The Cambridge Affair: Did They Forget The Teachable Moment In Law?

If my father were still alive, I’d be worried. I would want to know exactly on what grounds did the Cambridge police have to arrest the Harvard professor. This would concern me because, you see, my father could easily have been Professor Henry Louis Gates being taken away in handcuffs with his mouth agape.

My father, bless his soul, was one of those belligerent cantankerous old geezers that at times, someone would wish to haul away in handcuffs. It’s actually pretty funny when I think about it – my own dad being dragged away just for being himself! He would be exactly like that professor in the photo, wild-eyed, cursing and screaming at the police! Of course he wasn’t that way all the time – just if you happened to catch him in a bad mood and started bothering him. But he surely would be hot and bothered after returning from a long trip exhausted, and then having to break into his own #@&!!! front door because the #@&!!! door wouldn’t open, and then having the #@&!!! police come by asking him if he’s the owner  of the #@&!!! place or if he’s trying to burglarize it. Yes, absolutely that could easily have been my dad being taken away in handcuffs. And that is why, if my dad were still alive today, I would be very concerned.

People really have the Cambridge incident entirely wrong. Cambridge Sergeant James Crowley was not, and is not a racist. And Professor Henry Louis Gates was not, and is not a dangerous man. But instead of seeing the incident for what it was – a legal issue – it was hijacked as a race issue. Moreover, till today it’s still being looked at as a race issue, which is ludicrous.

What simply happened was, there were three combustible words thrown in to ignite the entire situation. Whenever you have these words involved – Arrest, Race and Stupid – all thoughts of basic civil rights go out the window. The problem is those three words together hit a nerve in most people, so rather than viewing the situation as a legal issue, suddenly the issue becomes racism.

Given the choice between having to think about law or racism, guess which one wins out? Everyone has an opinion on racism, but not many have an opinion on law – unless it’s coming down on them personally.

All of the uproar only confirms that people love getting their ire up about racism. But try talking to them about civil rights and their eyes glaze over. Worse, if it requires any kind of thinking, by the time they get pass the word “civil,” their minds have already gone to their happy place. They much prefer to talk about racism. “Racism” is much sexier than “civil rights.”

And people do love being titillated.  Which explains why public opinion is formed mostly on the basis of appearance and chatter these days. If anyone’s in trouble, the first thing they’ll do is immediately contact the media and present their side of the story. With the public now being judge and jury, it’s all about public relations, marketing, and presenting everything in a nice neat little package to win people over and sway their thinking. So now, really, ask yourself: Is it “my” opinion, or am I just being manipulated?

Sergeant James Crowley was not lying when he said he’s not a racist. He’s not. Racism wasn’t the problem; his abuse of power in the situation was. He was given two identifications verifying that Professor Gates was indeed the owner of the home. Sergeant Crowley should have left the premises at that point. What was the reason for the arrest? That the professor was going to hit him with his cane?

Granted, police work is difficult, but it is imperative that ordinary citizens have the right not to be arrested in their homes over a personality conflict. This was a personality conflict.

Sergeant Crowley’s actions were wrong and the simple solution was that he needed a little time off.

Perhaps the sergeant might have been concerned about being fired or ruining his good record after facing the professor who demanded his badge number, supervisor’s name and even possibly threatening a lawsuit. This may have triggered the sergeant to take the drastic measure of making an arrest.  I understand why the officer did it, and why he continues to defend his actions, but nonetheless, it was wrong. This needs to be made clear to him.

Thus, after all is finally said and done, the teachable moment in all of this will be: We certainly know how to rile up the nation in just three little words.

©August 4, 2009  Reiko Eoh