s. I sarcasticly said, “What would that prove? Since we’re in college and not from Tallahassee?” He was shocked and tried to enter the house, I told him “you cant come in because you’re not investigating anything” My more rebellious roomate who was the most calm considering his past with the police is the only one who was willing to show his ID. This is also when the shit hit the fan. As he was about to show the officer his ID the officer asked us to step outside. My reply was no. *If an officer ever asks you to step outside of your house you increase your chances of being arrested by about 80%, no matter how the conversation goes. Back to the story my roomate was the most abiding in this situation was asked next, he replied no. However since at that moment he also had his handed extended outside of the door to present his ID, he was yanked outside. *If an officer touches you, you are considered under arrest. There are two kinds of arrest a good arrest and a bad arrest. This was a bad arrest, meaning he was arrested for no reason other than the officer grabbed him, and it would look worse to let him go. Also when youre arrested “badly” you tend to resist violently or make a scene, turning the officers arrest to a good arrest because you now are breaking laws. Well my roomates and I have an understanding of the law and thankfully he remained calm, and during my roomates calm state the officer was able to call for backup while my roomate was resisting arrest. When the other officer arrived (within 2 minutes) he pulled his taser on me because I asked for badge numbers. My roomate was charged with “resisting arrest without violence” what the hell does that even mean? Although we were able to have the charges dropped because of our friends in many places. This was overall some bullshit. I can also tell you with most certainty that the only people who raised their voices were the public servants.
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i respect officers of the law and the job that they do while putting their lives on the line everyday. what i don’t respect is the fact that black men seem to unfairly targeted. sure a lot of black men commit crimes. does that mean that all black men should be persecuted or profiled?
i’ve been the victim of racial profiling and “fitting a description”. that shit sucks. i have learned that how to deal with police officers in a respectful manner. in the mid 90′s and early 2000′s, pg county police officers had a notorious reputation for being trigger happy. i love my life and wasn’t trying to lose it over some bullshit.
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http://gawker.com/5320911/a-cops-perspective-on-the-henry-louis-gates-arrest
A cop’s perspective.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
the cop’s prospective. the police report for the arresting officer:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
The problem with racial bias and and racial profiling is that is it often unconscious. Thats the point people. Our society has been so inundated with talk about black this or white man that, that both groups often don’t even realize when they use race as a consideration.
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Cheekie Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
“The problem with racial bias and and racial profiling is that is it often unconscious.”
This needs to be said time and time again. Maybe people would have a little less problem with being accused of it.
That ish was ingrained in our brains so seamlessly, we didn’t even feel the stitching.
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Funny story on my end,
Back on 4th of July weekend I was with Seattle, McSnuggles O’voluptuous, and another friend at a white people cook out. First off, they know how to have fun. Some of my best times here have been with people who look nothing like me.
That aside, we were all outside drinking and playing games. Nothing reckless. Ol man across the way calls the cops because he thinks we’re ruining his dining party. Police show up an hour later (drunk) and just say “you’re miserable neighbor wants you guys to go away. just turn the music down please” and bounces.
That was it. No flashlights or hands on weapons. We clearly had cups full of beer and other concoctions. Prolly 25-30 people hanging out. Now if we were all tinty skinned, I can guarantee it would not have been this simple particularly because of the neighborhood we were in. Would have been at least 2 squad cars ready to handle a batch of unruly negroes. Sad, but an unfortunate and projected truth.
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:50 pm
This story is not funny. I did not chuckle.
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Slim Jackson Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I hope you get bed bug bites.
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Sowhatiff Jenkins Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I would say likewise, except you have been bug-bite ridden all summer. Po thang…you’re such a great blogger and friend Slim.
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RightCoastLexSteele, Eff you and Miranda Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
“First off, they know how to have fun. Some of my best times here have been with people who look nothing like me.”
Ain’t that the truth!
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damn i replied all early, seen one of the first few posts and had to address some issues…didn’t see all these other comments. ill catch up…i see cheekz in the building.
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Slim Jackson Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Cheekz is always in the building fam.lol. Gunz is here too.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
How do you think I get thru the pain of being at work? Cocaine and Threeways…I’m here all day.
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KG (True 2 Life) Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
nice…i didnt know u did coke too. last night i had hours of cocaine induced sex.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I like to cut it with viagra.
Makes a very cool lite blue.
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Forget, for a moment, about the pissing match between the good doctor and the police. What I see here is a clear case of liberal white racism. Happens in the oh-so-liberal suburbs all the time. Gotta love (some) white folks because they love us….from a distance. I’ve taken so many calls from the public to report seeing large groups of hispanics playing soccer (not illegal), or wading in the creek (also, not illegal). And I love how they say it. Something like, “The crowd who used to come here was fishers and artists. They were so peaceful. Now these huge families are coming and breaking the law!” Really? They’re wading and relaxing – same as the fishers and artists. Police have responded to calls like this and had to *literally* tell these folks that it is not illegal to be a minority in a park. Many of them have no idea that they’re talking to a black person when they call in and the things they make me wanna murk ‘em.
Have we really forgotten that certain white people have ways of subtly letting us know that we don’t belong? I would bet a dollar that the person who called the police in the first place knew who he was. The people who live next door and across the street knew him. Makes you go, hmmmmmmm.
My friend and her husband used to live in a swanky Bethesda condo. They were frequently approached in the neighborhood grocery store with questions about where a product was or how much it costs. Usually as they were shopping right after work, in their professional/preppy clothes. Hmmm……
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Slim Jackson Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
You just reminded me of the story in in Philly about the Black kids not being allowed into that swimming pool/club.
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Tatica Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
This reminds me of this woman I just met at a workshop last week who told us about how she is almost always approached when she is waiting to board first class and redirected to the coach line, by staff and other random passengers (and she’s a road warrior so it happens a lot).
She’s a petite asian woman who dresses well, and I just wonder why people question her being there. The stories she told ‘shocked’ the white people in the group.
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CHeeKZ Money Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Have you every tried to buy shoes?!?
No CRACKA, I don’t know if they have a size 8, I’m 27 years old in a full suit! Why do you think I work here?! On top of all that, size 8? You have a small piece and I feel sorry for you wife, GTFOH!
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