Giving Advice to a Harvard Professor

Race, Class, and Politics Collide to form a Teachable Moment

Aug 17, 2009

Using knowledge and forethought Dr. Gates has an opportunity to educate Americans to be better in the area of race and minority relations with the police.

Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s arrest for disorderly conduct was perhaps an overreaction by Sgt. James Crowley as some would suggest, but according to the officer's official report, Dr. Gates at one point ignored the police officers request to tell him if there was anyone else in the residence as well as turning toward Sgt. Crowley and telling him, "You have no idea who you are messing with, and you have not heard the last of it." And when asked to show identification (again according to the official police report) Dr. Gates initially refused, asking instead for the police officer's I.D.

This is certainly an unusual set of circumstances to this point, as Dr. Gates first, had trouble entering his home, second, a neighbor called the police, third, there had been a previous attempt to break into the home, fourth, there had been a recent murder in the basement one of the Harvard campus dorms, and lastly, Dr. Gates seemed to be trying to exercise control over a situation that perhaps would have been better left to Sgt. Crowley. But given Dr. Gates position at Harvard and who represents as an African-American, he seemingly tried to assert his class and status as a buffer to the authority of the working-class Sgt. Crowley.

Differing Accounts of What Happened

As Dr. Gates continued to try to assert his authority in the situation at his his home, Sgt. Crowley was finding it increasingly difficult to deal with Dr. Gates. In a warning to Dr. Gates, Sgt. Crowley informed him he was becoming unruly and could be arrested for disorderly conduct. When according to Crowley this request was ignored by Gates, he again asked gates to calm down, while he withdrew his department issued handcuffs. After another exchange between the two men, Sgt. Crowley place the cuffs on Dr. Gates as a Harvard maintenance person came and secured the home.

After this Dr. Gates was booked and the whole matter seemed to take on a life of its own. But it is important to note the circumstances from the official police perspective. As for Dr. Gates, his recollection of the events are just a little different in that Dr. Gates through his attorney Charles Ogletree in comments appearing in the Root online magazine, states that upon not being able to enter his home because the front door was damaged, Dr. Gates then entered his rear door with his key, turned off the alarm, and again attempted to open the front door. With the help of the driver the front door was opened and Dr. Gates had his luggage place inside his home.

Next according to Olgetree, Dr. Gates was on the phone with maintenance people from Harvard University when Sgt. Crowley came onto his porch. The exchange at this point is similar to the official report except for the yelling part and the "Do you know who I am part." In a subsequent article in the Root.com, Dr. Gates disputes the notion that he was continually yelling due to having a "severe bronchial infection" which he contracted while in China, "for which I was treated by a doctor from the Peninsula hotel in Beijing. So I couldn't yell. I can't yell even today." Unfortunately, Dr. Gates was subsequently held approximately 4 hours before being released that evening.

Politics Plays A Role in What Happens Next

Given the social and economic status that Dr. Gates enjoys he was easily able to get people in higher authority in the police department, the Middlesex District Attorneys Office, and the City of Cambridge to resolve this matter in his favor promptly. Dr. Gates is so prominent in fact, that during a nationally televised news conference the President of the United States was asked about the incident. President Barack Obama expressed his gut reaction by stating that, "the Cambridge Police Department had acted stupidly." However upon further review, retracted that statement and called for both Sgt. Crowley and Dr. Gates to join him at the White House for beers.

The Teachable Moment and why it Would be Acting "Stupidly" to Sue

According to Kim Colman, a Washington, D.C. radio host, cultural commentator and blogger, If ever there was an opportunity to discuss race relations in America, this is it. "And who better to discuss this issue than the person who lived through it, Dr. Gates himself," Colman told CNN reporter Wayne Drash. But in order to present a valid and uncompromising portrayal, Dr. Gates may need to admit his short comings in this situation. But given that he is eminently qualified to handle the job, a a real opportunity for growth in American race relations is possible here.

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson has suggested that Dr. Gates take this tremendous opportunity to organize a series of public town hall meetings on the of subject of race relations at several colleges and universities around the country and perhaps get PBS to sponsor the series of events. "Or if he organized a symposium at Harvard (involving the whole of the Ivy League), to discuss the subject, or perhaps as Dr. Gates himself has already suggested he could write a book on the subject or produce a documentary about his experiences, Robinson said in a recent column.

Jelani Cobb, an author and Professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, has suggested in a recent interview with CNN that, "perhaps with the incident involving the black children who were denied access to a pool in Pennsylvania and the one involving Dr. Gates, the idea that we are living in a post-racial America because of the election of President Barack H. Obama II, may have in fact have been put rest. But, that doesn't mean that Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. couldn't help continue to lead the charge to that more perfect union by engaging the educational system in America as only he can," Cobb said.

As far as suing, according to actor Boris Kodjo, that would be appealing to the baser instincts in us as human beings and might not have the honor that has been associated with so many civil rights-era cases. "Filing a suit against the Cambridge Police Department, or the suing of Dr. Gates by Sgt. Crowley, while squandering the opportunity to address America on race would indeed be acting stupidly," Kodjo said.

CNN.com online article: Police who arrested professor 'acted stupidly.' Thursday, July 23rd, 2009.

ABC News.com online article: "Obama Called Cambridge Police Officer James Crowley Who Arrested Gates, Still Sees Overreaction in Arrest," by Huma Khan, Michele McPhee and Russell Goldman, Friday, July 24th 2009.

The copyright of the article Giving Advice to a Harvard Professor in Racist Crimes is owned by Paul Hamilton. Permission to republish Giving Advice to a Harvard Professor in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.