Friday, July 24th, 2009...10:09 am
Gates’ arrest opens old wounds
Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a highly respected historian who has spent much of his life documenting some of the cultural differences that exist between blacks and whites.
He works at Harvard, lives in a two-story house that he rents from the university, and travels throughout the world making documentaries.
So when Gates, 58, was arrested for disorderly conduct while standing on his own porch, the news went viral over the Internet and spread to news outlets worldwide.
A neighbor had called police when she saw Gates and his driver trying to force open Gates’ front door, which, unknown to her, was jammed. The arresting officer said that Gates was loud and that he called the officer a racist. Gates said the officer lied and owes him an apology.
The charges have since been dropped, but the incident has fueled the undying assertions that, to some people, especially some in law enforcement, it doesn’t matter how many degrees a black man earns or how successful he is, he will always be just a black man.
Although we are hundreds of miles away and have only news accounts to go by, I wondered whether a black, male police officer living in Lexington could see both sides of that interaction and give some insight to the rest of us who are still shaking our heads in frustration.
Lt. Lawrence Weathers of the internal affairs department of the Lexington police department, said it appears the officer could have simply walked away.
“I don’t know if it was necessary to arrest him,” Weathers said, “but I don’t know their laws.”
In Lexington, he said, the officer would have been trained to defuse the situation by leaving.
“Looking at the story, things were said that got both of them upset,” Weathers said. “Gates probably won the war of words.”
Anthany Beatty, the University of Kentucky’s vice president of public safety and a former Lexington police chief, said he looked at the news report with a critical eye from the beginning, both as a black man and as a police officer.
“I probably would be as angry as (Gates) was,” Beatty said. “I’ve handled my share of complaints about officers, and I ask (those complaining), ‘How did you interact with that person?’ They can only feed off what you give them.”
In sensitivity training, Weathers said, officers are taught about the differences in communication styles. Sometimes those styles come in conflict and can eventually lead to the rise in cultural biases just when those biases should be contained.
“We like to talk about those things with our officers,” he said. “We let those emotions come to the surface and teach them how to fight through them and act accordingly and properly.”
Still, Beatty said, police are human. “I don’t care how well we recruit folks, train them and nurture them, they come to the table with a set of ideas and biases, and they sometimes shine through. It happens more with police, probably because they have authority and power and people react to that.”
When the dynamics of a situation change, people will react, he said, and police are trained to react better than most people, but they will react.
As a black man, Weathers said, he understands Gates’ being upset at the suggestion that he was breaking into his own home. Was it accusatory or respectful?
And why wasn’t the situation defused after Gates showed his university identification and his driver’s license?
“What kind of vibes or tones are being given off?” he asked.
I don’t know.
Gates, who is biracial, married to a white woman and the father of biracial children, had just returned from a long trip to China. The officer was expecting to find a burglar. Both were probably anticipating some kind of deference, and I don’t think either got what he wanted.
But, then, when did being angry in your own house become illegal?
I don’t know that either.
I am a native Kentuckian, and I have worked at the Lexington Herald-Leader for nearly a quarter of a century. I've been a columnist for almost 20 of those years, dispensing my opinions about anything and everything. Born in Owensboro, Ky., I'm old enough to have lived through racial segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, protests against the Vietnam War, and the break-up of the Beatles. That means I am "old school," and my thoughts emanate from that perspective.
9 Comments
July 24th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
From what I’ve read Merlene, the officer left the house and Gates followed him out of the house yelling at the officer requesting his badge number. How is that “getting arrested while standing on the front porch”?
The Cambridge police department is discussing releasing the 911 call and the officer’s radio transmission during the incident to the public. When that happens we will know who was to blame. Please have a followup story Merlene when that happens.
One last thing, the way Obama responded to the incident during his press conference the other night showed one thing. It looks like Obama did listen to Rev. Wright all of those years…..
July 24th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
So the underlying assumption is that to some people a “black man” will never be more than a “black man.” Seems to me there is an underlying assumption in this community that to Ms. Davis that all white men are not only racists but to her that they will also never be more than a “white” man. Ms. Davis, please don’t write about a story until you have all the facts, from both sides. And Chief Beatty, please don’t send Lt. (are you kidding me - he’s actually a Lt.) Weathers to investigate if my home is ever broken into. I sure don’t want a police officer to “simply walk away” because the intruder claims it is his house and refuses to show an id - especially one that is only from Harvard (or anywhere else) that doesn’t show an address!!
July 24th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
From what I have read the officer was trying to walk away and Gates followed him. Also, this officer was not only trained to handle racially sensitive encounters, but was a departmental trainer of such. Maybe, just maybe the officer was not in the wrong. There are two sides to every story.
July 24th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
The Harvard ID didn’t establish residency. It did nothing to prove he lived there. He is an elitist and likely didn’t appreciate a blue collar officer asking him legitimate questions.
July 24th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
The Harvard ID didn\’t establish residency. It did nothing to prove he lived there. He is an elitist and likely didn\’t appreciate a blue collar officer asking him legitimate questions.
July 24th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Sounds like those who know the whole story are backing off big time. The story was Gates’ temper, or the chip on his shoulder. Apologies all around and move on…
July 25th, 2009 at 1:10 am
This is particularly outrageous. Everyone is assuming, including our president, that the police officer was racially profiling, when the facts seem to suggest that it was Mr. Gates who, despite his degrees and Harvard affiliation, reduced himself to a level that would embarass anyone, black or white. I agree that Obama certainly showed his true “color”when he admitted that he wasn’t there and did not have all the facts, yet chose to attack the police officer. This man was doing his job, “protecting” Mr. Gates home. But rather than show appreciation for the officer responding, Mr. Gates it appears, chose to go on the attack. All the education in the world does mean you have any class. I for one am sick and tired of it being insinuated that because I am white, I owe people of color an apology for what happened in Mississippi 50 years ago, or prior to the civil war (I think a lot of white people died for black people in that war). Rather than trumpet the tremendous success stories of people like Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, even Barrack Obama…all we hear is how we keep the black man down. Well I don’t…go to school, get an education…borrow the money. Thats how I did it. Look in the mirror and be honest with yourself, and quit blaming white people before you have the facts.
July 26th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Seems to me quite a few people, including our president, have indeed judged Sgt. Crowley based on the color of his skin and not on the content of his character. The dream died, but the disease lives on even in the black community.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Ms. Davis:
I have read your columns for a long time. Your racism and aggrievement over your race is just too obvious. I marched in the 60’s and have been a champion of racial equality for many years, starting with my side of the street. I don’t have the podium you have with this miserable newspaper, but I taught my children and those who worshipped with me that racial preference is wrong and sinful. I honestly believe I have done my part as a white man. I wish you would be honest in your writing. It is quite clear that Gates was wrong in his reaction to the police. It is easy to judge now with the facts. Why not drop your pretentiousness and quit the race baiting? It serves only the race hustlers who make a living off hatred.
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