The Scary, Honest Truth About Race

Let us call a spade a spade; a racist a racist, but be that as it may, this incident begs to ask the question, why? We homo sapiens evolved from the same mother, but what makes our different costumes create such hate, cause such self mutilation, display such behavior? Hate so deep that violators deny they are violating victims, hate passed from generation to generation, subtle but certainly as virulent as overt, ubiquitous "coon hunting" social parties of the South. My opinion, for what it is worth, say this hate stems from a broken society doomed to erode as all past immoral civilizations. A government which regressed to torture, behavior to glean information (from already incarcerated helpless homo sapiens), has shown and shall lead all their citizens by example, into belligerent behavior against whomever the victims happen to be. We hate ourselves, and ultimately shall result with hating all humankind including that one racist that began the incident. Only governments with moral leadership (previously proudly proclaimed, but now?) can possible reverse, mitigate, and hopefully neutralize racist hate. Are we civilized enough to succeed? Let's watch the world leader, The United States of America to find out.

I'm sure DPK01 knows a lot more than I do about what goes on in black homes, churches and other places, for the simple reason I'm white. And I do believe there are a lot of people who make a sincere effort to keep kids out of trouble.

But what I don't see is people making the obvious connection between the (much) higher crime rate among blacks and the fact (which I accept) that cops tend to focus more on black people.

It's as if the crimes these kids commit were a threat only to their own futures, and not to their victims, and as if the high incarceration rate and racial profiling on the street were a simple manifestation of all those racist white cops and judges, and had nothing to do with the fact that most Americans who kill (52%) and rob (55%) are black.

Whites are portrayed as the racists in American society even though blacks commit racially-motivated hate crimes at a higher rate. (Blacks are 13% of population, 21% of hate-crime offenders: FBI Universal Crime report 2007).

The sad but unavoidable fact is there are a lot of violent black criminals. Every crime they commit has two victims: the immediate one (who may be black or may be not), and then every other black person who is affected by the stereotype. But just because the stereotype is unfair when applied to individuals, it doesn't mean there's nothing to it.

You can blame white people for crossing the road or clutching their purses when approached by a couple of young black guys in hoodies, but you're fighting reality. The sad fact is that black guy IS more likely to rob/kill/rape you. Fact is many black people react the same way. It's called "once bitten, twice shy". Those attitudes probably won't change until black people commit crime at the same rate as everyone else.

I'd love to see someone with some credibility in the black community take up this issue .... Pres. Obama?

In response to a great many of you, (you know who you are): If it is acceptable to profile all Black people because some Black people commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes, should it not be equally acceptable to similarly profile White people as the perpetrators of disproportionate numbers of "white-collar" crime? And what about child abduction and molestation? Shouldn't it then be more difficult for White people, especially White males, to land jobs, rent houses/apartments, qualify for credit cards, open bank accounts, adopt children, etc. Illogically, this distinction seems also to be reserved for people of color.

Not surprisingly, there are a number of individuals on posting on this issue that blacks are more likely to commit crimes (4,5,6, & 7 times more likely!!!). I ask you, if we were as menacing as a racial group as is purported, why o why has nothing ever been done about 12% of the U.S. population that commits the large majority of all crime. We have only to look at history and the Native Americans to witness what lengths the U.S. Gov't will go to when a racial group will not conform or acquiesce to societal pressures.

To Coloradog, You just proved everything bebopjazz was saying?

He laid out his argument as he saw it, and YOU came and tried to discount everything he said!

If we are going to have this discussion about race, we NEED to listen to the others point of view and not try to tell them what they are feeling and seeing is NOT what they are feeling and seeing.

MY REPLY TO bebopjazz IN CAPS (SORRY)
Ms.Quinn,
You state that most of us don't say what we really feel about race (skin color). I'd like to offer my honest opinion.
As a black man, born, raised and bred in America, this country operates on a system of white supremacy. White people, the predominant population, own, control and finance every American institution. As such, those who have this control look to maintain and increase such control.
GEE, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE JEWS CONTROLLED ALL THIS
It is also understood that if you are non-white, your life, culture, heritage and history are seen as "less than" the life, culture, heritage and history of white people.
KARL ROVE PASSIVE VOICE. IT IS UNDERSTOOD BY WHOM? THIS HAS NEVER BEEN MY UNDERSTANDING AS PART WHITE, PART NATIVE AMERICAN.
There is no such thing in this country as "reverse discrimination" because black people, in most cases, do not have the power and authority to affect the lives of whites through employment, housing, health care, etc. Those who have that control can effectively influence, deny, discriminate against those who don't have that influence.
CONSENT DECREES AND HR MANAGERS(BLACK AND WHITE) HAVE THIS POWER AND USE IT. I HAVE PERSONALLY BEEN A VICTIM OF IT UNTIL I REALIZED I WAS ENOUGH NATIVE AMERICAN TO CHANGE MY RACE ON APPLICATIONS. THIS WORKED WONDERS FOR ME ALL OF A SUDDEN.
The Gates arrest has proven how different whites and Blacks view life in America. Most blacks should know that any confrontation with American law enforcement can end in the death of that black person. It is historical that so many blacks have been killed by law enforcement in every state in this country for years. Why is it we never read in the media that some white person was accidentally or erroneously shot by police (under suspicious circumstances)? again, it is understood that the life of any white person has a greater value than that of any non-white person.
SO ALL WHITE COPS ARE GOING TO KILL YOU?
Until America is honest with itself and begins to take a serious look at white supremacy, white privilege and white advantage AND until masses of white begin to view non-white lives as valuable as their own, this country will continue to live the great lie.
THE ASSUMPTION THAT ALL WHITES DO NOT VALUE NON-WHITE LIVES AS VALUABLE AS THEIR OWN IS AN IGNORANT GENERALIZATION AND A RACIST STEREOTYPE.
Posted by: coloradodog | August 2, 2009 9:39 PM

TomScanlon1, you have some interesting comments and points, and I think I can answer one of your questions. You ask why you haven't heard black communities or community leaders decrying violence and thug life; the answer is that nobody reports on that unless someone like Bill Cosby is doing the talking. It does happen a lot; the mainstream media doesn't spend a lot of capital reporting it. It's not that the MSM is racist per se, it's just that they don't think it would earn much money.

I enjoyed reading the piece, and I think Quinn's heart is in the right place. I couldn't help but smile when I read the example she chose to give of her personal encounters with reverse discrimination: The police cordoning off several blocks of public streets in an otherwise open community, in order to allow rich priviledged (mostly white?) people to have uninterrupted fun at a holiday party without having to encounter other people they deemed not to be members of their circle. It's no wonder the police office in question was so warm and fuzzy. I can him contrasting this scene with his personal situation given similar circumstances in his own neighborhood, or perhaps questioning the dept's decision to disproportionately assign scarce law enforcement resources to protect the interests of people who could well afford to provide for their own comfort. Just another perspective to consider...

Since we're all being so honest all of a sudden ....
I understand that it must be terribly frustrating for young black kids to feel targeted by police. Their parents must hate the feeling that their children are being singled out. You bet it's unfair.

I also believe that there are racial disparities in sentancing, death penalty, drug possession charges and so on. But we are just being ingenuous if we pretend that the huge difference in incarceration rates is all due to systemic racism.

I would encourage any black kid who feels picked on by a police officer (black or white) to make an official complaint. But I wouldn't excuse from blame those other black kids who are so wrapped up in thug culture that they are feeding the stereotype of black crime. 13% of Americans are black, yet they commit 52% of this country's homicides. FBI crime stats show that a black person robs a white person 136 times for every time a white person robs a black person. Anyone who knows what's going on in the DC area also knows that black gangs are targetting Hispanics who use Western Union because they believe they have lots of cash and won't report for fear of deportation. The kids call it "amigo shopping".

I'm not suggesting that all black people are out there committing crime. I know it's a minority. But racial profiling, conscious or unconscious, will never disappear as long as these stats remain true. If the cops in any given town knew that a person wearing blue was far more likely to commit a violent crime than a person wearing red or green, who do you think would attract their attention when they're on the street?

Individuals deserve to be treated as individuals, not as members of a race. But why don't we hear more from within the black community about the need to tackle the hoods and gangsters who victimize not only other black people, but all other Americans?

Isn't being robbed, raped or murdered a violation of my civil rights?

give me an example of even ONE race, besides Caucasians, who have made any major contribution to technology and society in the past 1000 years or more. And forget the Chinese, Japanese, etc as they have learned all they know from the West, and have only just learned how to use that knowledge in the past 30 or 40 years.
And for some reason, white people are supposed to feel ashamed??? Because we didn't give the rest of the world enough yet?
Posted by: scoates2482 | August 2, 2009 2:14 PM
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it's interesting to consider how, without white European people, most of the world would still be wiping their butts with their hands, but now we can all take the full force of their self righteous rage and indignation about something that they couldn't attain themselves in 1000s of years.
Posted by: scoates2482 | August 2, 2009 2:09 PM
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Praytell, SCOATES, what did YOU invent? I mean just you specifically. You seem so eager to share the credit with your more successful, white brethren. Are they sharing their billions with you? Other posters have already proven how completely ignorant of history you are.

"What nobody will say publicly, for fear of being called a racist, is that he is notorious, especially among many of his colleagues (black and white) at Harvard, for being short-tempered and arrogant. I have had personal dealings with him in which his behavior was not honorable."

This is one of the reasons why we will never have a serious discussion about race.

I'm white and I both lived and worked in a mostly black neighborhood in North St Louis for many years until the crime finally drove me out. If you think blacks don't speak honestly in publicly about how they feel about white people, you haven't spent much time in a black community.

There will no equality in this country until anti-white behavior from blacks and latinos is as damaging to them as similar behavior is from white people. That includes a presidential candidate who spends years in a church where anti-white rhetoric from the black preacher is joyously celebrated by the black congregation, and a supreme court nominee who repeatedly makes anti-white statements.

Ms. Quinn: Thank-you for your article. I agree that it is possible to have a discussion about race. That is what has happened here in the case of Professor Gates.
For years the question of race has been taboo. White people are not supposed to experss opinions about balck people which are less than admirable. Black people have felt entitled to claim racial bias and to say the most inflamatory things about white people. This right has been protected because people of color have claimed this right as a downtrodden minority.
This issue has come to light recently when the sermons of Jeramiah Wright were published. The opinions experssed were quite inflamatory and I suspect that as with opinions expressed by white racists, Wright's opinions had not been challenged or examined.
In the case of Prof. Gates, who has made a profession of promoting to cause of people of color, his opinions have been accepted without examination. Indeed in the past if these opinions had been questioned I have no doubt that the questioner would have been called a racist. (such a useful term for intimidating white people)
The truth here is that the Gates incident is obviously preceived differently by people depending on their point of view. I doubt that we will find that everyone will agree no matter how long we discuss this matter. This time, however, Prog. Gates opinions will not go unexamined. Officer Crowley's actions will not go unexamined either.
I do not think there are any winners in the Gates situation but perhaps there will be winners because for the first time in a long long time there is some honest discussion about the race and the role it has in this country and for a change the discussion is not one sided.

Thank you for writing this, and especially for identifying the unreasoning hostility one raises by defying politically correct stereotypes.

Racial profiling does indeed exist, and that's precisely why Prof. Gates' immature and bigoted behavior, crying racism where none existed, is so reprehensible. Now, as a result of his arrogant posturing, many fewer people will take legitimate cases of racial profiling seriously.

Many (probably most) white people have had the experience of being labeled racists for no apparent reason, and this incident touches a nerve in them just as raw as any felt by black folks who've been passed by by a black cabby.

Recently I was on an unfamiliar bus in NYC. I changed seats in order to better see my stop coming up - and was promptly accused of racism by the black gentleman next to whom I had been sitting.

It's a common phenomenon, but in many circles, the mere act of mentioning it is considered racist in and of itself.

Thanks Ms. Quinn for a clear-headed & honest analysis. Professor Gates had two claims: first, that the 911 call identified the suspects as black and, thus, the whole event was framed by racial profiling ; second, that Sgt. Crowley was rude to him and arrested him because he was black.

The 911 tape knocks the legs out from underneath the first claim because the caller never mentioned race (I know, Crowley's report said it did, but he must have made a clerical error--it certainly didn't help him to note it in the report).

As to the second claim, Crowley's record and calm way in which he followed "standard procedure" don't really back Gates' claim. We may think that "standard procedure" should be changed but that is another matter.

Does anyone remember the cable show from a while back where NY police officers were anonymously videotaped while discussing topics such as why they like their job? I remember one particular episode where an officer admitted that he loved his job so much. Why? "What other job can I have where I am licensed to carry a gun and get to beat N's all day." I swear, it was true. He said it. I was shocked, but not surprised.

Let'stell the truth about race.

The most ignored fact is that black crime is a major factor in so-called racial profiling. Blacks commit most of
the holdups, murders, rapes and other violent crims, creating a climate of distrust and fear. White people understandably, react negatively and are "profiled" as anti-black and racist.

Blacks also have the highest number of illegitimate births and the hightest number of drug users and drug sellers. Is it any wonder that they are "profiled"?

Some of the comments posted here by blacks illustrate the racist attitude prevelant among blacks. They hate white people.

Being short tempered and arrogant are not illegal acts.Both men could have stepped back and counted to ten before the incident escalated. I think it was more of a testosterone laden incident than racial.
It is also easy for the white population to come dowwn so hard on Mr Gates because he felt it was racial incident. But no white person knows what it is to live as a black person in this country. The eyes you get when you go in a store. The clerk telling you an item is so expensive when you ask to see it. These things happen every day in the life of a black person and some times you are going to lose your cool.It does not matter how educated a black person is there is this feeling that the deck is stacked against you.But we move on and live with the institutional racism that pays you less even though you have the same qulifications and experience as a white colleague. The institutional racism in real estate where you are turned down for a mortgage although you have the same credit score and down payment like a white person. We live with this day in and day out and suck it up as Colin Powell says. But sometimes one gets real fed up as being treated as second class citizens. Electing Barack Obama does not make this country post racial. Example the birther movement which is totally racist. So those of us both black and white who thought we were going to hold hands and sing 'cum by ya,' please think again.
I live in NYC and remember the Diallo incident. The guy was asked for his ID and while he was taking his ID out he was shot dead. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I wish things were different but it is not. Is there any hope? I hope to God there is.

Since we are being honest! I hate the fact that some white people always think that we only get into certain positions because of Affirmative Action, as if the best and the brightest can only be white males. I hate the fact that some white people view me through the sterotype without knowing anything about me! I hate the fact that some white people read a few columns and watch the news that they ASSUME to know what ALL black people are like! I hate the fact that when you assert yourself some white people think you have a chip on your shoulder.

I've got issues with black folks too! Like I hate the fact that some black people would rather trash their own neighborhoods than to put trash in a trash can. I hate the fact that some of my people are caught of in this Thug/Hoochie madness! I hate the fact that after all of the folks that struggled and were killed for the right to be educated, our drop out rate is where it is! I hate the fact that some of my people have no PRIDE in themselves and where they live! I hate the fact that when I have been pulled over by the police and the officers are black and white, the black officer is ALWAYS the one that gives me the most grief (I'm just speaking to MY experience with the police)! I hate the fact that some of our children know all the words to the latest songs on the radio but cannot read! I HATE the term Ghetto Fabulous, because there is NOTHING Fabulous about the Ghetto!

Here are the facts:

1. The 911 caller did not mention race until asked, and at that point she stated that she didn't know the race of the individuals but one of them might be Hispanic. Crowley's police report stated that the 911 caller said there were two black men.

2. On the dispatcher tape, you can hear Crowley saying the individual (Gates) was being uncooperative, and yet less than two seconds later, you hear Crowley saying that Gates identified himself.

3. Also on the dispatcher tape, you hear Crowley stating that Gates had identified himself, but that the dispatcher should keep the cars coming. For one little old man who uses a cane, and who had proven he lived in his house.

4. Even before all this came out, everyone saw the picture of a man being arrested for disorderly conduct ON THE FRONT PORCH OF HIS HOUSE. No other charges, just "disorderly conduct" on his own property, with no neighbors coming forth to say that he had been bothering anyone. The charges were dropped immediately.

Here are my questions. 1: Has anyone asked Crowley to explain this discrepancy? 2: Has anyone asked Crowley to explain what Gates was doing that was so uncooperative (perhaps he was opening his wallet in an uncooperative fashion)? 3: Has anyone asked why Crowley requested more cars be sent to Gates' home, after it was established no crimes had been committed? 4: Has anyone asked the Cambridge PD what the requirements are for being arrested for disorderly conduct in one's own home?

Given that these, and other, questions are still outstanding and unanswered, I don't see how Ms. Quinn can say with a straight face that she believes Crowley acted professionally.

And furthermore, I caught the fact that you mentioned that you were submissive to the policeman because he had a gun and you did not. Are you serious? Is this the kind of society you are promoting? Where the little people are afraid of the powers of that be for the fear that they may shoot us or kill us or pistol-whip us at any moment for any reason whatsoever? What you are describing is not a civilization. You are describing what is called a police state. I would expect more from a journalist representing the free press, a civil right mind you.

I thought we were trying to move on. But since you brought this up AGAIN... Obama did not lose his cool when he spoke of the Cambridge police, and he was right. As a matter of fact, the police were worse than stupid; they acted illegally and abused their power. The fact that Gates knew his rights doesn't make him arrogant. And yet you criticize Obama for not knowing all there was to know, yet you felt comfortable enough to size up each man's character and infer what probably happened after admitting that you did not know them. The truth is that both the white cop who arrested Gates and the black cop who yelled at you were both hot-headed pricks in the wrong. (And you left out the part where Crowley lies in his police report.)

Perhaps Gates was a victim of racial profiling. But Crowley became a victim of reverse profiling by Gates. He put all the blame for all the fears and pain that blacks experience in such incidents on Crowley. I doubt that the policeman really deserved this by his actions and not merely being a white policeman.

Nice article, but I believe that becoming honest about issues of race will lead us to self-destruction atm. We need several generations of Obamas to make different ethnicities living here more secure. The remark by the president hardly contributes to this cause. Were not ready to be honest.

I agree that: "No one would deny the appalling discrepancies in the numbers of incarcerated blacks and incarcerated whites." Obviously, that could be the result of many factors, including racial profiling - but since we are "speaking the truth" here, couldn't we, just for ONCE, mention another possible contributing factor: i.e., that African Americans commit crimes at wildly higher rates than other Americans??

a few years ago, not many, on spanish tv in a news report they had a segment about a man caught stealing in a central american town...
they stripped the guy, walked him thru town kicking and punching him all the way until they got to the river where they cracked his head open and he died...
in towns where food is in short supply, you don't steal...
people in America have it good...

Justice Department web site says blacks are victims of homicide 6 times more than whites and they are 7 times more likely to commit murder.

The black victims are dead bodies. The police do not racial profile dead bodies. 90% of all murder is within ones own race.

The statistics for other violent crime are similar. Blacks disproportunitly commit crime.

In all the talk about an "honest" dialog these facts are never mentioned. The media ALWAYS start from the premise that blacks are the victims of cops. That is biased, uneven, and not honest.

kimblue says, "pretty courageous piece. Now I will say something that will probably get me called racist. I think blacks and Latinos like being discriminated against. Certainly they look for evidence of being discriminated against over evidence of their own shortcomings"

Pat says,.. As a minmority I do not look for racism, racism finds me whenever I look for something else.

As an owner and operator of an Architectrure/Engineering firm, I find your attitude as off putting, instead of reflecting on your own opinion, you attempt to create an opinion, where one does not exist.

Like all humans, we all look towards our inner self to determine success or failure, and to not blame White America for what White America does. I grew up during segregration, and I have every reason to point out your nose, but I would rather you discover your nose on your own and not me pointing it out to you Kim.

BTW, everyone is allowed to be beligerent in their own home, it is called the first amendment rights to free speach.

Patrick

Saying the professor was arrogant and Crowley was not is a distinction of degrees.

It was arrogant and stupid to arrest Gates
regardless of race. The stupid part was the part Obama was speaking of, he needed no facts other then the charges were dropped. The arrest was unlawful and dropped for no other reason.

The fact that you brought up the race of the officer and wondered if it was because he was black, is a demonstration of occam's razor. After you dismissed all other reasons for his behavior, the simplest explanation is the truth. These cops you speak of don't like white women that live in hoity toity George Town. If it had been a black women it would of not happened. That is the truth.

I'm sure the President wishes he had used a word other than "stupidly," but the author's assumption that Obama reacted emotionally and thoughtlessly by "losing his cool" is ridiculous. It was one word in an otherwise truthful comment about race relations. Her remark reveals her own prejudices. She also informs us that she personally doesn't like Gates and that she used to get drunk in Georgetown (what preppy spoiled white girl didn't?). Wow, that's real investigative reporting! Crowley could be the greatest guy on earth; it doesn't matter. He was so offended by Gates' arrogance that he coaxed him outside where he would be able to arrest him for disturbing the public. The point of this argument is that if Gates had been white, he probably would have gotten an apology and quickly left in his home. That didn't happen. Crowley let his simmering dislike get the best of him and he acted inappropriately; meanwhile, Sally Quinn faults our African-American President.

Racism isn't always about hatred, sometimes its about viewing the world solely through your own lens and ignoring self analysis. Crowley and Quinn clearly need additional schooling.

Well, here's the bottom line for me. A man was arrested, taken to a police station and then released, all charges dropped--no jailtime, no bail, no arraignment, no hearing, no trial--simply released. So clearly, someone in the chain of command must have felt that a mistake had been made with the arrest in the first place. Why is no one talking about this?

When the judicial wheels turn in a literally exceptional way, you know something's wrong with the justice that is being applied. For example, when the Supreme Court rendered it's Bush v Gore decision but made it non precedential--virtually unheard of in the annals of the Court--clearly something stank with that verdict.

Similarly, it's clear that the arrest was an over reaction by the officer to the over reaction by Skip Gates. I'm all for caring about the feelings of our police officers, but in the line of duty, you'd hope their training would give them thicker skin.

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--- Remember, IT's not what You see. 2 People can see this like above, say a Picture /Drawing but see/percieve two different thoughts while , in Reality?, are looking at the same things. Depends on the Experience and knowledge base!

--- Imagine if I drew a "Digi-sillouette" of Muhammad carrying his 10 Year old Wife in his Arms, like a baby; would Islami Finatics raise Hell?

Amazing; Black Folk can't Jump!

Hmmmmmmmaaaaaaaa

Until the global system of white supremacy is replaced with justice, more situations like Gates/Crowley will occur. The system of global white supremacy where those who consider themselves to be white, control and dominate non-white people of the world, in the the nine areas of human activity (Economics, Education, Entertainment, Labor, Law, Politics, Religion, Sex and War). This system is perpetuated by fears of white genetic annihilation. When the world accept all peoples of the world as equals, those who consider themselves as white, will disappear, genetically.

The underlying truth that girds this story is that human beings are fundamentally tribal. Tribal identity is an extremely strong emotion and people hardly recognize the fact. That is why the President, Bob Herbert and all the black columnists for the WaPo line up behind Professor Gates immediately, unencumbered by the thought process. It is true for white folks as well but it is harder to recognize because, being the dominant tribe in the nation, we think our tribal affiliations are just national characteristics.

The difference is that the message in our education, our public media and, if we had a decent one, our upbringing, tells us to that to openly express tribal pride or to think of ourselves as separate from the main is wrong. That is not so with minorities. They are free to express racial pride or ethnic pride with aplomb, free from the accusations of racism. That emotional habit can get the best of them. It did, initially, even with the president.

Bravo Ms. Quinn for being HONEST. You have personally dealt with Prof. Gates -- that makes your opinion (unlike all the misguided commentators here) an informed one. Your experiences with Prof. Gates shed light on what kind of man he is. Way to stick you neck out! Lonely are the brave....

If we don't get over this race thing, the US is going to go down the tubes. The problem deeper than just the US mentality, though it is a big part of it. It has it's roots in human nature - looking to blame someone different than oneself for one's perceived inferior circumstances. Think about it, and be honest with yourself.

Ms. Quinn, what on earth do you know about it?

Sally Quinn...pretty courageous piece. Now I will say something that will probably get me called racist. I think blacks and Latinos like being discriminated against. Certainly they look for evidence of being discriminated against over evidence of their own shortcomings. Proof of what I say is this: if blacks and latinos are so angry for being discriminated against, then let them move back to Africa and Central America where they are the majority and not discriminated against. But will they move back? No they will not. And why? Because back where they originated they would be faced with themselves, with their own failures to create a successful society. Actually even in their own countries they still cry about colonialism. But that cry is fading more every day and they are faced with themselves more every day. So they try to escape their countries. Move to places like America. And cry of being discriminated against. And the fact is whites are justified in being sceptical of blacks and Latinos. We can see what their homelands are like. How do we know if in their gaining power in the U.S. the U.S. will not start falling to third world status? So the tension will probably never end in the U.S. until it can be certain blacks and Latinos are not going to be a detrimental effect on the United States. Blacks and Latinos will continue to cry of being discriminated against. And in many cases that will be true. But in many other cases it will be simple avoidance on their part to see their own shortcomings. And in many cases whites will not be racist but merely sceptical of the effect of blacks and Latinos on American society. The race argument is not going away. The argument is just getting started.

Here is a Boston Globe article, focusing mainly on Crowley, which, like everything else I've read suggests he's not a racist.

To the left of the screen, under "Related Content," is the Police Report.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/23/officer_at_eye_of_storm_says_he_wont_apologize/?page=1

I, too, have met "Skip" Gates on more than one occasion although I do not know him well. He is arrogant, offensive more to African Americans than to whites or browns, etc., as he continues his age-old search for the "talented tenth."

Moreover, his work, of the last ten years, occasionally exhibits signs of carelessness, and this is unfortunate; he is a brilliant man. His contributions to academia, to curricula, have been enormous. Gates may be a man who is burning out.

It is impossible as other bloggers have noted to judge what occurred during this incident. If he was arrested for being "rude," or short, as he implies, he will not have been the first. "Policeness" trumps race and class. If the officer had been black, if two whites or two blacks had been involved, the outcome might well have been the same.

On the other hand, Gates may well have gone further than he admits either to himself or to the media. Only recently, a policeman spoke offensively to me, glared at me, evoking a response that, in retrospect, I regret. Quite honestly, he got worse than he gave. Perhaps, I got away with it because although brown, I am a woman, or, more likely, I just wasn't worth the officer's bother.

Mike Wallace, of "Sixty Minutes" fame, was not so fortunate five years ago when, at eighty-six, he was arrested for "disorderly conduct." He did not accuse the officer of "ageism."

The boundary between rudeness and disorderly conduct is, it would seem, set by the officer on the scene, regardless of the race, age, and gender of all concerned.

In this, Gates is on a level playing field with all the rest of us civilians. Before we judge him, however, condemn him as the snob and bully he, in some ways is, we should reflect on who he is, on his battles with race, far more bloody than Wallace's trials with age. Gates has had such battles, and as one who is battle-scarred herself, I can tell you that one does not come out unscathed from the shelling, no matter what one may think, tell herself and others, etc.

But, again, all the facts are not in, and they will never be. In the meantime, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that Gates' version has some truth in it, or even that it is the truth.

"By the way, the vague and thus irrefutable, huffy little claim -- really, the best word is smear or slur -- that Dr. Gates did not treat this columnist "honorably" on some conveniently unspecified occasion is truly another sign that the Washington Post has pretty much given up on basic journalistic standards of fairness. That isn't thoughtful or useful analysis. It's a personal attack based on a private relationship. Please knock it off. And no, I don't care to hear more. That is called gossip, not analysis."

I second this comment. Given Ms. Quinn's proximity to the highest levels of authority at the WP, and given the Post's recent firing of its best investigative journalist, Dan Froomkin, for murky reasons (ideological? interpersonal?) unrelated to the high quality of his work, the very appearance of this shoddy, gossipy piece deals a further blow to your paper's reputation.

What does Ms. Quinn's personal opinion of Professor Gates' personality and character have anything to do with religion? or the merits of the case at hand? Simply nothing. Why is this kind of National-Enquirer level jibber-jabber allowed onto your site, while you banish Froomkin and his superb reporting/analysis? The conclusion to be drawn from the reader's side (once again, alas) is that, at the Post, privilege and power trump concerns for fairness and professionalism.

This regrettable column is a matter for the ombudsman, if he can be roused to deal with it.

There are lots of priviledges to go around, there are 'white priviledges' of being anonymous and there are 'minority priviledges,' as to how people are allowed to act. Because of past inequalities, racial minorities have special scholarships directed towards them and the right to complain and hog the media spotlight for real or preceived racial slights. Priviledge is something that comes with money and prestige, and blacks have it now just like whites do.

In a he said she said media circus like this, it is hard to get a good handle on what actually happened. So who the hell knows who overstepped boundaries the most? They probably both did.

white haters/black haters what is the difference?the facts here are an arrogant,over educated fool attempted to show that he is superior to a big white guy with a gun, this white guy was doing a job.perhaps he made some judgement errors. the fool goes ballistic,potus gets face time,and the media and fellow travellers have something to keep their bs agenda alive.to vote for this guy because of his color is also stupid

It's a fallacy to say people are harassed because they are black. It's ludicrous to say there are "appalling discrepancies in the numbers of incarcerated blacks and incarcerated whites". More blacks than whites COMMIT CRIMES, and that's why they go to jail. If you want to change that, start in the home where teen girls are commonly sexually assaulted, raped, and molested by grown men till they become pregnant. Start by helping these children actually plan for a future--reading, learning, planning, and BEING PROTECTED FROM PREDATORS. Then, there will not be so many black men in prison.
There has to be change in the conditions for black children before we can solve any problems in what you call "racism." It is NOT racism; it is "behaviorism." And Gates is a jerk.

I don't care if Dr. Gates is short-tempered and arrogant (although the phrase "takes one to know one" certainly comes to mind in reading this column, steeped with the arrogance of privilege).

I do care that he was arrested for it. Repeated court cases in Massachusetts and elsewhere have confirmed that police are not allowed to arrest people in circumstances like these simply for being angry and expressing it. Such an arrest is an abuse of power.

In this situation, Gates had no power to use or abuse. His behavior may be of interest to etiquette mavens, but he is an ordinary citizen. Crowley, by contrast, did have the power of the state entrusted to him. And he misused it, violating the public trust, not just Dr. Gates's rights. As a thousand people have written: that's why the charges were dropped. Duh.

The president was stating an obvious fact: The police acted stupidly when they arrested a man (any man, black or white) in his own home who had proved to their satisfaction that he was indeed in his own home, and who had been doing nothing whatsoever to cause a public nuisance.

Maybe the motive for the bad arrest was race and maybe it wasn't. Maybe the arrest was simply an emotional, unprofessional reaction to a homeowner's bad temper. But the arrest was inarguably stupid. The president called it right.

By the way, the vague and thus irrefutable, huffy little claim -- really, the best word is smear or slur -- that Dr. Gates did not treat this columnist "honorably" on some conveniently unspecified occasion is truly another sign that the Washington Post has pretty much given up on basic journalistic standards of fairness. That isn't thoughtful or useful analysis. It's a personal attack based on a private relationship. Please knock it off. And no, I don't care to hear more. That is called gossip, not analysis.

"There is a much better and more sensible piece by Lurita Doan in today's LA Times."
Posted by: Waverider50

"No doubt it's the Uncle Tom view."
Posted by: Acanthus1

"Uncle Tom," the liberal/progressive's version of the "N-word," and used as a weapon to wound and cripple African Americans who don't think and behave as the wannabe plantation bosses think they should.

Sorry Ms. Quinn but we don't need reconciliation, we need liberation. I don't always agree with Bob Herbert, including about his support for Obama, but he hit the nail on the head on this one. Gates was arrested for being angry while black. But even better than his piece, Revolution Newspaper had the best article about this so far, "Racist Outrage: What do you call a Black man with a PhD?" - check it out at www.revcom.us.

The Court system works imperfectly. Blacks have been given a hard time and worse since they were brought to this country as slaves. Our Supreme Court and our laws now protect all of us regardless of color from abusive actions on the part of law enforcement. Do some Cops pick on some blacks still? Of course they do. Bigotry and racism is not dead and never will be. That said, no person is immune from arrest when they commit crimes and claims that racism was the only factor in the arrest create Gates v. Crowley situations that should be resolved in the court system not by the President of the United States shooting from the hip without the benefit of the facts and witness statements.
Does racism still exist in America? Of course it does.

I would to pass on an idea from Dorothy Day: People deserve respect no matter how badly they smell.

"There is a much better and more sensible piece by Lurita Doan in today's LA Times."

No doubt it's the Uncle Tom view.

Couldn't all of this been avoided if Mr. Gates had just called a locksmith?

I listened to the Gale King interview of Professor Gates. Here is my transcript of the critical portion of Professor Gates’ explanation of the facts:

“I handed both IDs. [Professor Gates is explaining that he handed Sgt. Crowley his Harvard identification and his driver’s license.] He was looking at them. And Gale, I watched his face. He is trying to unpack a narrative that he had. This is where racial profiling came in. He was so sure that he had a catch. And all of a sudden he had to try to unwrite that story…And he starts to ask me another question. And I said that’s enough…He just started to ask a question. I interrupted him and I said that’s enough, this is my house, you have my IDs. I said I want your name and badge number. This is when everything turned.”

I think this is critical because it shows Professor Gates’ state of mind. It reveals he made a psychic determination of Sgt. Crowley’s thoughts. Professor Gates speculated that he was the victim of Sgt. Crowley’s racial malice. (OK, this wasn’t speculation if Professor Gates really has clairvoyant abilities.) As a result, Professor Gates becomes admittedly “indignant” and the rest is history.

It boggles my imagination that Professor Gates would presume racial malice from a person he has never met. He articulates no conduct by Sgt. Crowley that would cause a reasonable person to make such presumptions: no racial epithets, no racially derogatory comments, no derogatory comments of any nature, no profanity, no yelling. Professor Gates allegation of racial profiling is based solely on his psychic reading of Sgt. Crowley's mind. We will never know what Sgt. Crowley was about to say to Professor Gates, but we can safely assume he was not amused by Professor Gates “indignant” behavior.

While Professor Gates accuses Sgt Crowley of “racial profiling,” Professor Gates’ own statements reveal he was the one making racial presumptions. It is my opinion this whole incident was avoidable and probably would not have occurred if Professor Gates had not made these presumptions and had been cordial to Sgt. Crowley. This is a case of the golden rule - treat others as you would like them to treat you.

I do not have a persecution complex or victim mentality. Therefore, I never presume White police officers view me as a criminal because of my race. I always give them the benefit of the doubt, like I trust people give me the benefit of the doubt when I make decisions in my occupation. I treat police officers cordially and respectfully, and I have been treated with respect and dignity in return. My son was in the same situation as Professor Gates and the result was totally different.

My son (Black American) was home visiting after a recent military deployment. We forgot to give him the security alarm code, something happened, the security alarm went off, and the police responded. My son answered the door, explained the situation, answered the police officers questions, provided identification as requested, was cordial, and thanked the officer for responding. The golden rule works.

While I believe arresting Professor Gates was inappropriate under the circumstances, lets be honest, this was not your classic racial profiling case, but rather a new kind of racial profiling concocted by Professor Gates. I am sure he will define it in his upcoming book. More important there is no evidence of racial malice accept for Professor Gates' mind reading of St. Crowley.

This was a case where an arrogant elitist Harvard professor matched wits with a working class cop. The professor was obviously so naïve that he was unaware that cops normally win these ego contest. (See the article "Skip Gates, please sit down...You are suffering from what I call the 'Ivy League Effect'" by a Black Harvard student attesting to Professor Gates naivete in believing someone outside Harvard would yeild to his arrogance. The article can be found on the web site "This Week in Blackness.")

In the end, common sense and reason prevailed. The district attorney dropped the charges and the PD recommended the charge not be pursued. The system works.

"Officer Crowley acted professionally when responding to a call about a burglary."

How do you know this as a FACT? You just made the same kind of assumption that you called, "emotionally and thoughtlessly" when stated by President Obama.

Your own disclaimer underscored what has been missing from this debate: the uncivil behavior of police toward citizens of all stripe.

Going back 40 years or so, I have enough stories of police encounters to fill a book; mostly cordial but many were very menacing.

One thing I can attest to: it depends on what kind of day the officer is having that determines how your encounter will proceed. Check out the police report and see how much time elapsed between the cop's arrival and Gates' arrest.

Yes, Prof. Gates probably acted like a jerk, but when is such behavior within your home a criminal offense? It was a stupid arrest when the cop should have and could have left the house and later told his fellow officers what an idiot Gates is.

http://www.larrybellinger.com/2009/07/it-may-not-be-racial-profiling-but-being-arrested-in-your-own-home-is-more-than-a-little-suspect/

"I have had personal dealings with him in which his behavior was not honorable."

FYI: Being a jerk isn't a crime - unless, of course, you think that being a jerk while being black is a crime. Otherwise, your argument about Gates being a jerk to you personally has no bearing on what occurred when he was arrested.

But I'm amused to see how many people are standing up for this notion of shut-up-and-defer when it comes to law enforcement. I guess I missed the memo saying America had turned into a police state.

Wright, Black Liberation, Black Panthers, Farrakhan, Ayers, Dohrn, Weatherman, Gates, ACORN, S.E.I.U., Alinsky, Davis, Socialists, Communist, Marxists, Muslim heritage, Union Thugs, Soros, Radical CZARS, God knows who else, and Barry Soetoro. All one big happy gaggle of like minds.

Ms. Quinn,

Since when is it a crime for being for being "short-tempered and arrogant", as you so kindly described your assessments of Professor Gates? Do you have any clue as to how many people (black or white) would be locked up in jail for possessing such characteristics, if it were a crime.

I really think your opinions concerning this incident are highly slanted towards those who look most like you and also those whom you have NOT had any personal dealings with.

Being black, short-tempered and arrogant, is not any different, than being white, short-tempered and arrogant.

The real question is which race comes across as the most threatening, scarier, egotistical, angry, uppity, educated, uneducated, ignorant, honest, humble, et al. Or maybe, there is a requirement that all people of a certain race to act and behave a certain way at ALL times and that same requirement does not apply to another race of people.

Therefore, Ms. Quinn, as I have also stated on previous posts, the only way that some of us will be able to have a national dialogue about race, is when people put their own perceived ideas aside when discussing various issues that we all face as human beings.

It will happen when people of various races stop blaming other races for their failures and indiscretions. It will happen when a certain race of people are innocent and are accused of crimes they did not commit. It will happen when certain people stop reflecting their racists mindsets on other people who do not look or act like them. It will happen when blacks folks can be angry and emotionally distraught for having a bad day and not be arrested for having a bad day. It will happen when the cop (black or white) who is having a bad day, does not arrest the civilian (black or white) for acting arrogantly and angry. It will happen when stop allowing our emotions to dictate the outcome of our perceptions about people that are different from us.

It will happen when we stop allowing one negative incident concerning one individual of a different race to distort our views on a whole race of people. It will happen when certain media organizations and political parties stop using race as their primary tool and resource to when political votes. Remember the Willie Horton ads, and most recently all of the political ads and cartoons with the Obama's being shown in terrorist's gear, gorilla's being shot, the White house lawn depicted with watermelon patches et al.

You see Ms. Quinn, it is when the racist white political establishment and corporate elites stop depicting blacks in such regards will we be able to have a national debate about race.

If you can separate these whites from other whites who do not possess these attitudes and traits, then it should be pretty easy tasks to accomplish.

Peace and Good Luck!

MY REPLY TO bebopjazz IN CAPS (SORRY)

Ms.Quinn,

You state that most of us don't say what we really feel about race (skin color). I'd like to offer my honest opinion.

As a black man, born, raised and bred in America, this country operates on a system of white supremacy. White people, the predominant population, own, control and finance every American institution. As such, those who have this control look to maintain and increase such control.

GEE, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE JEWS CONTROLLED ALL THIS

It is also understood that if you are non-white, your life, culture, heritage and history are seen as "less than" the life, culture, heritage and history of white people.

KARL ROVE PASSIVE VOICE. IT IS UNDERSTOOD BY WHOM? THIS HAS NEVER BEEN MY UNDERSTANDING AS PART WHITE, PART NATIVE AMERICAN.

There is no such thing in this country as "reverse discrimination" because black people, in most cases, do not have the power and authority to affect the lives of whites through employment, housing, health care, etc. Those who have that control can effectively influence, deny, discriminate against those who don't have that influence.

CONSENT DECREES AND HR MANAGERS(BLACK AND WHITE) HAVE THIS POWER AND USE IT. I HAVE PERSONALLY BEEN A VICTIM OF IT UNTIL I REALIZED I WAS ENOUGH NATIVE AMERICAN TO CHANGE MY RACE ON APPLICATIONS. THIS WORKED WONDERS FOR ME ALL OF A SUDDEN.

The Gates arrest has proven how different whites and Blacks view life in America. Most blacks should know that any confrontation with American law enforcement can end in the death of that black person. It is historical that so many blacks have been killed by law enforcement in every state in this country for years. Why is it we never read in the media that some white person was accidentally or erroneously shot by police (under suspicious circumstances)? again, it is understood that the life of any white person has a greater value than that of any non-white person.

SO ALL WHITE COPS ARE GOING TO KILL YOU?

Until America is honest with itself and begins to take a serious look at white supremacy, white privilege and white advantage AND until masses of white begin to view non-white lives as valuable as their own, this country will continue to live the great lie.

THE ASSUMPTION THAT ALL WHITES DO NOT VALUE NON-WHITE LIVES AS VALUABLE AS THEIR OWN IS AN IGNORANT GENERALIZATION AND A RACIST STEREOTYPE.

regarding profiling..the left may have started us down the slippery slope of profiling....sizing up everyone by race or ethnicity. A police officer is a white police officer...a professor is an African American Professor. You can't have it both ways. Minorities are profiled by the police? Well, minorities are profiled to their benefit in corporate America, in education, etc. In this bad economy as one is applying for jobs..they always ask one's race. So often times today the ones with Hispanic surnames or African Americans get hired - or better yet 'a double minority' - an Hispanic woman! While maybe good to some extent..it is also having a deleterious effect on race relations. Americans and Whites in general may be the most tolerant peoples in the world - especially in today's world. Just look at all the violent religious and ethnic strife in the Middle East, Africa, and the former Soviet Union the last 20 years. Bob Herbert only paints one side of the race issue in this country...as most of the media does. I would avoid a frank discussion of race...I think a lot of folks...and minority groups would get their feelings hurt. I think our country was doing better 20 to 30 years ago..of progress towards racial and ethnic acceptance and cheering the gains of minorities in this country. Not so much today. Everything regarding race is now shoved down our throats on seemingly a daily basis. While the media and the political left's historical drive for social justice has been a benefit to minorities and good for all humanity...it could be backfiring today...as glaring differences in test scores, criminality, etc. can often be observed along racial and ethnic lines. Why not go a whole year...and not define or comment along racial and ethnic lines - nor hire along racial and ethnic lines - in other words, identify and treat folks as individuals. The outcomes would overall be very good as most Americans are good.

Ms.Quinn,

You state that most of us don't say what we really feel about race (skin color). I'd like to offer my honest opinion.

As a black man, born, raised and bred in America, this country operates on a system of white supremacy. White people, the predominant population, own, control and finance every American institution. As such, those who have this control look to maintain and increase such control. It is also understood that if you are non-white, your life, culture, heritage and history are seen as "less than" the life, culture, heritage and history of white people.

There is no such thing in this country as "reverse discrimination" because black people, in most cases, do not have the power and authority to affect the lives of whites through employment, housing, health care, etc. Those who have that control can effectively influence, deny, discriminate against those who don't have that influence.

The Gates arrest has proven how different whites and Blacks view life in America. Most blacks should know that any confrontation with American law enforcement can end in the death of that black person. It is historical that so many blacks have been killed by law enforcement in every state in this country for years. Why is it we never read in the media that some white person was accidentally or erroneously shot by police (under suspicious circumstances)? again, it is understood that the life of any white person has a greater value than that of any non-white person.

Until America is honest with itself and begins to take a serious look at white supremacy, white privilege and white advantage AND until masses of white begin to view non-white lives as valuable as their own, this country will continue to live the great lie.

"This country is not supposed to be a police state."

Um, the whole issue is that one persons' opinion of what a "police state" is, does not necessarily agree with a 2nd persons, much less the arresting officer or the adjudicating magistrate or the prosecuting district-attorney.

The problem is that the very law itself is nothing but a hockey puck to be passed around and shot at whatever net is convenient at the moment. By putting so much weight on "law and order", we debase the very notion itself. It becomes nothing more than what the police and the courts think that it means.

It's like using a pair of vise-grips to tighten all bolts. It's going to strip an awful lot of them because it simply is the wrong tool for the job. But when you place the vise-grips on a pedestal, like the concept of a "law and order society", there's nothing else that is going to happen. People are going to reach for it in all cases, all the time.

This whole issue came down to the publics belief that the cops shouldn't have arrested gates, vs the publics' and the cops belief that Gates should have made less of a scene and been more cooperative. Both sides are reaching for the same tool to justify their argument. But they are pulling it in different directions. Thus, no solution to the problem. You have to change the approach of the police to dealing with the public, otherwise this will happen again and again and again. Just like before...more so in the future. With half of the public clamoring for it.

Having been harassed by the PG County police before and yelled at and screamed at by the police before as a white man I too had to wonder about all of this racial profiling that was discussed.

Once when breaking up a party a black officer muttered to me, "You white boys think you got it all figured out, don't you." Naturally I bit my lip and moved on.

However, all that said and with some inkling that a black friend might have looked at these unfair incidents as racial in nature, I recently heard a story that really did sound like racial profiling- he was 24 years old, just got a good job and decided to buy a used BMW to impress the ladies. Driving back from a late night at the office in DC he got pulled over in a BMW with Temp Tags and was held by the police for over an hour while they grilled him about ownership of the car and threatened to arrest him for stealing the car.

Yes, I was followed by many store security guards, yes I was yelled at by the police, yes I had people cross to the other side of the street when I was a tough teenager, but I never got pulled over for a full hour while a cop questioned me about where I bought my car.

LAMENTATIONS wrote:
You, like an appallingly large number of Americans, seem to be conflating arrogance or rudeness with criminality. There is no law requiring a person to be polite to police officers. There are laws limiting the access of police officers to private property, and protecting freedom of speech, and prohibiting abuse of power by public officials. Yet, you state "Sergeant Crowley acted professionally" in clear contravention of the audio tape produced as a record of his encounter with Professor Gates. Sergeant Crowley might be correct in being angered or offended by Professor Gates's behavior, but that was not grounds of arresting the man. This country is not supposed to be a police state. Like President Obama, I am not certain how much of the sergeant's behavior was influenced by race, but that does not mitigate the fact that he acted stupidly is arresting the legitimate occupant of private property, on an obvious pretext. His official report has already been proven inaccurate, yet you defend him because you know Professor Gates to be "arrogant." God help this country!

My response: I agree 100% with Lamentations and wonder why Ben Bradlee's wife felt compelled to tell us that Gates is known for his arrogance. So what?!

LAMENTATIONS wrote:
You, like an appallingly large number of Americans, seem to be conflating arrogance or rudeness with criminality. There is no law requiring a person to be polite to police officers. There are laws limiting the access of police officers to private property, and protecting freedom of speech, and prohibiting abuse of power by public officials. Yet, you state "Sergeant Crowley acted professionally" in clear contravention of the audio tape produced as a record of his encounter with Professor Gates. Sergeant Crowley might be correct in being angered or offended by Professor Gates's behavior, but that was not grounds of arresting the man. This country is not supposed to be a police state. Like President Obama, I am not certain how much of the sergeant's behavior was influenced by race, but that does not mitigate the fact that he acted stupidly is arresting the legitimate occupant of private property, on an obvious pretext. His official report has already been proven inaccurate, yet you defend him because you know Professor Gates to be "arrogant." God help this country!

My response: I agree 100% with Lamentations and wonder why Ben Bradlee's wife felt compelled to tell us that Gates is known for his arrogance. So what?!

SALLY,YOU PEOPLE IN THE STATE RUN MEDIA TOTALLY IGNORED THE LETTER THE COPS BOSS SENT TO GATES. THE SARGE IS THE ONE WHO LAID IT ALL OUT FOR THE BLACKS TO SEE.

"give me an example of even ONE race, besides Caucasians, who have made any major contribution to technology and society in the past 1000 years or more. And forget the Chinese, Japanese, etc as they have learned all they know from the West, and have only just learned how to use that knowledge in the past 30 or 40 years.
And for some reason, white people are supposed to feel ashamed??? Because we didn't give the rest of the world enough yet?
Posted by: scoates2482 | August 2, 2009 2:14 PM"
***************
The Chinese had manufacturing 2000 years ago, they also had advanced science that lead to medical treatments that the West still cannot understand.

Arab/Muslims/Persians proved the Earth was a spheroid and not flat thousands of years before the West. Throw in the Greeks and we have the foundation of current day math and science.

Then we can even talk about the pharmacopia that non-Western societies had. Everything from helpful to biological and chemical weapons.

When the library in Alexandria, Egypt burned, it was estimated that the "western" world was set back 3000 years from a technology and knowledge stand point.

The peoples populating the now South America were such experts in metallurgy and building that we cannot even begin to replicate their processes today.

If you wish to limit the timeframe of non-white contributions to the past 30 years, you will expose your ignorance even further so let's not even go there.

Since this is "On Faith", then isn't this a Christian problem. My experience with almost everyone I've ever met with "dark skin" is that Jesus will solve all my problems. Aren't President Obama, Prof. Gates and Officer Crowley all Christians? I graduated from the Garland City Citizens Police Academy, TX. They have an alumni organization I would have loved to join, but it was all about Jesus. I prefer Moses to Jesus. Moses has never been replaced in my brain. So I can unite President Obama, Prof. Gates and Officer Crowley by this statement alone. I wrote the Police stating I couldn't join because there was so much fundamentalist Christianity involved in all their work. I would love all Christians in the whole wide world to choose the NRSVWA as a Bible of choice so I can deal with every Christian as if they had the same Bible Books. You see Maccabees 4 is my psychiatrist. I would love to talk to Prof. Gates and Officer Crowley about Maccabees 4. It's all about the blood-brain barrier before there ever was such a thing as Jesus Christ. In fact a young Black fellow employee told me the Jews deserved the Holocaust because they didn't believe in Jesus. So I said "the only reason you are Christian is because of your slave masters." He replied "I'm glad I was a slave instead of those Africans." His parents were both grade 15 back here in DC. It became even a greater story with White evangelicals harassing me. I took care of it when a Jewish Manager said "I wish you hadn't told me." I think all of us should now rejoice that the Hitler Resistance is now being treated as heroes in Germany for the first time. I think we should really call them heroes. For 60 years they have been treated as traitors.

No one mentions that Whalen worked for the Harvard Alumni magazine. No one mentions that no witness ever mentioned seeing a police car. I know if there's an altercation, I'd first notice a police car. Sounds sort of a "production" to me. There are people who do have a profession called "producer". It's on my accident report. Did the Prof. own the home or did he rent there?

Here's what I suggest: Since Professor Gates refused to cooperate, and Officer Crowley arrested a man in his own home needlessly, each one bears a share of the blame. It seems only fair that they walk a mile in each other's shoes. I suggest they each be assigned to spend time exploring the other's perspective on life. Officer Crowley should be required to attend 60 hours of Professor Gates' lectures on blacks in America, and Professor Gates should be required to ride with Officer Crowley in his squad car for a comparable 60 hours. Fair enough?

"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

"YO YO, HO HO, OBAMA Gots To GO!"

"YO YO, HO HO, BAMAS Gots to Go!

-The TERRORISTS & CO., are LOVEn THIS!

......___________________......
...........||.......||........||.......||..........
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FOR ACTS AGAINST AMERICANS & CONTEMPT OF AUTHORITY!

--
"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

"YO YO, HO HO, OBAMAs Gots To GOes!"

"YO YO, HO HO, BAMAS Gots to Goes!

"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

AMAZING, NO GRACE()!

Ms. Quinn,
You, like an appallingly large number of Americans, seem to be conflating arrogance or rudeness with criminality. There is no law requiring a person to be polite to police officers. There are laws limiting the access of police officers to private property, and protecting freedom of speech, and prohibiting abuse of power by public officials. Yet, you state "Sergeant Crowley acted professionally" in clear contravention of the audio tape produced as a record of his encounter with Professor Gates. Sergeant Crowley might be correct in being angered or offended by Professor Gates's behavior, but that was not grounds of arresting the man. This country is not supposed to be a police state. Like President Obama, I am not certain how much of the sergeant's behavior was influenced by race, but that does not mitigate the fact that he acted stupidly is arresting the legitimate occupant of private property, on an obvious pretext. His official report has already been proven inaccurate, yet you defend him because you know Professor Gates to be "arrogant." God help this country!

"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

"YO YO, OBAMA Gots To GO!"

-Prof.? GATES, NOt Bill Gates, Nor Asst. Sec. State Gates.., Must GO To Jail ASAP, foe atleast a Year & for almost (Conspiring) causing a National & Possibly International (RACE BASED) RIOT!? The TERRORISTS & CO., are LOVEn THIS!

......___________________......
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...........||.......||.\___/||.......||..........
...........||.___||..).,.(..||___.||..........
......... /||..--...||.-\_/-.||..---,.||\........
........./.||.--,_,||____.||.._--.||.\.....
......../..||..--'-'||____'||.._--..||..\......
..... .(...||.)01234-GATES(.||...).....
......../|||\........||.........||........./|||\…….
..........

FOR ACTS AGAINST AMERICANS & CONTEMPT OF AUTHORITY!

PREDICTION & GUARANTEE: In The next 365 Days the "Black-Folk" will be costing Tax Payers 100's of Billions of $$$$$ for NEW CRIMES committed by them kinds; i.e. Rape, Armed Robbery, Random Killings by Tons aGuns & knives. Moocho Drug dealings like bringing to whites neighborhoods drugs (Crack, Heroin etc..) from black/blited neighborhoods etc... Not Mexicans neighborhoods, not White folk Communitys etc.. by a Ratio of 1000 to 1.

WHEN Will [Trend via Stats] IT all STOP or Slow where more Whites than Blacks are in its Prison (Puss-Hole) System????? WHEN Al Sharpton? When Jesse Jackson & Co;, When!??

"I don’t care what church he goes to, what beer he drinks, how he works out, what school his kids are going to, what his middle name is, what his wife wears, what color his skin is, or where his dad was born. I only care that he wants what is best for this country and that he’s doing everything he can to make it happen."

Check out the Full Article and Follow The Quintessential Generalist Blog on RSS, Twitter, and Facebook at:
Birthers, Bigots, and Budweiser: America's Ridiculous Obsession with Barrack Obama

"The Op/Ed piece, previously mentioned, in the New York Times is excellent. The title of it is 'Small Beer, Big Hangover' by Frank Rich. Posted by: RTfromIL"

There is a much better and more sensible piece by Lurita Doan in today's LA Times.

Adlai Stevenson,one of my favorite losing presidential candidates, once said "we try to see how the grass is growing by pulling it out to examine the roots". Are we ever going to let our sores alone so they can heal by themselves? They often do you know. More black Americans associate with more white Americans than any time in my lifetime. The military made it work because they had too. Sixty five years ago
the black and white members of my Big Ten sports team got along rather well. Some of us were still friends years later. Politicians and professional commentators need to say things to earn their pay checks. Haven't we heard enough about the race issue?

Adlai Stevenson,one of my favorite losing presidential candidates, once said "we try to see how the grass is growing by pulling it out to examine the roots". Are we ever going to let our sores alone so they can heal by themselves? They often do you know. More black Americans associate with more white Americans than any time in my lifetime. The military made it work because they had too. Sixty five years ago
the black and white members of my Big Ten sports team got along rather well. Some of us were still friends years later. Politicians and professional commentators need to say things to earn their pay checks. Haven't we heard enough about the race issue?

The Op/Ed piece, previously mentioned, in the New York Times is excellent. The title of it is "Small Beer, Big Hangover" by Frank Rich.

I agree wholeheartedly with you that we need an honest dialog. Unfortunately, with few exceptions, significant majority of whites believes that the privileged life they are accustomed to is a birthright that should be available to them only. I hope an honest conversation can help bridge the chasm between the two parties. The question for everybody is How to start that dialog while ignoring the background protests and attacks from the opposition. For another point of view, please refer to the oped piece (Small Beer, Big Hangover in the new york times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/opinion/02rich.html?_r=1&em)by Frank rich.

Sally,

I heard on NPR the same incident you referenced in the article. I still find myself having the same reaction.

I could truly empathize with you and your friend as white women being faced with an abrasive African American police officer. I am sorry that it happened.

However, I was baffled by your attempt to equate occasional racial disrespect in a situation that you would encounter infrequently with the daily racist slights and insensitivities that blacks and other people of color encounter daily. I don't understand how white people's examples of "one time I had a similar experience" is supposed to indicate that they somehow "suffer" similarly and know what racism means. Not so. Also, when whites bring out the "one time" examples, it is an implicit mandate for those who would voice their experiences with ongoing racism to stop complaining because "after all, we all suffer the same way".

I once heard a very articulate scholar aptly describe one of the reasons that conversations about race do not move forward. When conversations about race begin, instead of listening, whites make the conversation about themselves and their experiences of discrimination from people of color, being they 1 or 2. Oh, and instead of acknowledging that, "yes racism is occurring" and that they might be directly or indirectly engaged in it, they point to reasons why people of color, especially blacks, deserve it. The other tact is to then rationalize racist behavior by the divide and conquer tact..."well why is this minority group doing better than that minority group?" What whites fail to understand is that the group that they champion is just as resentful of their racism.

If you are really serious about the dialogue on race and a way that it is working, I would encourage you to look up the Cultural Context Model and the Alliance for Racial and Social Justice.

Two questions have yet to be answered:

1. If Prof. Gates did anything wrong, why were all charges dropped?

2. Why did Sgt. Crowley choose to lie in his official report?

Shout out to JTHOMAS3 who Posted: And I say you've missed the point completely. The article is specifically about the problems we still have in this country with race. Are there also problems with the police in general, completely aside from racial issues? Yes, definitely. And this case definitely touches on that.

But to ignore the serious issues with race, completely divorced from the issue with police, is to perpetuate a problem every bit as serious and pervasive in this country.

The problem is that while it's perfectly acceptable, and even fashionable, to discuss white racism (which continues to be a major problem), it is still taboo, even for blacks, to publicly discuss black racism, even though it's blatant, ugly, and even more publicly evident. Double standards and "separate but equal" cut both ways: we can never reduce racism in this country if racial bigotry is only attacked on one side and not the other.

-------------------

I agree with you completely, we need a real dialogue about racism that includes both sides of the issue. I do believe that Gates perception that the policeman was racist led in part to his reaction. The policeman was trying to keep himself safe, I know a lot of cops and that is paramount when called to a potential crime scene. Arresting Gates was wrong and an abuse of power no matter the race of the person, it's too bad that abuse of our rights has been completely over shadowed by Gates perception of racism by the policeman.

Even those of us that grew up with racist parents and overcame that have some unconscious bias. I have been blessed with black friends that are not afraid to talk about it. We can relate, and it helps. For instance, my father threatened to kick me out of the house for bringing home a black friend at 14. My current black friends have similar stories about their parents. We are all in our 40s, I'm hoping, and it appears to be happening, that each generation judges people based on their minds and hearts rather than their skin, white or black. But it really is important that all of us work to change.

I submit that Gates used racial profiling when he saw the policeman, he said he immediately thought the cop would be racist. It is just as bad as a white person racial profiling a group of black teens hanging out and going the other way.

"Many media people need to work harder at this...their "whiteness" shows too much and perhaps they should be replaced!"

Please aver what majority-black nation you'd prefer to live in than than US; and what steps you're taking to move there.

Ms. Quinn, I beg to differ: The President did not speak "thoughtlessly" simply because he didn't know every detail of the case. In fact, when more facts came out, it bolstered the President's remarks. The police did act stupidly. President Obama did not mention race at all. It appears that the only reason this is being debated is because the police officer was white and the other two men black.

I was not there; you (probably) were not there; members of the news media reporting on the incident, and certainly, Obama were not present during the Crowley/Gates episode. So do you truly know what happened in Cambridge that day? I didn't think so. It might come as surprise to many but racism exists among ALL groups including African Americans (read peer-reviewed social science research for more information). That said, it's time everybody moved forward and stopped acting like a bunch of immature adults. And a note to mainstream news media: try being more objective in your coverage of race-related cases.

The job of white folks is to start educating ourselves - examine our "whiteness" White men have to work a little harder and their white friends and families can help them. Ask yourself about your thoughts in racial situations. It takes time but it can be done.Many media people need to work harder at this...their "whiteness" shows too much and perhaps they should be replaced!

trobador, You are missing the point that Professor Gates' home was a reported crime scene. There is an national standard operating procedure for law enforcement by which Sgt. Crowley was guided. There was a crowd of policemen and interested citizens watching Professor Gates' display of temper. Sgt Crowley had to make a judgment call relative to Professor Gates. He did. It is over and done. They have decided to put it behind them and to try to work together to improve our understanding of racial and police profiling. If we as individuals can also do so, this country would better as a result.

Kinda suprised by the depth of igorance here. Many posters impart that the only acceptable actions a black man can take when dealing with police is to "yassu" & "nossu" while looking down. Please define "uncooperative". How did "blackmen" and "backpacks" get into the police report, but wasn't mentioned by the 911 caller? Gates provided ID showing he was in his home. Disorderly conduct is a charge used to arrest when no other reason is justifiable. Mouthing off (asking for a name/badge#), not "dispersing" fast enough, being in the company of a white woman are some reasons I've been charged with disorderly conduct (charges dropped in each circumstance). From my view, being a racist means you have the ability and means to affect/effect the other parties reality. Very few black people are in this position.

"I have had personal dealings with him in which his behavior was not honorable."

Less than honorable behavior, even if exibited by the Professor on the night of the incidence is not illegal.

"give me an example of even ONE race, besides Caucasians, who have made any major contribution to technology and society in the past 1000 years or more. And forget the Chinese, Japanese, etc as they have learned all they know from the West, and have only just learned how to use that knowledge in the past 30 or 40 years.

And for some reason, white people are supposed to feel ashamed??? Because we didn't give the rest of the world enough yet?

Posted by: scoates2482 | August 2, 2009 2:14 PM"

*************

Chinese:
- Gunpowder
- Toilet Paper
(I'll spare you the lecture but we actually got the above ideas from them)
- Wal-mart (supplied by the PLA?)
Japanese:
- Everything tech.
Arabs:
- Our number system
- mathematics
- Our history (they kept the books on European history safe while the Europeans were burning down everything in the Dark ages)
Africans:
- Musical roots of everything from Rock to Country.

That's just off the top of my head :-)

"True that Gates is an arrogant jerk."

I'm not sure what this and similar comments have to do with anything of relevance. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Professor G. is indeed arrogant, pushy, dishonorable, a shoddy scholar, has pimples, whatever.

And let's assume that he was indeed behaving like a part of his nether anatomy during his encounter with the Cambridge cop.

Here's the thing, folks: It's not illegal to be a jerk or to behave like an abrasive fool. There are social and professional penalties for these things, but under the rule of law they do not get you booked by the police.

Obama's remark that the police behaved stupidly in this case was remarkably temperate. A truly honest assesment of what happened would have been much harsher still.

"The sad and unfortunate truth is that African American men do commit a disproportionate amount of the dangerous and serious crime in this country. That, in largest measure, accounts for their disparate arrest and incarceration numbers."

OK - we've heard this thousands of times. Tell me, please: What is your point here? Explain the term "disproportionate" to me. I see it as nothing more than some exercise in rhetoric. Are you calling black people inherently more inclined toward criminal behavior? If you are, simply say so - BE HONEST. Stop the word gaming.
Posted by retiredzoomie

Since you appear to have read what I wrote, at least the last paragraph, you should know that I didn't offer any reason as to why black men commit roughly seven times the number of serious crimes as white males do. I didn't suggest a reason why that is the case because I don't know why its the case, although I very seriously doubt that that disparity has anything to do with genetics or inherent traits.

Regarding the definition of "disproportionate," it is well defined in virtually every dictionary. I'm not inclined to do your literacy "leg work" for you. Try looking the word up yourself.

You can blame this whole fiasco on the weather. Really. If the damp weather had not swelled Gates' door so that he had a hell of a time getting in his house, this whole incident wound have never happened, would it? Funny how that works.

iamweaver: okay, I'll give your comments the benefit of the doubt to a certain extent. But let us look around the world. Is there non-violence anywhere? Not really. But where is society and civilization at the highest level? In Africa?

I live on the African continent. It is brutal. They don't call it racism here (unless you're white) - they call it tribalism. And it is brutal.

And, by the way, it's been this way since LONG before any white man stepped foot on this soil.

scoates2482 writes:
"retiredzoomie: Okay, I'll reply if no one else will.

Yes: black people in America are more likely to commit crimes. Is it implicitly BECAUSE of their skin color? Who knows.

there are plenty of law abiding black citizens, but don't pretend that there is not a REASON that there are more black prisoners. All it takes is a walk (if you dare) through an urban black neighborhood. Try my hometown: Detroit. Some great black neighborhoods, but most - most, most, most - are dangerous for blacks, let alone other races."
------------------------------------------
Let's be realistic here - the problem is racial only "incidentally". The real problem today is a social/economic one. Unfortunately, "blacks" (and Hispanics) are more predominantly represented in the urbanized, hostile, misogynistic society that infests so many of our cities.

Though the visual clues that tag someone as a member of that particular society are pretty evident, it seems that our brains prefer to take the lazy route, and look at the color of someone's skin first :(. Of course, this is true for those in that society as well. It's easy to mark someone's social group by their skin color as (it's just not always accurate).

Mr. PRESIDENT, Ms. POLOSI & CO.:

"Ho Ho OBAMA & YOU Must Surely GO!"

"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

"YO YO, OBAMA Gots To GO!"

-Prof. GATES, not Bill Gates, Not Asst. Sec. State Gates.., Must GO To Jail asap For almost (Conspiring) insighting a National & Possibly International (RACE BASED) RIOT!? The TERRORISTS & CO., are LOVE-N THIS!

......___________________......
...........||.......||........||.......||
...........||.......||.., , ,.||.......||
...........||......(||../|/(\.||/......||
...........||.......||.._'_ ,||.......||
...........||.......||..o o..||.......||
...........||......(||...m...||)......||
...........||.......||...=....||.......||
...........||.......||.\___/||.......||
...........||.___||..).,.(..||___.||
......... /||..--...||.-\_/-.||..---,.||\
........./.||.--,_,||____.||.._--.||..\
..........(||)RACE-GATES(.||)
............|"""""""""""""""""""""|..........
Foe ACTS AGAINST AMERICANS....

-Mr. OBAMA. Please, like an EX-Friend, Distance yourself from Mr. "Racist-GATES", not P.O. Crowley, like ye didth with REVrend/Brother Mr. Wrong, ooopps Meant your Ex-Friend Rev. Jeramiah (Bul{Frog) Mr. Wright!

--Or Else: "DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012/13 and beyond!"

"Ho Ho OBAMA & CO. Must Surely GO!"

"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

"YO YO, OBAMA Gots To GO!"

PS: Its a good "PROBABILITY" that Prof.? Gates Wanted To Get Busted. All he had to do was smile, look into P.O. Crowleys eyes and ask, "Why are you Here Sir/Mams"? And simply sing, "Yazza Mon or No-Mon to questions! And Hope da/Cops go away w/good REASON &CAUSE &SATISFACTION! Nothing Complicated!

Ok. Let's speak honestly about what happened. A law abiding citizen was arrested for being "uncooperative" after properly identifying himself and his place of residence. He did not assault nor threaten the police officer. He simply repeatedly asked the police officer to provide his name and badge number (very likely for the purpose of filing a complaint). The officer refused to provide the information. He was wrong for not providing this information. Mr. Gates incessantly repeated his request as the officer walked out of his home, at which point he was arrested for being unccoperative. True, this was not a case of racial profiling. This was a case, however, of being "angry while black." The result of which in this country is usually death or imprisonment - whether pauper or professor. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that had Professor Gates been white, the officer would have apologized, provided the requested information, and left his home ASAP! Let's "be real" about that.
There is a double standard in how this country's criminal laws are enforced and applied - with minorities being disproportionately stopped, fined, arrested, imprisoned, or shot dead. This "phenomenon" we generally recognize to be true.
For example, while employed as a Security Officer some years ago, I witnessed a drunk caucasian female warned (not arrested) after twice attempting to drive her car out of a mall parking lot. After stopping her the second time, the local police officers put her in a cab for transportation to take her home. As I stood there in silent shock, I could only imagine what reasoning the police officers used to not arrest an individual who ignored their first warning and got back into, and drove, the same car a second time. I guess they utilized they their "discretionary powers." I simply could not help but think that had that woman been black she would have been arrested for DUI at the first stop.
Officer Crowley failed to exercise his "discretion powers" in arresting Prof. Gates. He was wrong. When he can admit that, instead of hiding behind the "Blue Wall," then a sincere and productive dialogue can occur regarding this incident, and race relations within the U.S., in general.

Thank you! Please pass this article along to Frank Rich, New York Times. He needs it!

I still will give some leeway to Sgt. Crowley. He had to defuse the situation. Gates was out of control. Crowley could not just turn his back on someone out of control. He had to resolve the situation. Isn't that the role of the police -- conflict resolution? Obama made the situation worse... much worse, because a lot of us do not accept Obama's attack that this was racial profiling. It was NOT, except for racial profiling by Gates and by Obama.

Officer Crowley in his own report admits that he did not give a Cambridge citizen in whose home he was standing his name and badge number as requested.

He kept identifying himself as "Sergeant Crowley" when the law clearly states that if a member of the public asks for his name, he is supposed to provide his full name and his badge number. Not doing so is an intimidation tactic designed to prevent complaints against the police.

Gates arrogant and high-handed, maybe. But I'm pretty sure, as a white woman, that once I'd provided ID the policeman would leave my house. That didn't happen in this case.

Do I think it's blatant racism? No.
Do I think it's latent racism? Yes.

Mr. PRESIDENT, Ms. POLOSI & CO.:

"Ho Ho OBAMA & YOU Must Surely GO!"

"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

"YO YO, OBAMA Gots To GO!"

-Prof. GATES, not Bill Gates, Not Asst. Sec. State Gates.., Must GO To Jail asap For almost (Conspiring) insighting a National & Possibly International (RACE BASED) RIOT!? The TERRORISTS & CO., are LOVE-N THIS!

......___________________......
...........||.......||........||.......||
...........||.......||.., , ,.||.......||
...........||......(||../|/(\.||/......||
...........||.......||.._'_ .,||......||
...........||.......||..o o..||.......||
...........||......(||...m...||)......||
...........||.......||...=....||.......||
...........||.......||.\___/||.......||
...........||.___||..).,.(..||___.||
......... /||..--...||.-\_/-.||..---,.||\
........./.||.--,_,||____.||.._--||..\
..........(||)RACE-GATES(.||)
............|"""""""""""""""""""""|......
...|ACTS AGAINST AMERICANS|...

Mr. OBAMA. Please, like an EX-Friend, Distance yourself from Mr. "Racist-GATES", not P.O. Crowley, like ye didth with REVrend/Brother Mr. Wrong, ooopps Meant your Ex-Friend Rev. Jeramiah (Bul{Frog) Mr. Wright!

--Or Else: "DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012/13 and beyond!"

"Ho Ho OBAMA & CO. Must Surely GO!"

"HO HO, OBAMA & CO. must Surely GO!"

"YO YO, OBAMA Gots To GO!"

PS: Its a good "PROBABILITY" that Prof.? Gates Wanted To Get Busted. All he had to do was smile, look into P.O. Crowleys eyes and ask, "Why are you Here Sir/Mams"? And simply sing, "Yazza Mon or No-Mon to questions! And Hope He/Cops go away w/good REASON&CAUSE&SATISFACTION! Nothing Complicated!

Facts show that 70%of black children are born to unmarried black women; 50% of school dropouts are black youths; many prisioners are black men. For some reason, American law just doesn't seem important to blacks. This conflict of interest causes many of these racial "events". But more interestingly, these events are moneymakers for those in the Victimology business. Something is happening in our nation. White patience is wearing very thin for these phony cries of "victim". We now have a black president, black attorney-general, and hundreds of mayors who are black. Massachusetts has a mayor,and governor who are black, and still the cry of "victim" comes from a man who started the whole thing. There is no slavery victim, just spoiled brats who want money.

The irony of all of this is that we are ALL of African descent as members of Homo Sapiens. My skin color is white, but I'm from Africa too. Most black-skinned individuals in this country were not physically born in Africa, but they still claim it as their place of origin. Yet this is true for every human alive today. Paleontologists place the origin of our species in what is now modern day South Africa. The first humans lived by the sea, and ate heavily of fish (no wonder why we all prize water front views and omega 3 fatty acid is so good for us!). Our take on race is arbitrary from a biological point of view. That being said, we all use profiling on a daily basis. Notice yourself and the feelings aroused the next time you are at a cocktail party or some other social gathering and talking with different individuals. Self examination in this way can be informative. My take on the above post regarding black americans being more likely to talk back to authority, is that it all begins in the home. If you weren't taught respect by two parents in a loving but structured environment (two important things all kids need), then don't be surprised when these individuals flout society's laws and mores later. The dramatic increase in black incarceration rate bares this out. How many of those incarcerated individuals were raised in a 2 parent home without drugs and alcohol? Not many I would guess. Personally, I think their parents should be incarcerated right beside them, for they were the ones who truly failed society, not their offspring, all of whom start life with limitless potential (see Pres. Barack Obama)...

give me an example of even ONE race, besides Caucasians, who have made any major contribution to technology and society in the past 1000 years or more. And forget the Chinese, Japanese, etc as they have learned all they know from the West, and have only just learned how to use that knowledge in the past 30 or 40 years.

And for some reason, white people are supposed to feel ashamed??? Because we didn't give the rest of the world enough yet?

it's interesting to consider how, without white European people, most of the world would still be wiping their butts with their hands, but now we can all take the full force of their self righteous rage and indignation about something that they couldn't attain themselves in 1000s of years.

Koom-bie-ya, my Lord;
Koom-bie-ya

When Sally Quinn talks about a Rorschach test of people's perceptions of race in America, she is using a paradigm that is nearly 70 years old. If she had been up-to-date about theories of perception and communication of meanings, she would be talking of 'socionics' and of theories of 'emergent' perceptions and of 'strange loops' in the 'complexity theory' sense of the term.

The word 'race' has different levels of meaning: (1) thus some commentators' have characterised Ms. Lucia Whalen as a woman with an 'olive-coloured skin' indicates (How is skin colour and 'race' related? In South Africa around 1989, relatives of mine of Indian origin were arrested by 'white' police officers who thought my relatives were 'whites' who were illegally mixing, on an Indians-only beach, with Indians having slightly darker skins than they did!); (2)is not the the self-importance/narcissism of Professor Gates and the arrogance of power of the mid-rank cop some form of 'racism', whatever that term means?; (3) if both men had cooled down and mentally stepped back, might not each have seen that there was a 'feedback loop' that caused the arrogance-of-power attitude of the cop to trigger the sensation of piqued self-esteem of the Professor and cause things to escalate into accusations of racism and victimhood? That is the point of 'emergent reality'. The neocons were utterly stupid to think that "We are an empire now; we create our own reality". But that blogger had a keen sense of the 'emergent' dimension of the perception of reality who advised the Taliban captors of the American prisoner whose hanging a Fox news commentator called for to, instead, treat him well and maybe return him to the US authorities in safe condition. THAT would help US imperialists one cause to stop and reflect on who are the real terrorists.

It is funny that my white Brothers and Sisters are quick to forget that in our life time the US will be come...how do you say...a little more tan. We should always remember to treat people the way we wish to be treated.

-Highly Educated Black Man

PS: I'm not looking for a handout...but, you will return the respect that I give you...;)

Sally, I think you are a lying sack of sh*t in regards to your Halloween story. You think everyone should lick your fat@ss, otherwise it's "reverse discrimination."

and my point is: no matter what your race: come walk the streets where I live and then tell me how it's a "personal frame of reference".

hello retiredzoomie: I don't mean to generalize. It is true that you can find some pretty rough neighborhoods no matter what the predominate race. But I stand by my statements; the black urban culture is not only the worst (when it's at its worst) but there are many members of this culture who opening glorify their criminality and immorality.

And yes, you can find exceptions in both directions. However, and again: I stand by my statements. I'm not sure where you live, but come on up north that 3 hours and we'll show you what I mean.

"I doubt Gates' arrogance is a race thing at all. It's more likely a "professor" thing."

I suspect it was more of a publicity thing.

Gates is in the racial complaining business, like Sharpton and Farrakhan. He wouldn't have shouted "Yo Mama" to a policeman if the downside was the officer would ignore him and the upside was becoming Major Race Celebrity #1.

If he'd been a professor of say, Chemistry, he'd have shown his ID and we'd never have heard of it. Come to think of it, does anyone collect data on how many people mouth off to police and DON'T get arrested?

Ms. Quinn's article is very thoughtful and commendable.

By now, we should be discussing about future harmonious race relations between all races taking lessons from the unfortunate incident. Instead, most African Americans are arguing here to death that Prof. Gates was right and Sgt. Crowley was dead wrong. They always want to win at all cost on the side of their fellow African Americans. When O.J. got freed, they celebrated. Only years later they said "O.J. did it." When L.A. police officers were acquitted at the Rodney King trial, they burned down their communities and looted neighborhood businesses. Now, they are supporting Prof. Gates’ outrageous behavior.

One can often read opinions of self-declared “whites” in support of Prof. Gates bashing police. I suspect these people have somehow spousal relationships with African Americans and they are scared of Nicole Simpsons’ fate. However, there are also many non-African Americans who sincerely blame the unreasonable arrest by the police.

Vsessoms wrote that “Whites are not in police stations to see Black men sodomized or brutalized by police officers. They don't see young kids being tased by off-duty officers working as guards in schools; or Blacks shots 100 times by police officers while standing on their own porch.”

Everybody knows the incidents did happen to African Americans and the person was referring those in New York City. Whenever they happened, millions upon millions of non-African Americans protested against the police brutality, unlike African Americans I would say.

Many African Americans argue that 800,000 African Americans are being incarcerated unfairly but they have committed crimes. Some would still point out that a few hundreds have to be released for wrongful imprisonment with the help of DNA. My heart is really broken for these people. However, every African American who was wrongfully jailed, there is another criminal African American who is still at large because of unreliable eyewitnesses.

Hint: Too-much freedom can Kill America. Remember 911, folk?

--- DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012 and beyond!!!

--- DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012 and beyond!!!

--- DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012 and beyond!!!

-Prof. GATES, not Bill Gates, Not Asst. Sec. State Gates.., Must GO To Jail asap For almost (Conspiring) insighting a National & Possibly International (RACE BASED) RIOT!? The TERRORISTS & CO., are LOVE-N THIS!

......___________________......
...........||.......||........||.......||
...........||.......||.., , ,.||.......||
...........||......(||../|/(\.||/......||
...........||.......||.._'_ .,||......||
...........||.......||..o o..||.......||
...........||......(||...m...||)......||
...........||.......||...=....||.......||
...........||.......||.\___/||.......||
...........||.___||..).,.(..||___.||
......... /||..--...||.-\_/-.||..---,.||\
........./.||.--,_,||____.||.._--||..\
..........(||)RACE-GATES(.||)
............|"""""""""""""""""""""|......

....|ACTS AGAINST AMERICAN|
......|A-CRYIN-LYING-SHAME|.

-- W O W! The "mistake" (election) is leaching-out Through that African/American GATES like "A FREUDIAN SLIP OF GENUINE PROPHECY"!?? Soo,

"A White Crackers ain't gota Chance
against a Black Cracker" anymore?

What happened to the "Planet of The Apes" Movies?

Mr. OBAMA. Please, like an EX-Friend, Distance yourself from Mr. "Race-GATES", like ye didth with REVrend/Brother Mr. Wrong, ooopps Meant Rev. Jeramiah (Bull-Frog) Mr. Wright!

Sally, thank you for an insight filled article and your courage to publish it. While there are some who are challenged by the content (including me!), most are at least reasoning through the facts and providing an effective dialog. I have learned from this piece and am glad we have a country where we can surface such issues and talk them through. This is what brings me back to reading the post. Again, thanks!

"I doubt Gates' arrogance is a race thing at all. It's more likely a "professor" thing."

I don't know if he was "arrogant", but I'm inclined to believe that there may have been some haughtiness based on his social standing. And this goes back to my earlier statement that this may have been more a matter than class than race between the cop and the prof - and the reaction of both may have been informed by that.

I doubt Gates' arrogance is a race thing at all. It's more likely a "professor" thing.

I don't think that black folks have it so bad.I am a product of the melting pot era,the fall of jim crow,the civil rights act of 1964,integration,and the great legacy of Dr. King. As a white person I have the pleasure of many black friends, and spent agood portion of my life in black homes,churches,bars, and "party events". Just as mass murderers are more likely to be white, black folks are more likely to be confrontational when interacting with the authorities. Simple facts. Individual cops say it, studies when adjusted for % of population show it, I've seen it. Rodney King wouldn't have been beaten if he had stopped the car and been co-operative. The other people in the car didn't get hit. I've seen Prof Gates on PBS and he always seems arrogant and like he has a chip on his shoulder. Check out his series on black geneology. His verbage and tone are spiteful towards white ancestery asking how it makes black personalities 'feel' and glossing over where white slave owners had done right by their progeny while ignoring black slave owners and their behavior. Kingsley Plantation,Amelia Island,Fla. In the day,and to this day in the 'hood' he'd be called uppity. I'm not a cop, and don't really like cops, but I respect them,need them, glad we have them, wouldn't want to be one. I'm sure it is scary for them and thier families. Everybody knows,not that they act on thier knowledge, no sudden moves,hands in plain sight,yes sir, no sir no resisting. Yes, I've been arrested detained and incarcerated, hippie stuff, but I got a fair shake all the way through and so did the others who were with me,white and black. What I'm saying is that if democrat senator Byrd, grand kleegle of the KKK can stop being a racist, then Prof Gates needs to come down off of his hgh horse and shed his racist proclivities. Yes, blacks can be racist, and many are. From my experience, their racism is based not on what has happened to them, but from what occurred in the past.I've been called cracker,whitey,goyum and jerk and I know they are just words. White racism seems to be based on a sense of superiority and genetic purity, but if they need a blood transfusion they don't care who it comes from, and if they do then they needed to be pruned from the breeding pool anyway.
Dr King said it best when he asked that we not be judged by the color of skin, but by the content of our hearts.If as a society we would call a spade a spade and recognize that reguardless of a persons' position in life if they are wrong or not a positive influnce then they shouldn't be given merrit. I bet I know as much about white and black american history as Prof Gates but I choose to see the whole picture not just one side. My generation gets along together pretty well. Prof Gates' generation preceeds mine. Hopefully, dinosaurs like him won't be arround forever so that future generations can continue to grow together without viewing race, but rather recognizing character.

"retiredzoomie: Okay, I'll reply if no one else will.

Yes: black people in America are more likely to commit crimes. Is it implicitly BECAUSE of their skin color? Who knows.

there are plenty of law abiding black citizens, but don't pretend that there is not a REASON that there are more black prisoners. All it takes is a walk (if you dare) through an urban black neighborhood. Try my hometown: Detroit. Some great black neighborhoods, but most - most, most, most - are dangerous for blacks, let alone other races."

This is all based on your personal frame of reference. I grew up in a black neighborhood three hours south of you, and never had any problems. There were/are some pretty funky white neighborhoods in Chicago, too - but those are rarely, if ever, mentioned.

And this is part of the problem: This sort of behavior is common among all racial groups in America. Black, white, Latino, Asian, whatever - we all have similar experiences, for the most part.

This "disproportionate" business is largely a veiled attempt at villianizing a particular group. No single ethnic or racial group has cornerned the market on crime in the US - it's just that a lot of people (like you) have chosen to zero in on a certain aspect of crime to prove a point from a racial angle.

Who's the bigger menace to society: A stickup man in "the hood" or a guy whose deception at the corporate level results in the loss of the life savings of and ruination of the lives of millions?

Again, what is your real point here?

Bravo DreamofJeanie and Vsessoms!

I was blessed when I was born into a black/white/native American family.

For those fair-skinned people who claim "reverse discrimination" know that the blue-eyed person hearing your blatantly hateful private conversation, might not be all that white.

The things white strangers have said to me, when referring to African-Americans, is enough to straighten my hair!

As we sort through the Gates/Crowley/Obama
side show, I pose only one question.

The police show up at your door and tell you they are investigating a possible burgulary. Your reaction would be to:

a. Cooperate and explain what just happened.

b.Become beligerant and uncooperative.

Most of us would cooperate and bring the matter to a quick close and move on with our day.

The only reason this is about race is because some of us choose to make it about race. Boil all the water out of this and all you have is a clash of egos and arrogance. Not one hint of overt racism!

The only reason this is national news is because Gates wanted it to be. As a personal friend of the president, he knew all too well if he made enough of a scene, he would end up on the nightly news and in every paper in the country. Maybe even set the stage for a lawsuit.

Unfortunately for Crowley and Obama, they allowed themselves to be pulled into this charade.

I don't know much about Gates, but from his actions, he seems to have had a huge chip on his shoulder that Crowley was more than willing to knock off.

Gates was wrong to antagonize the police and the police were wrong to become antagonized.

retiredzoomie: Okay, I'll reply if no one else will.

Yes: black people in America are more likely to commit crimes. Is it implicitly BECAUSE of their skin color? Who knows.

there are plenty of law abiding black citizens, but don't pretend that there is not a REASON that there are more black prisoners. All it takes is a walk (if you dare) through an urban black neighborhood. Try my hometown: Detroit. Some great black neighborhoods, but most - most, most, most - are dangerous for blacks, let alone other races.

There cannot be a serious conversation about race when a majority of the population is illiterate, ignorant and irrational. People have to be educated first. Idiots cannot reason. Education of the masses should be the first priority. Knowledge and wisdom makes a human being human. A so called well educated Harvard professor might have acted in the most uncivil manner. This goes on to prove that accumulating degrees is not education. Education at the least should produce wise men and women capable of rational thought.

Thanks to the author for not injecting religion into the argument. It would simply frustrate things further.

It doesn't matter how Gates or Crowley "felt" about race or their roles in society- it only matters what they DID. How they acted during the incident that resulted in the outcome.

If anyone can show how Crowley acted inappropriately then I would side with Gates.

An officer goes on a burglary call. Potential suspect (or unaware victim) is inside. Need to get him outside for safety reasons-for the man inside as well as the officer. Suspect is uncooperative throughout, but it is verified that he does reside at the house. He's acting disruptive enough to be arrested for DOC. He's warned repeatedly to calm down but doesn't. Man is arrested. Other officers on scene corroborate the appropriateness of this action.

These types of arrests happen every day. Change the law if you don't like it. They're for public safety and so that police can do their job. Crowley was doing his job and Gates was disruptive enough to get himself arrested.

End of Story

Insightful piece, from a number of perspectives.

As for the comment on "busing" integration being one of the most important advances- I was in the middle of that debacle.

I'm (relatively) white. As a child I grew up in inner city StLouis- and not the trendy rich white part off of WashU. Most of my friends and peers were black until I was 13. Family got some money and moved into the suburbs for the same reasons everyone does ("movin' on up..."). Predominantly white peer group. No problem, I get along with everyone...
2 years later, age 15. DeSeg implemented.
Angry city kids bussed into a place they didn't want to be, and that didn't understand or want them...
Then came the violence. First fists, then knives, then guns. Suburbia gone wild! Every school day starts with a pass thru metal detectors & actual cops (not security guards- cops) manning every exit. Tension so thick it was palpable. No one knew where danger was going to appear next, or if they would immune. Groups split along racial and class lines. Beginning of the golden age of Swazi SkinHeads. There were even black skinheads - not RudeBoy or SHARP, but black NAZI skinheads- from the suburban side. SLASH (StLouis Area SkinHeads), CASH, BASH, LASH. Every suburb had their stupid acronym. Schoolday was more like day in prison. Everyone cocked and on hair trigger.
Experience in youth taught me to get along with everyone. Experience during 80's busing DeSeg leaves me afraid to walk down the inner city streets I grew up in.
I embarrasingly have to admit that when it comes down to it, that conditioning left me "racist". Not "noose on the tree is a good joke" racist, but "avoid walking by group of young black male" racist.

Success? Perhaps as thesis material for a sociology grad student, but a certain failure in shaping the lives of those on either end of that bus line.

(and experience living in many different socio-economic areas. after the age of protection by the juvenile courts, has taught me that lipping of to cops seldom yields satisfactory results- unless perhaps the desired result is a soapbox opportunity)

And until that moment, I had never really thought of the risks involved for a dark skinned person to have a clueless white wife who liked to collect bouquets of wildflowers.

I've had to explain things like that to my wife a couple of times, too. It's okay to forget about that sort of thing in your dealings with your hubby.

I wouldn't call you clueless, though. I don't expect my wife to be constantly mindful of that, but on the other hand, I'm not going to be constantly reminding her that I'm a black man, either. That isn't necessary.

If Prof. Gates doen't Fess-up to his "GUILTY-MIND" and plead "Guilty" to Inciting a

International Uproar anda "National-Riot" (something our real enemies thrive-on; or condone? by proxy AGENTS?) , so he Must really go to jail; Because

Behold: Thou Shall not (Situationally) LIE!

The RACE-CARD in Sweet Sweet U.S. of A.'s must END! It's getting to Dry, especially when

today AMERICAm, not AFRICA, has a half/White and half/Black/Brown "Elected" President For

2009+.

Repercussions (not Riots)? but:
---

DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012 and beyond!!!

DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012 and beyond!!!

DOWN with OBAMA & CO., comes 2012 and beyond!!!

Prof. GATES Must GO To Jail For almost insighting a National (RACE BASED) RIOT!

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.......|ACTS AGAINST HUMANITY|
.........|A-CRYIN-LYING-SHAME|.

-- W O W!

"A White Crackers ain't gota Chance against a Black Cracker"?

To those who say blacks are in jail at higher rates because they commit the crimes. Need to stand and watch how many whites buy drugs at corners (as I have) and watched the police bust only the dealer, nothing to the slew of white buyers.

I am not excusing the black participants by any means. (I confront them also, placing myself in danger) but if police put white drug users in jail at the same rates as blacks. We would have a few more prison complexes in every state.

From your column: "many of my white friends and colleagues have been discussing reverse discrimination"

I'd like a definition of the phrase reverse discrimination from one of the educated class. It appears to imply, to me, that the only 'discrimination' that occurs is carried out by whites, and so when any other non-caucasian race does it it's so unusual that it must have its own definition.

In my opinion there is only discrimination -- saying that a black person can discriminate doesn't cheapen the word's effectiveness.

My husband and I have been married for almost twenty years, but I'll never forget one of our first fights, back in the beginning over a steak knife.

I had thrown it in the side pocket of the driver side car door to take with me to cut and collect wildflowers from a nearby field to make a bouquet, and then promptly forgot about it.

The next time he used the car and found the steak knife, he blurted out: Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I got pulled over for a traffic stop and the police found this knife in the car?

And until that moment, I had never really thought of the risks involved for a dark skinned person to have a clueless white wife who liked to collect bouquets of wildflowers.

Here's the thing, you might deny it, everybody's racist in one form or another. Don't deny it, you would be a huge Hippocrates. At some point in your life you have made fun of someone else, or thought bad thoughts about them, or didn't like being around someone. that is true racism, and I won't deny that I have done that (all of Elementary school)

you are think racism as Black vs. White, Asian vs. Black/White, or all of the other races and ethnicity. what you don't know is that racism is a much broader thing, it encompasses a lot, White vs White, Black vs. Black, Asian vs. Asian, Tall vs. Short, Fat vs. Skinny.

Please realize that if there is difference (which there is) there will be racism, it is even in animals of the same race (Dogs for example)

Please note that I try not to be, but still are, a little racist.
I am also a "Jewish Kyke" that so many people like to call me.

Judaism is a religion and a choice not a race, despite what you think.

My husband and I have been married for almost twenty years, but I'll never forget one of our first fights, back in the beginning over a steak knife.

I had thrown it in the side pocket of the driver side car door to take with me to cut and collect wildflowers from a nearby field to make a bouquet, and then promptly forgot about it.

The next time he used the car and found the steak knife, he blurted out: Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I got pulled over for a traffic stop and the police found this knife in the car?

And until that moment, I had never really thought of the risks involved for a dark skinned person to have a clueless white wife who liked to collect bouquets of wildflowers.

JTHOMAS3 Posted:

"Arguing that there may have been nothing wrong this time does nothing useful.

So what is the issue here?

I say the issue is that police sometimes abuse innocent citizens."

And I say you've missed the point completely. The article is specifically about the problems we still have in this country with race. Are there also problems with the police in general, completely aside from racial issues? Yes, definitely. And this case definitely touches on that.

But to ignore the serious issues with race, completely divorced from the issue with police, is to perpetuate a problem every bit as serious and pervasive in this country.

The problem is that while it's perfectly acceptable, and even fashionable, to discuss white racism (which continues to be a major problem), it is still taboo, even for blacks, to publicly discuss black racism, even though it's blatant, ugly, and even more publicly evident. Double standards and "separate but equal" cut both ways: we can never reduce racism in this country if racial bigotry is only attacked on one side and not the other.

Too many black people in this country, even prominent public figures, are rampant racists who largely get away with it by screaming racism themselves against anyone who disagrees with them. In every interaction they have with whites, they automatically prejudge the white person to be a racist - such prejudgement being the very definition of racism itself.

Gates even admitted that this is what he did to the officer, saying that as soon as he saw the officer he imagined a racist dialogue running through the officer's mind. He didn't see his prejudgement as racist, though, because his own racism makes him believe that such prejudgement is always true when dealing with whites.

It's not like we, both black and white, don't know such people. We got a taste of this last year, with Reverend Wright. My own congressman, a black man, is notorious for screaming "racism" in virtually any dealing with white constituents in his own district, no matter what the topic. And now we have Gates, who, while he should not have been arrested, is trying to make this incident about race, even though the only racism in evidence is his own.

It's also not as if black people, even prominent black people, haven't tried to speak out about this. But even they get viciously attacked and shouted down. This is a major part of the discussion we need to be having about race in this country, because as long as hate is acceptable on either side, by the very principles we're trying to promote in healing racial discrimination, it must be acceptable on both sides. The more and the longer we deny or even defend black racism, the more we validate and promote white racism. To say that Professor Gate's actions and words are irrelevant in this case is to say that racism, all racism, in this country is acceptable.

I personally, as a black man, believe that none of it is.

Very true, Grace6. African-American blowhards, especially Eugene Robinson, were terrible about Hillary. Robinson agreed with Axelrod that Hillary's mentioning a TRUE fact of history (that Robert Kennedy was still running in the primaries in June of '68) made her a potential assassin. Robinson said Barack should never be in a room alone with her. SHAME.

"The sad and unfortunate truth is that African American men do commit a disproportionate amount of the dangerous and serious crime in this country. That, in largest measure, accounts for their disparate arrest and incarceration numbers."

OK - we've heard this thousands of times. Tell me, please: What is your point here? Explain the term "disproportionate" to me. I see it as nothing more than some exercise in rhetoric. Are you calling black people inherently more inclined toward criminal behavior? If you are, simply say so - BE HONEST. Stop the word gaming.

There are huge portions of this country where there are no black people to be found anywhere, so tell me how, in your eyes, crimes committed by blacks - who as with other groups, largely commit them against each "like-colored" people - are a problem?

It seems to me we all bring our own set of circumstances to the discussion. It
seems to me those who tend to side with Mr. Crowley see the police as being
mostly right and in a position to demand respect and subservience to them. Those
who discount the Professors boorish behavior, believe, in one's own home, one
has a right to free speech.

Those who continue to make this about race are continuing the same boorish
behavior as the Professor. Those who make excuses for Mr. Crowley tend to be
those who would live easily in a facist state, at least until they realize they
are living in a facists state.

I don't think Sally Quinn's article is particularly balanced. She show's her
bias by repeating her own negative perception of Professors Gate's personality
and then says Mr. Crowley acted professionally. Yet she also says both men acted
poorly.

I assume Sally Quinn is Christian, so I would expect a more forgiving message.
The bottom line is we are all human and subject to making mistakes of judgement
and perception, often all in the same moment. So, like in a good marriage, why
can't we defer to a place of love, compassion and forgiveness while realizing
the absurdity of trying to find absolute truth in a world of constant change.

I for one fall into the following categories:

1. Professor Gates could have acted with more compassion for Mr. Crowley's job.

2. Mr. Crowley could have been more professional by calling on his knowledge
gained from racial profiling classes and had compassion for Professor Gates.

3. The bottom line for me is Professor Gates was in his own home and had shown
Mr. Crowley his identification, thus Mr. Crowley was wrong to escalate the
situation to an arrest.

4. I tend to agree with President Obama that Mr. Crowley or any policeman acting
similarly acted "stupidly." Where President Obama errored was to not also cite
Professor Gates's behavior as stupid.

5. President Obama was the only person in this scenario to offer apologies for
using the term "stupidly" and for adding to the controversy.

6. Mr. Crowley and Professor Gates should admit publically that neither have a
monopoly on truth perception and apologies to the nation for spilling their
garbage into our backyards.

I am from europe and lived with black people all my life and could not understand the problems in america with race. we lived side by side and i don't ever remember a problem. did we make fun, like my sun tan will never be like yours, for sure, but nothing ever nasty or anything close. Like i said i could not understand america's problem, until i came here and saw how black americans behave (not all) but for the most part. they are rude and until i came to this country never had people call me a racial name until some black kids did, while i was walking slowly in front of them and i guess i was not fast enough for them and the mouth on them. I never heard such filth in all my life from teenagers and their behinds showing because their pants hang down to their ankles. if i had ever said anything like they did and the cursing and the filthy mouth, my mouth would have been scrubbed clean by my father first and then my mother.
suddenly, a light is slowly coming on in slow motion that maybe american black have a problem with their behaviour and they think the world owes them a living and should allow them to cruise through life without responsibility. i see kids and teenagers hanging around at night and stealing candies in 7-11's while other make a lot of noise to distract people.
i could go on and on. white american teenagers and adults are nothing to brag about with their driving habits and their respect for people. In europe you would never see a clerk in a store b/s with someone or chew gum while waiting on you.
but getting back to the real problem, maybe the black community should take a look at themselves first, before they blame others. there should be no sharptons or j jacksons riling up the troop instead of telling them how to success and behave. if there is unusual amount of black getting caught, there must be an unusual amount of black committing the crime. police officers don't create robberies and car jackings. what also makes the situation worst that america allows illegal activities which does not set a good example, ie. illegal aliens. so young people think if they get away with why not me.

"

The truth about "race" is there are not separate races within the human race.

When the American colonists (all fair-skinned) decided to call dark-skinned people a different "race" it was for economic reasons that were then crouched in religious terms (the children of Cain) for the uneducated to accept.

All of our race problems stem from the greed and ignorance of fair-skinned people.

You made the mess, you clean it up

Posted by: RTfromIL | August 2, 2009 11:25 AM"

*****

Yikes. What a racist pig! I'm white, should I be responsible for the stuff that went on long before I was born, though I've never benefited from any of it? Should I be sorry? I don't think so. The past is the past. Thinking like yours is what starts Bosnian style conflicts and drives away the moderates, like me, who genuinely want racial integration (my kids are brown). So with all due respect, it isn't "my" mess - go frak yourself.

The African American male political class disrespected Hillary Clinton in the primary election cycle. But the press seemed to think that was o.k. because she is a woman. Shirley Chisholm said her gender was more problematic than her race.
Mrs. Clinton's lifetime of commitment to civil rights was thrown under a bus once she came up against Mr. Obama.
Hillary Clinton's experience demonstrates that a white person will never ever be viewed as sincere. So, what is the use for any woman to make any effort?

True that Gates is an arrogant jerk. I liked his t.v. shows about his search for ancestors, but I couldn't stand the way he kept mispronouncing the name of Niall of the Nine Hostages. He kept saying NILE, even though the Irish professor kept saying it correctly. The arrogant Gates was trying to correct the Irish speaker.

And it was pathetic to see how delighted he was that his DNA proved that he was 50% white.

One person who didn't speak up for Gates was Pastor Gomes, the famous preacher at the Harvard Baptist church, also featured on Gates's ancestry show. (He turned out to be half Jewish.) Why didn't Gomes back Gates in bashing Crowley? Because he knows that Gates is an arrogant jerk?

Why didn't Gates resign from Harvard when Harvard fired Cornell West? Was it because he knew that West's publications were bogus, not scholarly, not anything a white professor could get away with?

It's reverse racism, imho, to expect less from black scholars than from white scholars. I've examined West's "scholarship", but not Gates's. Maybe someone should take a close look at his writings.

This is a very frank and intelligent article. I would, though, take exception with one point you attempt to make, Ms. Quinn.

I don't believe it is fair or correct to imply that the reason that one in three African American men find themselves in prison during their lives, or the reason that in 2008 (to take an exemplar year) nearly five percent were in prison (while that same year less than one percent of white men were in prison), has to do with innocent black men being targeted for arrest by police.

The sad and unfortunate truth is that African American men do commit a disproportionate amount of the dangerous and serious crime in this country. That, in largest measure, accounts for their disparate arrest and incarceration numbers.

President Obama..ALWAYS and ONLY takes questions from his hand picked press, hours before the press conference. He saw.. WOW ”Black College Professor gets arrested and handcuffed, in his own home, by WHITE policemen”. He said, WOW I’ll take that one. Further black brutality , and harassment, by white police. WOW.. But he picked on the wrong cop. Sgt. James Crowley is a model policeman. .. No one in the press, can figure this out.. WOW..

Yep, racism is still alive and well, unfortunately. you can see it in some of the comments above. America, we do have a racism problem. I heard one guy refer to the President using the "N" word.

As a white guy I'm sick of white racists making the rest of us look bad. You suck.

Sally, you are not as smart nor as rational as I thought you were, and, now we know that you do not like Gates. Nonetheless, Gates was in his home dressed like Bill Cosby and not a street hood on the prowl. Crowley lost his temper and in the mode of controlling the "citizen" overreached and inappropriately arrested an elderly citizen and almost took his cane away in the process. The next thing is the cops will be arresting cranky seniors in wheel chairs.

Some ask why are educated middle class black often just as angry as poor blacks? the answer is simple, being treated or talked to like a criminal when you have NEVER committed a single crime in your LIFE does that to a person. Especially when you know white "screw ups" who ride around white bag a weed in their cars at all times with no fear what so ever because they never have their cars searched.

Part of the issue in this discussion is exposure. Many whites in affluent neighborhoods simply have never encountered a "less than professional" cop. They have never be frisked before or questioned without clear cause.

Some whites essentially have a naive "nice man next door" image of the police because they know nothing different.

Also, in the Gates case black notice something that few whites did. The speed in which the police arrived. TRUST ME this is NOT the case for many black neighborhoods, were an emergency call often responded to long after the event. (Some people call the fire dept. instead because they ARE quick to respond).

"A half century ago, racial dynamics probably were very different. Good for your neighbors. If we randomly selected a 90+% black neighborhood anywhere in country, and custom-built you a home just like your current one, would you want to live there?"

I have no idea. I haven't lived in an all-black environment since I left home after graduation from high school. Where I live right now only has a few nonwhite families living in it; I didn't move here because of the absence or majority of any particular racial group, I moved here because the house is in a neighborhood I wanted to live in.

And, oh - by the way, my wife is white. There are more than a couple of people who don't particularly like that, but that isn't my problem.

And I'll close by saying this: When I was in my late teens/early twenties, I believed that blacks had a certain level of racial superiority from both a genetic and social standpoint. That, my friend, is racist. I got out in the world and opened my eyes and came to learn that such an attitude is ignorant. I don't feel that way anymore, because I grew up.

We are all not the same; however, that doesn't mean we can't respect the other's right to exist on their own terms. I don't expect anyone to love me; however, I do expect to be left alone. That is my right.

I can't believe how many people are criticizing Obama for his "stupid" commment. Obama made a mistake and he is flawed but he had the audacity to face up to his mistakes and accept it, in public. Same with Crowley and Gates, they probably made mistakes too but interestingly they both refused to accept responsibility for their mistakes.

If for one moment, we were told this story without knowing the race of the two people involved in this incident. Would our reactions change? Would it have even made the "headline" news?

When Obama said this was a teachable moment, he was probably mostly referring to himself. The ability of Americans to be self critic and the honesty to be true to ourselves is a good trait. One that is admired by others outside our borders. But even if we were not going after such glory of being admired, it's important for us to be honest with ourselves and how we feel about certain matters. We are all made up of our experiences, to deny that and think we can all rise above it is not reasonable. Just like it is not reasonable to expect the police to be like a robot, to always make the correct decision given a split second to decide. But we do expect our Police to be honest about it when they make a mistake. And to accept responsibility when one makes a mistake. We need to be more tolerant of each other when those mistakes go against us. This is what I call Love. We are Americans, we've done more towards facing tough relations issues than any country in the world. For that we must also be proud but we remain an experiment and we continually working towards a more perfect union as we have freedom to pursuit our own happiness.

Blacks are incarcerated at a higher rate than whites because ghetto black youngsters are more likely to "do the deed". Very, very few prison inmates are innocent, so where's the beef?

I'd like to express a handfull of responces.

a)
I don't share Ms. Quinn's concern. It seems to me that folks feel free to express their true feelings here and at the "scene of the crime". I'm glad that we don't have to agree.

b)
I object to using the word racist. Not to say there aren't any. It just seems to be all heat and no light. On the other hand, I don't know how anyone grows up without at least some racial baggage.

c)
I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal where they mention that Gates has caught some heat for hiring white instructors to teach black history courses.
(sorry if someone has already mentioned this)

d)
I was told by my grandmother, "Never argue with anyone who has a gun." I am not surprised, but I am happy that Crowley evidently never even thought of using his.

e)
Regarding profiling: When I was younger, my friends and I were occasionally pulled over for having a car (different cars) that matched the discription of a stolen car. I've never been in a car that "matched the description..." since I cut my hair.

Obama has shown his true color and allegiance to the poor discriminated against blacks.

And Michelle is more of a racist than he is.

He will be only a one term President.

Gates should have been tased once he resisted arrest.And yes you should be arrested if you you are short-tempered and arrogant with a badge.These cops were doing their jobs which I realise is a new concept to you.Just because blacks do not believe in the laws of America doesn't excuse them for breaking them.Gates should have called a locksmith like anyone else would have done instead of breaking in to his house.Or at least call the police so if someone saw him breaking in they would know it was his house in the first place.Gates clearly stated he isn't black but 56% white so there goes your race card.

Sally,

I thought yoour article was thoughtful, but a bit misguided. A few points I would like to make...

You say that none of us was there so we don't really know what happened. True enough. But our legal system is based on people not being there. It is shaped by evidence. We don't "have to be there" to peruse the facts and make a logical assumption about what happened.

And what happened was office Crawley wrongly arrested Skip Gates. How do I know this? Because the police dropped the charges. It is that simple. If the charges had been right then Skip would have been charged.

Secondly, the president could have used a different word than stupidly which sounded a bit awkward and knee jerkish. However, the officer did act stupidly for arresting gates when he knew that in fact he was not a burgular but the owner of the house.

Finally, there were a number of factors that led to this confrontation. Most of them though were and are subconscious and deeply ingrained in the way all of us see the world. Though at the top of the pyramid of factors I would suggest that class and returning from a long trip had a lot to do with the conflict.

Bottomline, skip should have treated the officer with respect even if he has the right to be rude. And the officer needed to display better professionalism and not let his temper get the best of him. Just like the president said "cooler heads should have prevailed".

Unfortunately, making RACE an issue is big business. If there was no discrimination issues, then we would not need the NCAAP and other "race" specific organizations & groups or lawyers specializing in RACE lawsuits.

I think encouraging employers to hire according to "race" standards or to hire "women" has actually made their circumstances worst. Now if a black, hispanic, etc. or women gets promoted above a white male, the first reaction by many is that they just got it because of their color or sex. And if a minority female gets promoted she is called a "double whammy".

As humans we are the most consistent race. Only differences are eye, hair, skin color.

I'd like to see the questions of race completely removed from all applications - and just the best person hired.

If we keep making race an issue, it will always be an issue. If we keep telling people they are discrimiated agaisnt because of race, they will always believe they are.

How about people just stepping up to the plate, respecting authority figures and other people, and making themselves marketable, informed productive citizens because of good grades and excellent work ethic.

Accepting that maybe bad behavior is what people don't like about you, not the color of your skin.

'Have you ever stopped to think that maybe every policeman you ever met was angry because they were having to deal with a delusional moron.... you?'

Hey, Mr. IKnowI'mRight, you don't know me at all but you come up with this garbage.

'police officers (policemen btw is sexist) deal with arrogant slobs and verbal abuse on a daily basis, I think anybody would get a bit cranky dealing with that'

Yes, I pointed out that possibility. But we don't want them taking out their frustrations on the public. Do we?

'As a whole, the police in America do a great job.'

Yes, I agree. I only want to get rid of the widespread abuse of innocent citizens. And for that matter we'd be better off if suspected or known criminals were dealt with professionally. The antagonistic personal relationships that spring up between policemen and criminals appears not to be useful.

It might be just as bad with policewomen but I don't have experience with them.

Would Ms. Quinn perhaps respond to a major omission in her column. Why has there been almost no discussion regarding the fact that the officer lied about his alleged conversation with the 911 caller. There has been almost no discussion of this....the fact that he lied and the reason for his lie. The officer does seem like a decent chap and I can accept the appraisal of the professor's temper by Ms. Quinn...but the most black and white fact about this incident(intended) was the untrue statement by the officer. May I ask why?

What appalls me of all these comments is racism.

The racism that assumes 'of course all whites are racist'. I'm sorry most people are a mix of some sort and don't give a rats ass about race. I know I don't.

What makes me so upset is the obvious and flagrant assumption (by black Americans) that black Americans are treated different any differently on behavior than anyone else. "it must be a black thing" .

Guess what it ISNT! And thats the part that America is sick and tired of: the excuse of race. Forget about how racist black Americans are to everyone else, the use of race as an shield or excuse is taught at an early age and assumed through life.

This is the real tragedy, that even Obama thinks this way and assumes that Gates was arrested and taken down town for questioning, because "it was a black thing".

And notice throughout I say back "American". And I had, and still do, have black African friends that do not think this way nor have a huge chip on their shoulder.

So maybe it isnt a "black thing" maybe black America must look in the mirror and move on and finally admit, that MOST Americans do not care about race, only they do.

Most communites in America are made up of diversified ethnic backgrounds and especially in a city with a large university population.

You would think a well educated man such as Professor Gates would know how to react in a situation of this type.

A police force is also trained to handle situations concerning all types of behavior and personalities in a professional manner. An officer cannot be indecisive to do an effective job. I think in this situation, Officer Crowley handled it in a manner reflecting his training.

JThomas3 wrote "Every policeman I've known well turned out to be angry most of the time."

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe every policeman you ever met was angry because they were having to deal with a delusional moron.... you? There have been some highly publicized incidents of police abuse... Rodney King, etc. No excuse for that brutality. On the other hand police officers (policemen btw is sexist) deal with arrogant slobs and verbal abuse on a daily basis, I think anybody would get a bit cranky dealing with that. As a whole, the police in America do a great job.

>Whoa. You may not realize it, but you just engaged in a bit of racial stereotyping.

This is another canard of the speech-control crowd: calling it stereotyping to make a general statement because there are specific exceptions. I live in upper PG county, and "blacks fleeing the ghetto" can accurately describe a good percentage of the residents of Greenbelt, Bowie and Laurel

>I grew up in an all-black neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago - one where all the whites ran as soon as blacks started moving in. Forty-nine years later, that neighborhood is still in absolutely beautiful shape,

A half century ago, racial dynamics probably were very different. Good for your neighbors. If we randomly selected a 90+% black neighborhood anywhere in country, and custom-built you a home just like your current one, would you want to live there?

Obama was wrong and should take responsibility for his comment before knowing all the facts. There should no longer be any doubt that he was in fact listening to Wrights sermons on Sundays all those years

The truth about "race" is there are not separate races within the human race.

When the American colonists (all fair-skinned) decided to call dark-skinned people a different "race" it was for economic reasons that were then crouched in religious terms (the children of Cain) for the uneducated to accept.

All of our race problems stem from the greed and ignorance of fair-skinned people.

You made the mess, you clean it up

'Bob Herbert is dead right that "black people are constantly being stopped, searched, harassed, publicly humiliated, assaulted, arrested and sometimes killed by police officers in this country for no reason." Nobody would question that.'

'Were we singled out because we were white? Who knows. But if we had been black and the police white, would it have been a story about racial profiling? Probably. As I sat there seething with my child in his car seat in back, the first thing I thought of was: this is how most black people must feel every day when confronting the police.'

Given that this is true, why do the details of one particular case matter so much? I don't care whether this particular policeman in this particular incident behaved correctly, or was racist, or what. Arguing that there may have been nothing wrong this time does nothing useful.

So what is the issue here?

I say the issue is that police sometimes abuse innocent citizens. They do it far more often when those citizens are black. I don't care whether this is racism, I want it to stop for everybody. How can we do that?

Every policeman I've known well turned out to be angry most of the time. Do we recruit angry people to be police? Do people who aren't angry enough quit the job and do something else? Is it something that people learn on the job? I get the impression that our police are expected to be very polite to middle class people, and then when they catch a lawbreaker they have the excuse to take out their frustrations on him.

How can this be changed? At a minimum it would require a cultural change among the police. And how could we be sure the new system worked even if we could create it? The current methods work well, except that many criminals are not found, most criminals keep being criminals, and there is widespread police abuse of innocent people. How could we be sure a new approach would work this well?

I don't care whether it's racism or not. Whatever it is, I want it to stop. If stopping it helps a lot of black people and a few white people, that's fine. I don't know how to stop it and still keep the current police organisations.

Obviously "Vsessoms" is mentally ill.

Frankbd:

"The lack of honesty in racial dialogue stems from not wanting to admit truth. If blacks would just say "I prefer to live in a mixed neighborhood because black ones go to hell" whites can say "Your welcome to, as long as you don't bring ghetto pathologies with you..."

Whoa. You may not realize it, but you just engaged in a bit of racial stereotyping.

I grew up in an all-black neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago - one where all the whites ran as soon as blacks started moving in. Forty-nine years later, that neighborhood is still in absolutely beautiful shape, its children all decent citizens, and almost all of us "first-generation'ers" grew up to be well-educated, solid citizens.

What, exactly, shapes your frame of reference here? You're suggesting that blacks live and behave on white people's terms. Bad move...

At the basic level, all of us have the same experiences here - and they are largely shaped by class. The racial component only applies when we move outside our homogenous environments.

Many of us have never had a direct interracial experience of any kind. Those psople's attitudes are largely shaped by events they have experienced through the mass media - and their perceptions are almost always skewed.

It appears yours may be also - but again, what is your personal frame of reference to make such a statement?

Societies hold and enforce prejudices. And alter or end them.

One current prejudice is the concept "race." Another is gender, another is gender association. We have many.

As we are trained to respond to each, we do. In some instances we have no other training than negative, and we respond accordingly. Where trained to move to the back of the bus, we did, The front, We did. Where trained to choose, we did. Whichever training we received, entered into our minds, we held.

At times, depending on circumstance, and protocol (manners), we suppress our prejudice, at times not.

Harold A. Maio

Unfortunately, Quinn's statement is correct - people rarely tell the truth in public, where other people can hear them. This issues wasn't really about race primarily because of the ingrained nature of racism in American society, that it has become the norm. Sgt Crowley acted the way the majority of police officers act toward Blacks and other nonwhites. It is part of the value system embraced by this country; part of the customs and traditions. No one really thinks about how Blacks are treated by the police; sometimes innocent Black men are shot to death just standing on their porch; sometimes they are sodomized by police who take their frustrations out on the people they were hired to protect and serve. The horror stories of police officers and the atrocities they commit against people of color are documented. Of course, no one really cares to really research the issue of police brutality.
It was the insidious notion of white supremacy and an abuse of authority which prompted Crowley to arrest Gates; had Gates been in the station, Crowley probably would have sodomized him, he was that angry. He demonstrated this by showing up at the White House with his lawyer and his union rep. This is a very sick white boy - who probably has other very disturbing mental health problems.

I am not surprised at the reaction of this incident - whites hate to have it pointed out that one of their own was racist; one comment even stated that the responses have illustrated reverse racism! Whites lie to themselves - they're not racist! Of course they are racist. Racism is learned behavior - it is very difficult to undo a lifetime of social conditioning and come out nonracist. Whites are racist - they have to unlearn their racism. Unfortunately, very rarely do they try to do that; instead, whites are always on the defensive when the word racism appears in print - they immediately go into denial - giving examples of how many good nonwhite friends they have and how they go out of their way to help undeserving blacks and other nonwhites.

What is pathetic about this rush to defend "whiteness," white people forget that this is a nation who was built on the concept of Christianity. Jesus Christ said you are as you think! If whites defend incidents of racism like this, they are just as guilty as Crowley - and other whites who are overtly racist. "As a man thinketh, so he is” Jesus says.

I laugh at the hypocrisy of what I see around me - this denial, this pointing the finger at the victim - this is a typical reaction to being called racist. This nation is a nation of liars and hypocrites....and will one day be judged because we failed to live up to our Christian beliefs.

Vsessoms

Unfortunately, Quinn's statement is correct - people rarely tell the truth in public, where other people can hear them. This issues wasn't really about race primarily because of the ingrained nature of racism in American society, that it has become the norm. Sgt Crowley acted the way the majority of police officers act toward Blacks and other nonwhites. It is part of the value system embraced by this country; part of the customs and traditions. No one really thinks about how Blacks are treated by the police; sometimes innocent Black men are shot to death just standing on their porch; sometimes they are sodomized by police who take their frustrations out on the people they were hired to protect and serve. The horror stories of police officers and the atrocities they commit against people of color are documented. Of course, no one really cares to really research the issue of police brutality.
It was the insidious notion of white supremacy and an abuse of authority which prompted Crowley to arrest Gates; had Gates been in the station, Crowley probably would have sodomized him, he was that angry. He demonstrated this by showing up at the White House with his lawyer and his union rep. This is a very sick white boy - who probably has other very disturbing mental health problems.

I am not surprised at the reaction of this incident - whites hate to have it pointed out that one of their own was racist; one comment even stated that the responses have illustrated reverse racism! Whites lie to themselves - they're not racist! Of course they are racist. Racism is learned behavior - it is very difficult to undo a lifetime of social conditioning and come out nonracist. Whites are racist - they have to unlearn their racism. Unfortunately, very rarely do they try to do that; instead, whites are always on the defensive when the word racism appears in print - they immediately go into denial - giving examples of how many good nonwhite friends they have and how they go out of their way to help undeserving blacks and other nonwhites.

What is pathetic about this rush to defend "whiteness," white people forget that this is a nation who was built on the concept of Christianity. Jesus Christ said you are as you think! If whites defend incidents of racism like this, they are just as guilty as Crowley - and other whites who are overtly racist. "As a man thinketh, so he is” Jesus says.

I laugh at the hypocrisy of what I see around me - this denial, this pointing the finger at the victim - this is a typical reaction to being called racist. This nation is a nation of liars and hypocrites....and will one day be judged because we failed to live up to our Christian beliefs.

Vsessoms

The fact Obama has anything to say on race relations is laughable. Obama himself escalated the Gate's issue by opening his big yapper before he knew any facts. You are correct in your statement "people would say one thing in public and then say what they really thought in private" IE: Obama himself is racist. "typical white folks...." Attending a black supremest church for 20 years... I could go on. Bottom line the is racism in America and there always will be until affirmative action
is ended and people are advanced because of ability, not skin color.

Unfortunately, Quinn's statement is correct - people rarely tell the truth in public, where other people can hear them. This issues wasn't really about race primarily because of the ingrained nature of racism in American society, that it has become the norm. Sgt Crowley acted the way the majority of police officers act toward Blacks and other nonwhites. It is part of the value system embraced by this country; part of the customs and traditions. No one really thinks about how Blacks are treated by the police; sometimes innocent Black men are shot to death just standing on their porch; sometimes they are sodomized by police who take their frustrations out on the people they were hired to protect and serve. The horror stories of police officers and the atrocities they commit against people of color are documented. Of course, no one really cares to really research the issue of police brutality.
It was the insidious notion of white supremacy and an abuse of authority which prompted Crowley to arrest Gates; had Gates been in the station, Crowley probably would have sodomized him, he was that angry. He demonstrated this by showing up at the White House with his lawyer and his union rep. This is a very sick white boy - who probably has other very disturbing mental health problems.

I am not surprised at the reaction of this incident - whites hate to have it pointed out that one of their own was racist; one comment even stated that the responses have illustrated reverse racism! Whites lie to themselves - they're not racist! Of course they are racist. Racism is learned behavior - it is very difficult to undo a lifetime of social conditioning and come out nonracist. Whites are racist - they have to unlearn their racism. Unfortunately, very rarely do they try to do that; instead, whites are always on the defensive when the word racism appears in print - they immediately go into denial - giving examples of how many good nonwhite friends they have and how they go out of their way to help undeserving blacks and other nonwhites.

What is pathetic about this rush to defend "whiteness," white people forget that this is a nation who was built on the concept of Christianity. Jesus Christ said you are as you think! If whites defend incidents of racism like this, they are just as guilty as Crowley - and other whites who are overtly racist. "As a man thinketh, so he is” Jesus says.

I laugh at the hypocrisy of what I see around me - this denial, this pointing the finger at the victim - this is a typical reaction to being called racist. This nation is a nation of liars and hypocrites....and will one day be judged because we failed to live up to our Christian beliefs.

Vsessoms

I understand the remarks of 'Vsessoms' He or she is right about Whites not getting it. I AM White. I was raised by enormously prejudice people. I thank God everyday that I understood early on to look in peoples' eyes when I speak to them not at skin tone. I have to say that Black and Hispanic people have been kinder to me than my own family. I live in NYC. Last summer, I saw two young White policemen following a very effeminate young man who was simply walking down 42nd St. They were taunting him. I was just appalled and I DID ask they why they would do that since I noticed the young man was simply walking down the street and it's NY, for God's sake, everyone fits in here.
There's a song in the B'way show AVE Q. 'Everyones' a Little Bit racist". It's clever and sung with great humor...but it's true. From our jokes, to our aside comments, to our basic fear of others...we ALL are guilty of it. But let's not pass this on to our children...
I feel like I am living proof...because of my background that we can all get along...It's a human thing...each one teach one...
Thank you for the opportunity.

Unfortunately, Quinn's statement is correct - people rarely tell the truth in public, where other people can hear them. This issues wasn't really about race primarily because of the ingrained nature of racism in American society, that it has become the norm. Sgt Crowley acted the way the majority of police officers act toward Blacks and other nonwhites. It is part of the value system embraced by this country; part of the customs and traditions. No one really thinks about how Blacks are treated by the police; sometimes innocent Black men are shot to death just standing on their porch; sometimes they are sodomized by police who take their frustrations out on the people they were hired to protect and serve. The horror stories of police officers and the atrocities they commit against people of color are documented. Of course, no one really cares to really research the issue of police brutality.
It was the insidious notion of white supremacy and an abuse of authority which prompted Crowley to arrest Gates; had Gates been in the station, Crowley probably would have sodomized him, he was that angry. He demonstrated this by showing up at the White House with his lawyer and his union rep. This is a very sick white boy - who probably has other very disturbing mental health problems.

I am not surprised at the reaction of this incident - whites hate to have it pointed out that one of their own was racist; one comment even stated that the responses have illustrated reverse racism! Whites lie to themselves - they're not racist! Of course they are racist. Racism is learned behavior - it is very difficult to undo a lifetime of social conditioning and come out nonracist. Whites are racist - they have to unlearn their racism. Unfortunately, very rarely do they try to do that; instead, whites are always on the defensive when the word racism appears in print - they immediately go into denial - giving examples of how many good nonwhite friends they have and how they go out of their way to help undeserving blacks and other nonwhites.

What is pathetic about this rush to defend "whiteness," white people forget that this is a nation who was built on the concept of Christianity. Jesus Christ said you are as you think! If whites defend incidents of racism like this, they are just as guilty as Crowley - and other whites who are overtly racist. "As a man thinketh, so he is” Jesus says.

I laugh at the hypocrisy of what I see around me - this denial, this pointing the finger at the victim - this is a typical reaction to being called racist. This nation is a nation of liars and hypocrites....and will one day be judged because we failed to live up to our Christian beliefs.

Vsessoms

get over the whip: it's been over 150 years. And yes, there has been horrible injustice since then. But cut it with the slavery thing. The fact is most slaves were sold by other African blacks.

" But I do know about Skip Gates. What nobody will say publicly, for fear of being called a racist, is that he is notorious, especially among many of his colleagues (black and white) at Harvard, for being short-tempered and arrogant. I have had personal dealings with him in which his behavior was not honorable."

"Saying that may get me in trouble. Gates is the moderator of The Root, a website owned by the Washington Post Company..."
-----------------
Life's like that, Ms. Sally Quinn!

... When the Devil himself is offering the thing you want most, sometimes you dance with the Devil!

Under the circumstances, You would not have an objection, Mr. Warren Edward Buffet!!!

I'm white and generally sympathetic to the issues of race, but there is no way that I want to discuss them with a black person.

A white person is almost always on the defensive from the start in such a discussion. Any attempt to "prove" you aren't a racist, simply confirms it.

It strikes me as odd that people constantly call for a dialogue in which one side is always assumed to be wrong from the start.

Sally, for ONCE I agree with you. I am white and have been in police hands as a youth. It cured me of my behavioral problems quickly. I since treat police officers with kid gloves. Skip Gates knows from books. He knows from TV. He knows from conversation. He does not know from experience. He has never, til that day, been in the personal company of police officers. His behavior was bad. He IS known for eratic and rude behavior on campus. We were not surprised by the report on Skip's behavior.

Sally, I don't think you will really understand how a black person would feel until your angry thoughts are not about the black police officer who wouldn't let you go home, but about the white slave owner who had a whip, rope and gun and knew it was his god given duty to emasculate, humiliate, denigrate, dehumanize and terrorize you. Governor Patrick has it right when he said that Gates experienced a black man's greatest fear when confronted by Crowley. And yes, there is racism on both sides, but we whites are the dominant group. Are you aware of the idea that there is not racist and non-racist. There is 'most racist' and 'least racist'. If you haven't read "Silent Racism" yet, you should.

"They don't see young kids being tased by off-duty officers working as guards in schools; or Blacks shots 100 times by police officers while standing on their own porch."

How much more likely is a black to be shot by another black than by police? Whites will stop associating blacks with crime when it stops being true.

The lack of honesty in racial dialogue stems from not wanting to admit truth. If blacks would just say "I prefer to live in a mixed neighborhood because black ones go to hell" whites can say "Your welcome to, as long as you don't bring ghetto pathologies with you."

There's a diversity video shown in my workplace that consists of a series of teachable moment scenes. In one, two women are talking and one says "I went to my ATM this morning, but there was a black man hanging around the corner, so I didn't." Her friend lectures her bout how she didn't need to say "black" in that sentence.

That's why honest racial dialogue is currently impossible -- true statements have to be expunged of the content that doesn't fit ideologies.

vsessoms, It seems you do not understand Sgt. Crowley was there to protect and serve Professor Gates. He was investigating a report of a crime at Professor Gates' home. However, for some reason unknown to us, Professor Gates chose to interfere with Sgt. Crowley's investigation and became part of the problem. That led to his arrest. It was standard operating procedure.

Racial injustice can be black against white, or white against black, as Ms Quinn has illustrated.
The common obstacle to a more just society is fear...fear of white bigotry and fear of black violence against whites. Once we have a more solid understanding of this, we can start having a real conversation without obstacles.

Even better: come over here to the African continent. Over here, "racism" is most often called "tribalism" and it is brutal to the point that liberal Americans would hide under their sheets and cry.

decent article. It is not just race though. Sexual differences are very hard to discuss also.
See the article about household temperatures :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/01/AR2009080101839_Comments.html

many comments seem to be quite angry?

And race does not seem to be an issue

there is an old saying, "walk a mile in my shoes." meaning you can't speak for or of me until you have been where i have been. ms. quinn, living in georgetown puts you in the elitist column, and speaking of georgetown, you may recall the police commander who stated in a townhall meeting that any "black person walking the streets of georgetown should be reported",(he was all but fired for his comments). If that is not profiling I do not know what is!! As far as holloween in georgetown, it is a known fact that police make every attempt to keep certain people out, that is why there is such a presence of MPD in the area.

now regarding the incident in cambridge, the officer in question was making a statement, simply put, " you are not going to talk to me that way and get away with it", I don't care if you are in your own home or not. Skip Gates made no attempt to harm the officer, had he done therefore let alone his first amendment rights

Black Americans also need to be more educated on how police treat white people; perception is not reality. If you care to scroll (way) down, you'll see just one of my first hand stories.

Also, all the whites who jump up to defend should be educated on what it is like to be white in an all black, urban neighborhood. You might just find out what racism REALLY is...

Henry Louis Gates irregardless of his education and position in the D.C. community is at the heart of the matter an American citizen. He is entitled to all the rights and protection our constitution was written for. The color of his skin has nothing to do with the issue here, although I'm sure the D.C. cop who trampled on his rights might see things through different eyes. Who can say do we really know how honest the cop was with us? I have my doubts!

The White House beer bash may have helped put out racial spot fires, but swept the issue of law enforcements increased abuse of the Bill of Rights since 9/11 with the passing of the Patriot Act.

The flag waving variety of Americans who call themselves patriots sat by and watched Cheney/Bush administration flush more of our rights down the toilet. The incident with Professor Gates is a perfect example!

My challenge to the American citizenry is to look back into our founding father's reasons for putting to pen the Bill of Rights in the first place! Take a look at The Son's of Liberty and what they stood for. Pull your collective heads out of the sand or other more vulgar places and become true "PATRIOTS"!

It's time we took back our rights and our country! My hope is President Obama is a step in the right direction for all of us.

Scott Cooper

In the real USA, there is no issue with race. We all understand the greatness of our US Constitution.
The problem with race in the USA today is the illegal and the newcomers, who want to live their old Countries Constitution and culture.
Where things have gone wrong in the Country is not properly vetting who is here and their allegiances, from mainstreet to the Oval offices.
American know there are 50 states, and what overstepping power is.
Un-Americans don't.

In the real USA, there is no issue with race. We all understand the greatness of our US Constitution.
The problem with race in the USA today is the illegal and the newcomers, who want to live their old Countries Constitution and culture.
Where things have gone wrong in the Country is not properly vetting who is here and their allegiances, from mainstreet to the Oval offices.
American know there are 50 states, and what overstepping power is.
Un-Americans don't.

One difference between Ms Quinn and her friend's experience in Georgetown is that whites in this country have never been routinely oppressed as a racial group by police authorities. Blacks have. The expectation of being unfairly treated and even abused has substantial basis in fact, both historical and current.

Whether Sgt. Crowley's case is an example of profiling or not, comparisons between white experience of police unfairness and that of blacks has elements of comparing apples and oranges.

In the real USA, there is no issue with race. We all understand the greatness of our US Constitution.
The problem with race in the USA today is the illegal and the newcomers, who want to live their old Countries Constitution and culture.
Where things have gone wrong in the Country is not properly vetting who is here and their allegiances, from mainstreet to the Oval offices.
American know there are 50 states, and what overstepping power is.
Un-Americans don't.

I disagree with Sally's argument regarding the Gates incident. She was right when she said people aren't saying what they really feel about the incident! People rarely do for the fear of being judged negatively. However, I think that this post is a good example of how just uninformed whites are about what really happens to African Americans and other nonwhites in this country every single day. Many whites only see Blacks on television, or as maids and workers in their homes. They rarely socialize with Blacks, or go to places that are multiethnic.. Much of what they see on televsion are crime reports, or as criminals rather than as fellow Americans. Whites are not in police stations to see Black men sodomized or brutalized by police officers. They don't see young kids being tased by off-duty officers working as guards in schools; or Blacks shots 100 times by police officers while standing on their own porch. In essence - whites like to believe that this incident happened because Gates was arrogant and uncooperative - although whites sometimes admit that a white person would have been arrested under the same conditions.

What bothers me about this incident is not that whites don't understand it. Crowley should have apologized - he was hired to "protect and serve" not to act out his own personal racist views and feelings. So what if he felt insulted, that is not a crime - he is not God - nor is he there to interpret the law - He is there to make an arrest when a law has been broken, nothing more!

White people - especially white Christians - should be ashamed of the hyprocrisy, and of their own racism which continues to creates this sinful behavior that not only
allows this type of behavior to go unpunished or honestly addressed, but also perpetuates the demonic notion that Jesus Christ came to defeat.

I think whites are not only racist - but those whites who consider themselves not racists, but Christians, who remain silent and who do not object to this inhumane treatment of those who were made in God's image - are just as guilty as Sgt Crowley. Their silent condemns them and one day they will stand before God and account for this hyprocrisy and will be judged according.

The same is true regarding the illegal invasion of Iraq and what is now happening in the middle-east where Israel is murdering defenseless people. Not being concerned about starvation in Africa and other man-made atrocities going on around the world. Your silence condemns you!

Everything about this episode suggests that the charge of racial profiling was just plain ridiculous. More broadly, it seems unreasonable to expect police officers to always be perfect in their judgment. The fact is, they cannot always say precisely the right thing and make exactly the right decision. However, they are always police officers and the rest of us are not. It behooves us to respect their authority and behave civilly, whether or not we agree with an officer's judgment. Otherwise, we risk arrest for disturbing the peace or some similar charge. That's how it works, and it has nothing to do with race.

So, Gates is an arrogant,little man and now he can rant about his bread-and-butter topic with our commander-in-chief by his side. If he doesn't have race to bellow about, I suspect Harvard (which fosters this stupidity) wouldn't need him on the payroll. As for Crowley, a cop is a cop, and they have a nasty job to do, so get over it black America and start behaving in a way that keeps cops at bay. That's what white Americans do, though it seems less and less.

I disagree with Sally's argument regarding the Gates incident. She was right when she said people aren't saying what they really feel about the incident! People rarely do for the fear of being judged negatively. However, I think that this post is a good example of how just uninformed whites are about what really happens to African Americans and other nonwhites in this country every single day. Many whites only see Blacks on television, or as maids and workers in their homes. They rarely socialize with Blacks, or go to places that are multiethnic.. Much of what they see on televsion are crime reports, or as criminals rather than as fellow Americans. Whites are not in police stations to see Black men sodomized or brutalized by police officers. They don't see young kids being tased by off-duty officers working as guards in schools; or Blacks shots 100 times by police officers while standing on their own porch. In essence - whites like to believe that this incident happened because Gates was arrogant and uncooperative - although whites sometimes admit that a white person would have been arrested under the same conditions.

What bothers me about this incident is not that whites don't understand it. Crowley should have apologized - he was hired to "protect and serve" not to act out his own personal racist views and feelings. So what if he felt insulted, that is not a crime - he is not God - nor is he there to interpret the law - He is there to make an arrest when a law has been broken, nothing more!

White people - especially white Christians - should be ashamed of the hyprocrisy, and of their own racism which continues to creates this sinful behavior that not only
allows this type of behavior to go unpunished or honestly addressed, but also perpetuates the demonic notion that Jesus Christ came to defeat.

I think whites are not only racist - but those whites who consider themselves not racists, but Christians, who remain silent and who do not object to this inhumane treatment of those who were made in God's image - are just as guilty as Sgt Crowley. Their silent condemns them and one day they will stand before God and account for this hyprocrisy and will be judged according.

The same is true regarding the illegal invasion of Iraq and what is now happening in the middle-east where Israel is murdering defenseless people. Not being concerned about starvation in Africa and other man-made atrocities going on around the world. Your silence condemns you!

Consider the following apologetics from the article:

"New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, whom I admire enormously, was outraged."
"No one would deny the appalling discrepancies in the numbers of incarcerated blacks and incarcerated whites."
"This story is so disturbing to me precisely because I think it mitigates the outrage that blacks must face in this country every day."
"Were we singled out because we were white? Who knows."
"As I sat there seething with my child in his car seat in back, the first thing I thought of was: this is how most black people must feel every day when confronting the police."
"We have to be able to apologize for our part in the problem.

The "Scary Honest Truth" about race relations is that Sally Quinn feels she must apologize for her position and put in constant disclaimers strongly hinting that she really really is oh so tolerant or - uh oh the thought police might lynch her.

I am not aware that Professor Gates did anything illegal. This case is about police abuse of power. Race is a secondary issue (and clearly Bob Herbert is exactly right about the abuse that blacks suffer at the hands of police in his country). I am a white, professional surburban woman, age 55. Is it a crime to insult a police officer? I don't think so (although of course it isn't wise). Gates may have been arrogant or insulting. So what? The issue is Sgt. Crowley's reaction. From what I can see, Crowley abused his position. Once it was clear that Gates was in his own home, Crowley should have left. End of story. Instead, the officer chose to arrest Gates on a trumped up charge of disorderly conduct. This wasn't just "acting stupidly." It was clearly abuse of power.

You are suffering from a serious case of "white guilt" my friend. The whole piece is a crescendo of absurdity.....climaxing with:

"As I sat there seething with my child in his car seat in back, the first thing I thought of was: this is how most black people must feel every day when confronting the police."

Was that really the very first thing you thought of? ...yeah, now there's some honesty for you LOL.

There are a few problems with the reasoning of this editorial. (1) Quinn assumes that Gates & Crowley "really" feel differently than their public persona. (2) Quinn assumes that meaningful "public" conversation is NOT happening in non-mainstream venues. There are many types of "public." I would argue that mainstream media is not a "public" that lend to reconciliation. (3) Quinn assumes that reconciliation does in fact require agreement. Really? We are in a world of trouble then. (4) Quinn assumes that Pres. Obama was not aware of the case with he spoke about the "stupidity" of the situation. (5) Quinn discredits Gates, who she has known, while propping up Crowley through her lack of knowledge. This is not good journalism. We could check the mainstream media for ample stories of police officers who are similarly "short-tempered" and "arrogant." This by no means implies Crowley is, but Quinn's own admission implies there's no way of knowing he's not. (6) Evoking Crowley's one time instruction of a racial-profiling course for P.O. as evidence of his clarity, while neglecting Gate's lifetime of intellectual accomplishments in the same arena, is institutional racism. (7) Evoking "reverse racism" as analogous to racism neglects history, and rightfully charged emotions that any historically oppressed minority may experience in a compromising situation.

We are a nation with no memory leading to a weak ability to critically examine.

I don't know Gates. Had never heard of him before this incident.

But a lot of people here in DC do know of him.

His reputation in academic circles is that he is very smart, makes substantive and convincing arguments, but can be very arrogant and has a hair-trigger temper.

I know several people that instantly knew who he was and to a man they all said the same thing - they have no problem believing he yelled at a cop unprovoked.

And they all also said it's a class thing, not a race thing. Gates is a superstar in his academic world, and he doesn't understand that perhaps the average cop or average citizen doesn't recognize his rock star status.

This is truly a terrible test case for examining racial profiling, as there most likely was no racial profiling here.

All the while, there are very real cases of racial profiling that we will never hear of because the victims aren't famous or powerful.

Sad, really. Gates injecting race into this gratuitously has set the cause of racial conciliation back considerably.

I am a white, career government lawyer who advises a large police department in a major city. I do not see the basis for the arrest.

Gates was hauled out of his own house in handcuffs, booked, photographed, fingerprinted, for what exactly?

What crime did Gates commit? Being arrogant? Acting like a crank? Demonstrating ingratitude? Using harsh and unkind words? In our country, these are not crimes.

It does not add up. How on earth do you arrest a person in his own home, after he provided photo ID, when the reason you are on the scene is to investigate whether the person was breaking into what you now know is his own house?

As soon as the officer determined that there was no break-in, he should have left the scene and gone back to work. The officer is not being paid to argue with citizens. And he is certainly not supposed to use the power of arrest to win a personal dispute.

Note, by the way, that the department immediately dropped the charges.

This was a bad arrest. The officer did, indeed, act stupidly. While Gates would be a jerk to sue, the department still needs to understand the real reason the officer made the arrest and counsel or disipline the officer appropriately.

I too believe this is a constitutional rights issue and NOT A RACE ISSUE. However, it's certainly showing us for our true colors. During Jury Duty, the Judge always instructs the Jury NOT to give more or less weight to the testimony of a Police Officer simply because he is a Police Officer. The uniform cannot override truth and justice. I've been treated royally by some policemen, and conversely, treated “strangely” by others. I can't begin to imagine what they face each moment of the day in this CRAZY world. I respect law enforcement officers on all levels. I thank them and I pray for them often, but Policemen are people too. They make good and bad judgment calls. I'm also a person who gives very little weight to RACE. IT STINKS ALL THE WAY TO HEAVEN!!! But, "who can counsel God?" "It is He who has made us and not we ourselves". I do believe that Prof. Gates went far into the "human element", but remember, he had just traveled across the world, returned unable to enter his home, was probably suffering increased pain from the long trip (he walks with a cane), probably eager to see his family, and then find Policemen at his door who didn't believe he lived there - - after a conversation and seeing his ID. Technology allows the Police to verify ID; they don't accept our word for it. Some news reports I read stated that Gates was on the phone with his real estate agent when Officer Crowley entered the home and that he followed him to the kitchen where Prof. Gates completed the phone call. (Don’t know if this is true?) Looking closely at THIS matter, I believe Prof. Gates over reacted, but didn't warrant an arrest. He should have handled his complaints with the Police Chief. I believe Pres. Obama must stop responding to each and every media question. He is under a microscope and his responses are injuring his mission. However, let's allow Pres. Obama his mistakes; presidents are people too. If we really want to be honest and truthful, we would have admitted centuries ago that the color of our skin means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t give us Eagle Scout points with GOD; it gives us NO superiority over our brother; it’s obsolete. Let’s get over it and LIVE in peace with one another. Perhaps that's what God is waiting on us to realize before He heals our land.

It's well known, or so I always heard from my mother, that college-educated or otherwise intelligent people lack COMMON SENSE.

Had I been in Gates's shoes upon arriving home and being unable to properly enter my domicile, I'd have called the local police station to let them know what was happening, to report the damaged door, and ask how to handle the situation so that my neighbors who did not know me would not think me a burglar at my own place of residence if they saw me "breaking in."

Make sense to anyone? (My own impatient behavior with cops, in my case, with very young authoritative ones with little life experience, has caused me trouble, as a brunette, as a blonde, and with and without my nose ring. It's about attitude, not race, ethnicity, or gender.)

Probably Gates and Crowley are equally arrogant when tired or yelled at.

Should police be allowed to arrest someone who is yelling at a policeman investigating a break-in in the victim's own kitchen? Are police permitted to arrest someone who is yelling after he is moved outdoors where there is a small crowd?

Quinn leaves out the victory of the United States South after the Civil War when legal arrests were used to re-enslave blacks during reconstruction. Gates thought he was above the threat of arrest and Crowley thought he could arrest at will someone being disrespectful.

What changes the perception of common public towards Police?

In my case, I was 16, and my opinion of Law was like most kids that age. Run-
Of course I played where there was no Law, 14th, nor ID checks.

A sheriff (sargeant) had broken down on the side of the road. His hood was up.
So, I stopped and asked him what the problem was. He couldn't get the vehicle started. He looked at me with some arrogance. He had taken the vehicle through a car wash and moisture had gotten in the distributor. I diagnosed the problem, popped the cap and dried it out, then he put it back on.

The vehicle started and I never saw that Sheriff again. He did have a smile on his face as did I, when the vehicle started.

As my children grew up, I made sure that that the got to know Police. Understanding that they were normal people, doing a job. A lot of stresses and danger daily.

Jay

RETIREDZOOMIE:

Point well taken. I guess I should have stated that the INCIDENT had nothing to do with race. If we are going to have a serious discussion about racial profiling, we should at least be responding to an incident where it was present.

Black, Hispanic or White when confronted with a situation like the one Prof. Gates found himself in, why not take the high road and and simply cooperate with an officer trying to do his job ? If Crowley was overstepping his authority then Prof. Gates should have been the bigger man. With the Harvard "academic" arena available to him every day, why did Prof. Gates use his front porch as a stage for railing on about racial profiling.
When you are stopped for speeding is it your first response to start yelling at the officer standing at your car door? In my experience that never works very well.
Besides with all the academics who have weighed in on this Gates/Crowley event one very well established scientific fact seems to be ignored. There are no human races. The Human Genome Project clearly shows we are all of the same identical race. That goes for great Harvard "intellects" and Cambridge police officers.

Daddy O2 - I'm confused.

If the article has nothing to do with race, then why does it have the title "The Scary, Honest Truth About Race"? Are you reading a different article? Or are you in denial?

It must be a frightening experience, to say the least, when one is surrounded by aggressive men with guns and clubs whom you know wouldn't be speaking to you if you were of a different race.

If I had a black or Latino kid, I'd move them out of the US so quick their head would spin. Just hearing the hate speech that's been making such a comeback on various media outlets is traumatizing enough for children, either making them afraid or making them racists themselves. But the fear of having them brutalized by people who are sworn to uphold the law is not a fear I'd like to go to bed with each night.

Racism is alive and well in America. All one has to do is review the Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings for proof.

Ms. Quinn has written, by far, the most astute essay that I have read on the Gates-Crowley incident. It is honest without being patronizing. It respects the reader and the two persons involved. Honesty is a high form of respect.

Kahibah asked "Is Ms Quinn saying it is okay to arrest people because they are "short-tempered and arrogant"?" A careful perusal of Ms. Quinn's text demonstrates that she did not make that claim, or imply it.

RETIREDZOOMIE:

We are not talking about race here, because this story has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with race. It has to do with abuse of authority to forward your personal agenda, whether it is mere ego or a cause that you are devoted to.

Anyone who claims not to be racist is either delusional or a bold faced liar.

I will grant you that babies, like dogs who retain their neutrality, are not born racist.

Soon, however; parents, relatives, peers, the media and teachers teach us to be racist - albeit not always deliberately.

I remember as a young child not thinking much about the differences between me and Mexicans and Native Americans. Then, my father taught me that "all Mexicans would steal from me" and Native Americans "kidnap white children" I believe this for a long time until I was better educated and sadly accepted the fact that my father was not infallible. Each society perpetuates racial stereotypes and the first step in dealing with racism is admitting we all are racist to some extent or the other.

By far, the biggest factor in the Crowley/Gates confrontation has been the Press. The Press not only kept the story going but fanned the flames of racial unrest. Constant biased press coverage from both sides has contributed to the racial divide. After stirring people to the point of violence the press that stirred it all up asks, "How could this happen?"

There are still plenty of racial problems in this country. A "racist nation"? Maybe not. But we still have racial problems here.

I don't know if the Crowley/Gates incident was racially motivated or not. I'm inclined to believe that it was more a class matter than anything else, because of the fact that Gates' stature is what has given this so much ink. Would we still be talking about this if he were a person without the status he has? Probably not.

Again - people on this thread of posts still aren't coming to grips with the fact that they themselves see things through racially-colored glasses - and that in America, it seems to be difficult for a lot of people not to.

I think we are making progress. President Obama did preside over a teachable moment. Some of us have been made aware that "racial profiling" and "police profiling" are opposite sides of the same coin. It remains to be seen what we do with the experience we have had.
For those who have problems with Professor Gates' arrest that occurred at his home that was, in fact, the scene of a reported crime, I suggest you read the standard operating procedures for law enforcement for investigations of a crime scene. Sgt. Crowley seemed to me to be following the book.

"Saying that may get me in trouble. Gates is the moderator of The Root, a website owned by the Washington Post Company. I suspect that Don Graham, my boss and the company's owner, will now be forced to have us over to his home to reconcile over a cold one. (Note to Don: My favorite is a Greek beer called Mythos.) But I'd welcome that opportunity, and I hope I would have the courage to use it to speak honestly about how I felt."

The scary, honest truth is that you are obviously intimidated by these people to the point that you will not talk honestly about the subject matter.

I sure would have loved to see the Professor say "I just traveled for many hours and had to break into my own home and it pissed me off". Or, the policeman say "I was only trying to help him out, and when he went off on me it pissed me off". Sorry seems to be the hardest word (thanks Elton).

Blacks mistrust of police officers is not a problem that can be easily defined and then dismissed or resolved over a beer or in a series of college courses or public forums. Both Whites and Blacks have legitimate grievances and neither side should deny that those grievances are valid.
For Whites who believe the matter of slavery should be put to rest, you are not understanding the profound generational effect that slavery had on a race of people.
To comments that YOUR family wasn't in the USA during slavery, did not own slaves and did not benefit from slave ownership, I ask were you or your family here in the 1950's when school segregation was still the law. Or when redlining prevented qualified Blacks from owning homes in in far too many decent neighborhoods? Were you in the USA when police were turning fire hoses and guns on American citizens who were protesting the denial of equal rights, homes, jobs, and education. Were you in the USA when Black men were dragged from their homes right in front of their children and lynched for no reason other than being Black. Many in the lynch mobs day jobs were police officers.
The list is long and denial and or guilt solves nothing.
Examples of racism can be found on the comment pages of WAPO every single day
Gates behaved stupidly and the police officer may have been able to diffuse the situation by other means other than arresting Gates, who it appears was of no physical threat to the officer.
The only thing on display during the Gates/Crowley incident was ruffled male tail-feathers.

Sally, you undermined your credibility here by, in the midst of an honest discussion, throwing in some of the required PC canards on race, esp. race and police encounters. I just don't get the feeling you yourself are being completely honest.

That said, I would hope your readers go beyond the specific facts of this case and look at the larger question. While I wish the President had not "acted stupidly" here, the hopeful thing is that, in a marked change from the past, the vast majority of people now feel more free to talk about racial dynamics and less afraid of being labeled a "racist."

Is the conversation completely honest yet? No, but it's a hopeful thing that it is more so. It is a hopeful thing that more and more people are willing to pipe up about the way *behavior* (including arrogant, nasty, boorish personal behavior) trumps racial factors most of the time.

What I am seeing is that Americans are increasingly willing to stand up for the fact that, while no society is perfect, we are not a racist nation.

In fact, that was a huge part of the draw in voting for Obama---just the opportunity to vote for someone who did appear to have a post-racial outlook --- who, it appeared, would not operate with the 2-worlds construct of the Wrights, Jacksons and Sharptons of the racial grievance industry --- who would not perpetuate oppression and enslavement by passing hate on to the next generation --- who would not assure (literally) people it was somehow "the man" who is "keeping them down."

In electing Obama, many wanted to validate publicly that we are not a racist nation. President's Obamas actions in the Gates matter said he thinks the opposite.

The good news is that we are so far from being a racist nation that we will no longer sit still for being accused as one --- by anyone, including the President of the United States.

Lucia Whalen was a good and responsible citizen when she made that 911 call, not mentioning race at all until asked by the operator taking her call. She was vilified for doing the right thing, and she was not even invited to the meeting. That is a teachable moment.

Well stated and appreciated, Ms. Quinn. However, you need to follow up now by analyzing the comments here. How do the responses reflect what you wrote? Perhaps those illustrating the problem might learn from a follow up, while those addressing the problem and attempting to avoid it might provide good examples for others, perhaps, to learn from.

There are, however, a couple of aspects of this issue which have also not been discussed much. One blog I read noted, interestingly, that Gates' attitude (which, BTW, I've heard MANY who know him indicate added to the problem) reflects something somewhat new--something that might take time for society to get accustomed to: a "high-powered" minority.

Think about that for a moment. Many whites are not accustomed to blacks having...shall we say, a "hard-arsed" attitude--the kind of attitude that many hard-driving CEOs actually DO have. But those CEOs are white and high-powered white men have been abusing their underlings for years, and it's accepted, if not exactly appreciated.

But when or were Obama, Gates, Oprah, Sotomayor, etc. to put on such an attitude? Look at how Sen. Graham actually tried to criticize Sotomayor because some lawyers she worked with basically called her a hard-arse?

A friend of mine, a college professor herself, noted exactly this to me. She found, in her long career, that the sweet, kindly "Aunt Jemima" and "Butler Bob" black professors had more stability and longevity in their careers (thanks to fewer student complaints and the subsequent pressure from administrators) than those who are more impersonal and authoritative.

The blog that noted this new phenomena--society's discomfort with minorities in position of high authority and power--rankles many because while we are willing to accept and even praise the success of the minorities, we aren't really ready to accept them if they don't act GRATEFUL about that success.

Just listen to how many on the far right call Obama "arrogant." What presidents other than Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford have NOT been arrogant? It's practically a prerequisite for the position.

[The second aspect that hasn't been discussed much is the testosterone effect. I won't get into that, though, since it's obvious.]

Well - I suppose this article and the posts that follow it prove that there won't be any honest discussions on race any time soon.

People can't even speak about it without laying blame against someone else. I didn't notice any posters acknowledging personal responsibility for this problem. And that is one of the main reasons we still are dealing with this nonsense.

Until people are honest with themselves, an open conversation cannot take place. It isn't a matter of "why do those people..." it's a matter of "why do I..." And we will get nowhere until that happens.

If I verbally abuse and insult an officer,and pursue him outside in order to continue the assault. what can I expect as a result of my actions?
you can twist this incident into anything you wish to prop up either side you wish to support.You can look at it it from every conceivable angle, dissect it, analyze it, discuss it, nod your heads in agreement or disagreement. But after all the excuses, explanations, shoulda, coulda, woulda's. It is what it is...
The Professor reaped what he sowed.This is elementary stuff, we all know what happens when you follow someone around yelling insults, eventually, you get a reaction.

Wow. Right On!

From reading all the reports and responses during this episode one got the feeling that this was NOT an actual case of "racial profiling" but a case of "over-reactions." That is why there was not much sympathy for "Skip" acting like an obnoxious Harvard Scholar, except by "his friends" in the editorial writing newspaper circles.

I think people are open to dealing with race issues but when the lectures on race come from personalities like "Rev. Wright or "Skip Gates" you can forget it. People are not stupid, they are not going to flagelate themselves over the race issue just because there are those who hold to the belief that they should and that they indeed "owe" it to this Nation's history.

Mr. King wrote a very good piece in this paper yesterday explaining the misuse of arresting people on disorderly conduct charges, which, helped folks, who, thought, that the arrest of "Skip" was justifed, after reading the piece by Mr. King one could see that that part of the "Gates/Crowley" situaion was not at all necessary.

Being white and living in Mexico has given me a good perspective about racism. Although, Mexicans are racist like the rest of us, it is more covert.

The stereotypes I have to live with by being a minority here are different. Mexicans believe all American whites have money are are suckers who can be exploited. If I want to buy anything, I must have my Mexican friend do it for me because the price will always be higher for me. My fear of the police is that they will shake me down for money. I carry a separate wallet with a small bill in it for such occasions and am always respectful with the police. Sometimes, because of this respect and by pretending not to speak Spanish, they let me go even though I am guilty of an infraction like running a yellow light. The key to being a minority here is being respectful to others. Once I start doing what they call the "gr!ngo dance" - turning red and yelling like Gates, any opportunity for justice is over.

Like American blacks, Mexicans have chips on their shoulders from real or imagined grievances against white Americans. The difference is they don't continually throw them at me.

After living in the DC area for 13 years, it's a relief to be away from a large population of blacks perpetually angry with me just because I am white.

I was surprised by this article. I expected the usual liberal drivel.

Three suggestions:

1. Face up to the high rate of violent crime committed by blacks.
2. Face up to the prevalence of race-hustling and diversocrat nonsense gone amuck.
3. Face up to the prevalence of police arrogance and prosecutorial abuse in this country.

Thank you Mss Quinn for putting yourself in the firing line by telling the truth about the professor’s temper, even though he is an associate. And I thought your article was fair and balanced. I certainly agree that racism is alive and well in America, and on planet Earth. I yearn for a better day.

But in the current situation. I’d like to register a couple of comments. One, It seems no one is ever responsible anymore. Hence no guilt is admitted, no sincere apologies are given and the situation remains unresolved. And on a minor note, excuse me if I got the facts wrong, but wasn’t alcohol a contributing factor in the initial situation, so why hoot it up in the reconciliation process?

Dorsey Brandenburg
North East, Maryland

Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed of a day when a man would be judged not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. Here we have a tale of three men who erred: The president by his initial overreaction and the two men involved. The president was the only one involved with enough character to admit his mistake. I guess that's why he is the president.

As I understand it, a policeman without any kind of warrant is not empowered to come to your door and insist that you 1. step outside or 2. show identification. Every person, if confronted by a policeman making that demand in a like situation, is within his/her rights to refuse.

Having said that, I would, in such a situation, cooperate with such requests in a manner consistent with my own security (i.e. calling the police station to verify that the "policeman" is, in fact, a policeman.) I would do that because, as a citizen concerned about reducing crime, I would want the policeman's concern to be resolved as efficiently as possible so that he could get back to other law enforcement duties.

Officer Crowley had the chance to do just that once Professor Gates had supplied the requested identification, but chose not to in order to throw his weight around. He arranged the circumstances so as to find an excuse to arrest the professor, simply because he did not like what the professor was saying to him. Not very professional.

As a teacher, I have had to learn how to secure cooperation from students, not by ordering them around like a tyrant, but by making requests in a way which does not humiliate or antagonize them. If teachers can learn to do this, then police officers can be trained to do this as well, especially when those with whom they are interacting are clearly law-abiding people. I fault the Cambridge Police Department for failure to teach its personnel how to interact with the public in ways which are likely to secure cooperation rather than hostility.

After reading I must disagree with some of your comments, I personaly feel that all person involved (including our president) are arrogant, overspoken and rash, I also have a disclaimer to my views, due to the fact that many of the truths have been clouded by this race issue, Im not a collage educated individual, or a professional politican, but I work around highly educated people everyday, and what Ive learned is, people in position are not new to scrutiny or consistant attacks, whether by opponents or many times your own people, it seems the higher up the hill you go the more people want to knock you down, saying that, try my point of view, have you ever had to break in your own home? I know I've had to, a locksmith will cost the same as busting out an old window, should you be able to be arrogant in your own home? well YES, personaly I would like to able to walk around nude if I so desire, should a police officer be able to arrest you in your home- NO, after his ID was verified, the police response should have been Thank You and have a good day, it doent mater if he was arrogant, drunk, nude, high on drugs, they hade no right to arrest him- What I see is another overaggressive cop, and after seeing the four of them drinking beer together, I can clearly tell you the pecking order, and someone will take the fall for all this, and my feelings is sarge will be directing traffic.

You mention that-- this is how black people feel every day when they encounter the police.--- How often do you have encounters with the police? I know I haven't had a cop question me about anything in years. So I don't get your point. There are more black people in jail... perhaps that's because more black people are doing drugs and committing crimes. Just a theory... As for "staubrey's" comment about Gates being in the sanctuary of his home. He unloaded on the cop long before the cop saw an ID. It was Gates intent to verbally assualt the cop all along.

Jesus, Buddha and Muhamed were having a beer. Jesus says, I am glad I made this beer. Buddha says, This beer is not really here. Muhamed says, I wish I could drink this beer. Henry Gates says, I be drinking this beer with your MOMMA! Then they all got arrested by the Cambridge Police for drinking in public.

It never ceases to amaze me that anyone in their right mind can separate people by race. Are they that stupid?

As I grew up in several states (in Australia) attending numerous schools in numerous towns and cities, I was only ever in any place long enough to make a few friends and then leave. Making friends was difficult when standing out like a sore thumb - a red-head with freckled skin who was either labled, in school, as a city-slicker or a country bumpkin, depending on where I'd just come from. It would've been so much easier if I'd been one of the "shaded races"; red, yellow black or white. Alas it could never be, unless I'd had some outrageous and phony skin treatment ala Michael Jackson and dyed my hair.

If I learned anything from observation of these "shaded races" as I grew older it was that the best of each was better than most of the opposing shades' members; in other words 'there is no difference worth talking about'. As for America, you people wouldn't be the cultural juggernauts you are were it not for the contributions of your blacks, whites and brindleds - ARE YOU NUTS?

As far as I'm concerned I just want to see you folk pump out more culture like you've been doing these last couple of centuries. I want to see more Elvis's and Jose Feliciano's and Bill Cosbys'. Of all the things you Americans can be called one of them isn't "culturally stagnant" or "boring". It'd just be nice to see you put this dopey race issue behind you, but, the world is just as stupid I suppose with its ethnic and religious dislikes, which is really just fear of something different.

Here's something to live by... it came to me in the early 70's, during my weekend hippy period, I call it...

"A Point Of You"

Your point of view is a point of you,
No matter what you try or do,
You see your world through different eyes,
Different colors for different skies,
So judge not him who has not seen,
The places where you might have been,
For from the day you are born until the
day that you die,
You shall be as unique as the place in
space you occupy.

Very simply put, neither the color of your skin nor the badge you are carrying gives you the right to act like a jackass. Both men are hiding their foolishness -- one behind his race, and the other behind his uniform. Every time I act like an arrogant fool, when I am confronted with it I can either learn my humility lesson or hide behind some grouping that supposedly makes me a victim. If I take the easy way out, the foolishness is bound to be repeated.

Do you really wish to ask people WHY
they're racists?!? Every last man of them
will have a very damn good reason for it:

Even Hitler had a very good reason for
being a racist, for God's sake: he was
trying to save the entire German people
from being polluted by them mixing with
"inferior" lower-evolved hulking creatures
quite incapable of higher "true" intellectual achievements (German arts, German Music,
and German science were apparently
beyond the ability of Jews, Gypsies, and
others). If you too believed such utter
nonsense, you too would probably be an
admirer of Adolf Hitler and all he did.

And the same is true for Professor Gates:
He is very probably quite convinced (even
from the testimony of his best friends) that
most white people he'll run across will spit
upon his humanity and dignity at the drop
of a hat. If you believed this the incident
with Officer Crowley would be something
forever hanging precipitously before you
just as it was for the dear professor.

Instead of trying to continue to rationalize
our racism (and we are all racists to some
level or degree), we should be trying to
work our way through it--It's like trying to
get along with people who have terrible BO:
Yes, we simply CAN'T STAND THEM, but
they're people too (sometimes they're our
bosses, for God's sake). And yet they ARE
people, and we must get on with people
or the world must be a killing place (as it
has sometimes become here & there even
for millions of people). That's the choice.

S D Rodrian
http://sdrodrian.com

.

I'm not sure what took place in Professor Gates home and speculate that the homeowner (Gates) was tired after a long trip and already frustrated when the police officer arrived at his home. The police officer probably proceeded with his 'standard operating procedure' which involved asking the 'person in question' to step aside the house. This situation was ripe for a power struggle between the person with authority and power, the police officer, and the person without authority, the homeowner. Now, the homeowner was not the kind of individual who is used to being in control and the authority figure at work and he was tired, frustrated, and angry. Yes, in his mind, he identified himself as the homeowner and in his mind the officer should just leave his home. The police officer was not happy that this 'citizen' was not compliant and a 'power struggle' ensured. In my profession as a social worker in a public agency, I've learned to defuse power struggles and to recognize when one is developing. It was the person in 'authority' who needed to defuse the situation not escalate the situation by arresting the homeowner. I see this as a situation of two men both wanting a win-lose outcome and this was one time that the police officer had the upper hand. I've worked a lot with police in my role as a school social worker and I've seen highly skilled officers who defused power struggles with anger and hostile parents and students and I've seen police officer's engage in power struggles. The police officer was wrong for not defusing the situation which escalated into an arrest. If Prof. Gates verbally mistreated the police officer, he was wrong as well. President Obama made a mistake by labeling the police action as acting 'stupidly' but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because he not only witnessed 'racist' behavior towards himself and he never let it stop him from achieving his goals. And, he has been vocal in speaking to the African-American community about not using race as an excuse and he and his wife are stellar examples of success. But, let's not pretend that there are people who misuse their authority and power and that includes police officers of all races.

From the beginning I've thought this was less about race than about two people with bad attitudes. Skip Gates' reactions immediately reminded me of my father. He's white, but if any cop had questioned him at his own home after an international flight and hellacious day he would have taken the opportunity to unload EVERY frustration on the dude. His raging would have been about property rights, but it would have amounted to the same. And yeah, I love him, but he can be an arrogant jerk. I call it "Ornery Old Man Syndrome."

The race issue is a subtle one, and essentially unprovable in this case. The question is really whether Skip Gates' race predisposed the cop to arrest him, and that's really hard to determine. I actually think it's more likely that Officer Crowley is just one of those cops who throws his weight around when he can. Yes, I understand the difficult job law enforcement does, but the sense of entitlement and self-righteousness that many develop is ridiculous. "I'm a cop. You can't treat me that way, and I can retaliate." is a very common attitude, and a lot of police officers admit that their co-workers are susceptible to it in private conversation. Crowley was irritated and inconvenienced (just as Gates was) and he was forced to endure insults about his mother (heaven forbid). I think that, more than race, led to Gates' arrest - but whether it was race or irritation, it was a blatant abuse of power. On balance, I side with Gates, just because incivility should not result in arrest (Sorry, but you just can't legislate good attitudes). If it did, I'd be bailing my father out of jail on a weekly basis, and I just don't have that kind of ready cash.

Excellent opinion piece. The reality is that all of us do a certain amount of racial (and other) profiling every day, based on real life statistics and our own experiences. All police officers, black and white, know the real life odds in certain crimes and tend to make assumptions. Police training is meant to help them assess each situation objectively. Profiling occured in several ways in this incident. They are "guys" - who let each response trigger an escalation. One is an arrogant, successful male, accustomed to pushing people around - that's a social type. The other is a public official with great authority, accustomed to being respected. Each are complex beings with many aspects of themselves that contributed to this incident - as is Obama. It's not just a black-white thing, and we have to get to past wanting every topic, every incident to be boiled down to simple "either/or". We need to be able to deal with complexity.
It is unlikely that Officer Crowley suspected Gates of being a burglar once they were face to face, but he accurately assessed him (not profiled)as a jerk - and then acted like one himself. It is sad that no one apologized. They all should have. So typical of men! (humor intended)

Every day I am reassured by the fact that my children simply don't think this way. Race and ethnicity are subjects about which they talk freely, and joke openly with with their broadly mixed social groups. The conversation IS changing. It's time for us "boomers" to relax, shut up, and let the next generations move on.

Integration works. "Busing" was the most important advance in race relations in our history.

From Sally's and other description of Prof Gates, we get an idea of his personality. He's a professor and obviously someone who can and does act with decorum and dignity, but is perfectly capable of switching into ghetto mode when it suits him.

Chris Rock has a bit where he says "Blacks really hate Nwords." That's what Prof. Gates was doing when he shouted at Off. Crowley "Yo Mama," something I've never heard in my office, neighborhood, or any other environment of non-ghetto blacks.

What's an "Nword"? It's someone who knows better who still uses being black as an excuse to engage is sub-standard behavior. Prof. Gates' behavior in this incident is an example. He deliberately acted like an Nword to provoke the police. More important examples of Nword behavior include hit-and-run fathers and students who think good grades are "acting white".

Most blacks know this, and consider Nword a legitimate concept when used to classify SOME blacks, defined by behavior. Racial dialogue can start when whites can use the concept the same way, without the assumption they're referring to ALL blacks, defined by ethnicity.

Was the arrest of Professor Gates inappropriate and even in violation of the law? Likely.
Was the President misinformed and did was his characterization of the arrest of Professor Gates inaccurate. Unlikely.
Was Sargeant Crowley provoked to arrest Professor Gates by the latter's vituperative rhetoric? Possible.
Was Professor Gates provoked to vituperative rhetoric by actions of Sargeant Crowley and his colleagues? Possible.
So, where do we go from here? I think the President, Professor Gates and Sargeant Crowley all three got it just right--we move forward. Together, the Professor and the Sargeant could keep dialogue about race and about police, and yes, about how men relate to each other on the radar for all of us. Will they keep talking in public? Let's hope so.

Funny thing is that when faced with an external threat we all tend to come together and the fences dissappear. Why? Who knows. Maybe we all just realize that with all the imperfections we won't get a better deal anywhere else.

As far as the racial bit is concerned, its all really about respect. Dosen't matter what you are. When you contribute, be it through character, business, charity, education, or in any other positive way, people respect you as an individual and the fences grow shorter.

Charles Ogletree appears to have invented the story that Crowley lured Gates out of the house onto the porch to arrest him. Ogletree's statement said there was a crowd of officers on the porch and that Gates was handcuffed immediately on leaving the house.

Reading the Ogletree statement and Ogletree's comments to the Harvard Crimson, this appears to be his invention not that of Gates. Gates behavior was the opposite, he followed Crowley out and screamed at him and the witnesses saw it. Gates lacks the knowledge of law to have invented this lie.

Ogletree may know of some law case where that happened or was alleged. This disqualifies Ogletree from the Supreme Court. Any time Ogletree is nominated, the FBI and Senate, and the Post if they become journalists again, as is happening above for a brief moment, should question Ogletree and Gates on this.

They should all follow up now with the witnesses as to what happened to get that nailed down. Showing Ogletree invented this lie is the big story but journalists would need courage like that shown by Sally Quinn to do that.

As long as you have the race baiters like Gates, Sharpton, Jackson, and Farrakhan RACISM WILL NEVER GO AWAY !!

Ignorant blacks will always play that race card to further their agenda and IT PAYS THEIR SALARY. Without it, they are out of work.

The only words I ever say to a cop are, YES, NO, AND SIR.

It's amazing how they respond when you don't get arrogant, belligerent, and uncivilized. But, if you commit a crime, you are getting arrested.

Gates yelled at the cop, "I'LL COME OUTSIDE AND TALK TO YO MOMMA !!" And then he followed the cop outside down to his patrol car and continued to yell at him. Gates was given 2 chances to shut up and then was arrested on the 3rd outburst (OUTSIDE).

Even the black and hispanic cops present said Gates was out of control.

Gates history within Harvard is also that he is an arrogant loud mouth.

JUST ANOTHER TYPICAL INSECURE BLACK.

Of all the articles, news blurbs and
commentaries I've seen on this topic,
Ms Quinn's is a true revelation.
Unfortunately, this 'racially charged'
debate is not going away anytime soon, but
at least Ms Quinn had the courage to inform
us of the true character of Prof. Gates.
In the weeks ahead, the complexion of this
incident will change dramatically.
I'm afraid that Prof. Gates will be shown
to have stepped way out of bounds, for when
you are approached by a law enforcement
officer, your first duty is respect for the
law that he represents, and you should
behave accordingly, in spite of fatigue,
frustration or lo and behold, race.

"Herbert concludes his column by saying, "We're never going to have a serious national conversation about race." I disagree with that. I believe that we will - but only when people are ready to have an honest dialogue about it."

What anonymous online discussions like this show is that people are ready to discuss race, but that the rules and conventions of society prevent us from doing it honestly. Journalism has a doctrine to expunge racial information from crime stories except when blacks are the victims of whites. Law Enforcement statistics show that black on white hate crimes are the most common variety, but white on black ones are the most common convictions. Speech codes are deliberately vague to give minorities the maximum leeway to claim offense at anything.

Denial of race differences is the liberal world's primary doctrinal world view. And disagreeing with their position has been criminalized.

Quick observation. Clearly there are Black police officers on the Cambridge Police Department so why would Officer Crowley be teaching racial profiling? Maybe team teaching with a person of color would make some sense... The whole point of teaching something like racial profiling is to convey an understanding of the persepctive of people of color in a situation where police approach them. And no...we obviously haven't reached the point where a Caucasian can appropriately teach this subject alone. FInally, teaching racial profiling is not proof that Officer Crowley is not a racist nor that he approached the encounter with Professor Gates is a biased manner. For the record, I am a white middle aged female with 25+ years in law enforcement.

Mr. Gates and Mr. Obama were BOTH wrong. Obama as you said jumped in with both feet before he had all the facts (and stated so) and himself said something very STUPID. Mr. Gates FORGOT that no matter WHERE he is - the Police are empowered to "Protect and Serve". There was a reason they were called to his house, he had just broken his own door down. Just due to the inherent intelligence he has as a professor should tell him that after breaking down his door the police show up - "Ok, someone saw that and called, I better be cool". But no, instead he decides to cop (pardon the pun) an attitude with the officer to the point where the officer CONTINUES to ask for backup in the middle of call. I've heard the tapes of the officers radio transmissions. Mr. Gates is aparently screaming in the background.

It wasn't about Race, but Mr. Gates AND Mr. Obama sure as heck made it about race very quickly - as did the main stream media. So what if the lady had said "Two Black men"? SO WHAT? That would have been a description of what she saw! The men breaking down the door were BLACK! Thats not discrimination - that was "explanation and description". What America LOST in this mess was its bearings and its marbles. It lost ALL Common sense. I'm absolutely sure there is some discrimination that occurs, but it wasn't here in this situation. Everyone that says it did was wrong as they could be and should be ashamed of themselves for grandstanding. Now they lost important and valueable political capital the next time when you REALLY need it. When there REALLY is discrimination. The next time Mr. Obama wants to have a "Teaching Moment" he should do as Rudi Guiliani so eloquently has put it .. he should "SHUT UP"...and Listen first.

Appreciate your comments dryrunfarm1.

(lol...I'm a happy, experienced gun owner, too. How's that for breaking the stereotype?).

I'll get right to it, call me racist or not. Like I care.

I'm fed up with the so-called black community using slavery as its alibi for rotten, antisocial behavior. "Boo-hoo-hoo. YOU did it to me." Except my ancestors weren't even in the U.S. until the turn of the century. So, get off it!

Thank God we have responsible people like President Obama (with whom I might not always agree), former Secretary of State Colin Powell (who's military service I'll always admire), Oprah Winfrey (with whom I disagree more often than not), Whoopie Goldberg, Bill Cosby (whose outspoken views have almost earned him Uncle Tom status, regrettably), Dr. Watkins of SU...well, the list goes on.

I do NOT include polarizing, racist figures like Jesse "Eubonics" Jackson in the mix. (Eubonics, imho, is just another alibi for remaining uneducated).

Interesting that a friend of mine, a chronically frustrated, underpaid black public high school teacher, feels exactly the same way.

Nor, frankly, do I include most of these pro ball players, Vicks for one, who at any time are one step away from a prison sentence. Their athletic talents don't make up for being showy, arrogant, irresponsible and virtually illiterate. Some role models.

To the American black community: whether or not you want to blame "whitey" for what you are, it won't change the fact that, today, right now, YOU are responsible for what you are. Period. I'm not taking the blame for what you absolutely refuse to do for yourself. If you choose irresponsible, antisocial behavior, then you have only yourself to blame for perpetuating a stereotype.

Ms. Quinn,this is probably the most accurate assessment of this event I have read. In my work I have found that most "confrontations" have two sides. The "truth" is usually somewhere inbetween the two! I wish I could say that I have not lost my temper with someone who was being verbally abusive & less than cooperative but that is not so. (White & Black)! I learned (with age) to weigh my actions first then act. Both men here could have took the responsibility of diffusing the situation. I have always been the better for it if I "backed off". Alot of times the other person would then apologize! "We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart". Blaise Pascal

One evening at about 10 PM, I inadvertently set off the alarm system in my home that automatically calls the police in case of a break in. I immediately called them back to report the false alarm. A few minutes later a policeman knocked on my door. I knew what had happened and that I was the only person in my home. But for all the policeman knew, an intruder might have sent me to the door to get rid of the police while he held a family member hostage in a back room. Knowing that, I invited the policeman to come in and look around if he liked. That was all it took for him to know that the false alarm story was authentic. He stepped a few a few feet into the living room, looked around and then left. I don't mention his race or mine because it doesn't matter. Both of us did what we should have done under the circumstances. Professor Gates didn't.

It doesn't matter if Professor Gates is short-tempered and arrogant—that's not illegal and it shouldn't get you arrested in your own house. Gates was standing in his home, and Officer Crowley was satisfied that Gates lived in the house and was not a burglar. We also know that Officer Crowley embellished his police report. Crowley's report does not jive with the 911 tapes and the recollections of the 911 caller. Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct in his own house—the police did act "stupidly".

I have read several takes on the Gates-Crowley-Obama affair. Sally Quinn's make more sense than most, especially the point that Prof. Gates is a bit of a hothead irrespective of his racial classification. She also makes the point that the police often arrest for "disrespecting an officer," again irrespective of race. I suspect, except in Prof. Gates' mind, the incident did not involve race until President Obama made his "stupid" comment. While it may be useful to consider and reconsider the always difficult area of group conflicts based on race, religion, sex, partisanship, etc., a deep analysis of what actually happened between Prof. Gates and Officer Crowley is not particularly productive.

There simply is no such animal as "reverse discrimination." Discrimination is discrimination wherever and whenever it is invoked irrespective of who perpetrates this ugliness.

I'm an academic - I have the privilege of teaching some of our our nation's most promising young men and women at one of the finest educational institutions in the country. As an academic, I hold factual truth first and foremost. For me as an educator, a "teaching moment" is ambiguous. Who needs the teaching? Shouldn't it be a "learning moment" for those involved and for the rest of us vicariously through their experience. As an educator, I am embarrassed by Prof. Gates conduct. Mental note for me: try not to take oneself so seriously that you offend others. Sally Quinn'e point on Prof. Gates' reputation is poignant here. He is known for his preeminence and his own recognition of such.

Prof. Gates appears to remember only the parts of the story that he wants to be heard; not those ugly parts about his contemptuous attitude, degrading remarks, and loss of control. These are the omitted parts that indicate distortion of the truth and even suggests some potential exploitation of the situation for his own recognition nationally. He will write his papers, books, and even a documentary with the same belligerent perspective. Do I want my children to be indoctrinated with this vile material?

And what happens to Sgt. Crowley in all of this? There is no gain! He arrests an out-of-control citizen to prevent potential escalation. This does not get him recognition nor fame; just feedback from his superiors and now the media. I suppose it is better than an out-of-control academic taking it to the next level to further express himself!

Bottom line: Sgt. Crowley had nothing to gain for doing his job and Prof. Gates had everything. Prof. Gates would cover up his questionable behavior by diverting blame to the "Racial Profiler", would get media attention for his "research", would get first-hand fodder for his papers/books/documentaries, and now even an opportunity to go to the White House to meet with his friend the President of the United States.

From a court of public opinion perspective: Opportunity: initiated by Gates by responding poorly to a normal police inquiry. Motive: suggested by his research bias on the topic. Knowledge: yes, just needed a police officer to fill in the position of "racial profiler". Intent and plan: hard to tell without supporting evidence. You be the judge!

Ms. Quinn,
Thank you for your input and for your honesty and courage. Like you, I believe that honest conversations about race are both possible and necessary. In the interest of furthering this dialogue, I'm quoting here my original comment on Bob Herbert's column in the NYT:

"...Until you've walked in the shoes of a police officer, be he/she black or white, you should not be so quick to judge and condemn. They face, every day, the very real possibility of being killed by a violent person in what might begin as a minor altercation. My advice to anyone, regardless of his/her race, would be that when a police officer, regardless of his/her race, tells you to cease and desist, you should a.) cease, and b.) desist. Things tend to work out better that way. You can sort out who was "right" and/or "wrong" later, after tempers have cooled."

Your experience during the Halloween street party is an excellent example of this principle in action. If you felt you were treated inappropriately you could have gotten the officer's badge number and reported his/her inappropriate behavior later.

Thanks again for your input to the conversation.

Another point that I have not seen highlighted is the probability that if the circumstances had been exactly the same with only one difference - that a black police officer and not Crowley had responded to the call, I feel sure that Gates would not have gone ballistic, but would have likely responded in a way that would have quickly satisfied the officer, who would have then left his house.

I am a white man and have also been "profiled" unjustly by police. I drove with a friend 6 hours to our nearest beach, only to arrive at 2am, very tired but immaculately sober and drug free. Yet because we were two young men late at night and from out of town, we were removed from our car, hands on the hood and frisked by two white officers. Then, they asked our "permission" to search our vehicle or we would have to go to the station. We had nothing to hide, gave the permission, and they went through our bags and clothing, making jokes about our magazines, and in general, humiliating us. I know I felt violated, worried that they might plant something in my bags and angry, but could not blame it on any thing but police excess. I know that police can often abuse the trust that society gives them, but I do not honestly believe this was the case with Crowley.

There is no such thing as "reverse discrimination." There only is discrimination. The term "reverse discrimination" implies that the "correct" application of discrimination is when the majority discriminates against minorities. By using the term "reserve discrimination," Ms. Quinn reveals her own biases.

I turn a blind eye and deaf ear to middle aged race baiting black men knowing the chip on their shoulder was put the by the likes of Bull Connor. The need for Civil Rights Laws in the first place shows the problem. I am happy seeing each succeeding generation of Americans have less prejudice than the previous. We'll never be perfect, but we are getting better.

Sally:

I beg to differ on your assertion that "black people are CONSTANTLY stopped, searched, harassed, humiliated, assaulted, arrested and sometimes killed."

You say "Nobody would question that".

Well I question it - and so do lots of other people.

You make it sound like America's law enforcement has declared a field-day on blacks.

The term "constantly" is so conveniently vague that even Wikipedia flags its articles that use it.

What's "constant" to you is not always "constant" to others - and to use it in connection with such an incendiary and provocative claim is - well - provocative.

And if blacks ARE statistically more likely to be incarcerated - it could be for MANY reasons - a much higher rate of poverty, desperation, under-education - the list is enormous.

Yet you dump it all on the doorstep of the police. Cute.

Now - if you REALLY want to get more facts - do a google search on the good professor's speeches and writings. The man is CLEARLY preoccupied with racism - to the point of obsession.

This isn't just another scholar devoted to intellectual pursuits -this man is on a mission.

And in my opinion - this is a great way to gain credentials on today's liberal campuses.

Along with the 50 (fifty!) honoray degrees he's gone so out of his way to accept. Obviously some serious over compensation going on here.

Finally - NOBODY knows what transpired on that arrest. Have you heard the tapes of conversation allegedly captured over the police radio ?

But with the good professor's public rantings on record - we certainly gain a solid feel for his pre-disposition on race matters.

And his desire for the limelight (fifty!).

He was like a trap ready to be sprung on any police officer.

Have a look at the photo of the arrest - there were black officers there too - and EVERY cop's expression was CALM - except for Gates (who's mouth was WIDE OPEN).

As it has for some time it appears.

Rob

Without race, Gates is out of work. Think about it..He's a race huckster with a gigantic chip on his shoulder, nothing more.

Dave954,

I'm one of those WASPs you seem to feel you're on the wrong side of. Though happily heterosexual, I don't generally give a rat's petute about sexuality, yours or anyone else's. It's a shame that you seem to.

As my screen-name might suggest, I live in the country. About a mile from me is a fellow who is quite obviously homosexual. Every year, about this time of year, our little village has a town-wide yard-sale; and every year, I stop at this fellow's yard. I enjoy his company. He's smart, witty and has a deep appreciation of his surroundings. His manners, if anything, are better than those of most, and he seems completely unconcerned that anyone might recognize the hallmarks of his preferences. This fellow's preferences, though obvious, are irrelevant to what I hope is our mutual, annual pleasure of these neighborly encounters.

My point is, this fellow and I are both old enough to be secure in who and what we are. What earthly difference does his private conduct make to me? On the terms we meet, all I care about are his courtesy and pleasant conversation. I believe it has something to do with age. We're both fully mature men who've given up caring about others' assessment of our machoness long ago. Forget ethnicities, and look for age and intelligence - heterosexual and/or homosexual - if you want to be well received.

As for HIV, accept the fact that some people react to it as others do to firearms. Both are potentially lethal, and the subjects of volumes of myths and misconceptions about the real dangers they pose to others. I'm an avid shooter, and I've had people just about loose their grip when they learn I like to shoot for fun. I'm very careful with my weapons, because I'm very mindful of the harm they can do - they are no more a danger to others than I am irresponsible. HIV falls into a similar category. It is a terrible disease (and I am genuinely sorry to hear that you are afflicted with it), but it is a danger to no one so long as you - and they - are responsible in the presence of it.

Sadly, though, being comfortable with one's self, or responsible with possessions that have the potential to harm others, are not typical traits of the common, American black, and they are not proof against such conduct as American blacks' culture too often encourages.

I grew up and was raised in a mixed neighborhood. In the earlier years there was a distinct border in our neighborhood where blacks and whites lived separately. When I was 18 years old, black people moved into our part and I witnessed many white people moving out because the neighborhood was then considered by them as going to hell because a black individual moved in next door. I even witnessed the property values go way down (and I do mean way down) because black people had moved into that part of the neighborhood. Around this time black people started calling our part of the neighborhood their turf and harassed many white people by robbing/beating them for just showing their faces. This was in the age of the Civil Rights Movement and in my eyes, both sides were wrong with their attitudes. Eventually everything returned to normal in our neighborhood and both races for the most part lived peacefully together as they do today. A lot of Ivy League types came in and purchased older victorian homes and property values went up and over what they were originally. Today, neither race claims it to be their territory and that is how it should have been to begin with.

I've seen Prof. Gates in "do you know who I AM?" mode, so I have little sympathy for him. I've also seen and been on the receiving end of some mighty alarming police behavior.

Some of the alarming police behavior I've seen has been 100% racist, even though the police involved later denied this.

And, oh yes, I've seen and heard plenty of racial threats by blacks against whites.

I am not young and neither is my wife. I'm white and she's black. We live quietly and try to avoid [bleep]s of all races. Most of the time we succeed in this goal. Now and then a [bleep] forces his attention on us. When that happens, we try to get through the incident as quickly and simply as possible and get back to our own lives.

FYI, not only good neighbors come in all races. So do [bleep]s. Sad, but that's the way it goes.

A lot of bullcrap has been written about this. The truth follows. As a white musician at 64 years of age I have seen a gazillion white people beat on the head, hit, kicked, called racial and other deratory words including a few of my sons. All because they had problems with the american/worldwide power structure. Police have power. I have seen a million people get out og trouble by using yes sir and respect posturing no matter how repulsive it felt. I would rather not be beat on the head or go to jail. You can make up any excuse such as I was right, my race, my sex, whatever after the fact. I will continue to teach my children this valuable lesson and responsibility for their actions.

Ms. Quinn, you make some good points and some ridiculous ones. I'm just being honest. To suggest that the 3 men in question should have spoken more openly on an enormously charged situation under the glare of cameras being watched by billions is ridiculous. Suggesting that any of the three should have said ANYTHING honest in this media frenzy and thereby continue the bleeding of energy away from such infinitely more crucial issues as Healthcare and Climate Change is ridiculous, and profoundly irresponsible. To bring up your pity party experience of supposed "reverse discrimination" is petty, self serving, distracting from REAL discrimination - ridiculous - at best; and more likely an effective contribution toward maintaining your white over privilege and white oppression, even if unintended. Gosh, Ms. Quinn, I hope your deep wounds from that horrible incident at the party, in that oh so sensitive white skin of yours, heal soon. I'm just being honest. Your brother, Start

Crowley suffers from what nearly all law enforcement does arrogance and the thought we're always right, we're the law. Question police about your rights or about their procedure and you don't get a reasonable explanaton, you get arrested for questioning their authority. What happened between Gates and Crowley was not cause by race (although the prof race baited), but by arrogance on both their parts. Sadly little mention of poor police work by the dispatcher that never asked whom lived there after the 911 caller alluded to the possibility she maybe wrong and it is the owner. In the cellphone video and audio capture age, more police are proven to lie and when this happens in court, they are rarely brought up on perjury charges. You expect police to support their brothers that have their back in life and death situations, but there is a limit. In NYC 2 perps were sodomized as punishment from an officer with other officers not arresting, let alone stopping it from happening. Of course people want the security provided by law enforcement, but we also want them to obey the law not denying us our rights.

Obama is quickly setting race relations in America back decades.

Thank you for being honest about Mr. Gates, Sally. You won't get that type of candor from "courageous" folk like say, Joe Madison..

Did officer Crowley act stupidly? Absolutely YES. Should Obama have said he did? no. Especially when he is trying to get a health care plan through congress. He also acted stupidly.

This is a very healthy debate and I am grateful for Sally Quinn's contribution which I fully endorse. But Ms Quinn leaves the question unanswered, perhaps in good journalistic form.

The first comment by DRYRUNFARM1 goes to the heart of the problem and suggests that the problem is enforcement authority mishandled by an intolerant society.

Society cannot "enforce" conformity. Rather, society must act to "encourage" conformity and reward "good social behavior". Our economic model, driven as it is by consumption and material measures of success, leaves very little space for spiritual values. We have become a people who value "financial creativity" over "artistic expression", any way you define it.

Society relies on economic creativity to create jobs and provide a living space for the young and those entering the workforce. Such creativity however, is only one part of the life process and ignores the millions of selfless creative acts performed every day in our communities to provide services and inspire responsibility.

If we were to focus on "community empowerment" within the framework of the Republic, and not simply pay lip service to empowerment as the Clinton administration finally did, we would go a long way to improving the quality of life in our cities. (It would be a valuable exercise to review the Clinton administration's experience of community empowerment in light of what we now know about the effects of deregulation.)

And by the way, somebody has to do something about the insecurity that is created by lax gun laws.

Obama knew the important facts of the case.
It's NOT against the law to be mad in your own home. Since when is free speech racial or otherwise illegal in your own home?
Gates' rights SHOULD be protected above all else in America. This is a basic first amendment violation.

Officer Crowley arrest report excerpt, verbatim.

"As I descended the stairs to the sidewalk, Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him. Due to the tumultuous manner Gates had exhibited in his residence as well as his continued tumultuous behavior outside the residence, in view of the public, I warned Gates that he was becoming disorderly. Gates ignored my warning and continued to yell, which drew the attention of both the (Harvard) police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gates' outburst. For a second time I warned Gates to calm down while I withdrew my department issued handcuffs from their carrying case.
Gates again ignored my warning and continued to yell at me. It was at this time I informed Gates he was under arrest."

The stilted language in the Gates police report is intended to mirror the law's awkward phrasing, but the state could never make the charge stick. The law is aimed not at mere irascibility but rather at unruly behavior likely to set off wider unrest. Accordingly, the behavior must take place in public or on private property where people tend to gather. While the police allege that a crowd had formed outside Gates' property, it is rare to see a disorderly conduct conviction for behavior on the suspect's own front porch. In addition, political speech is excluded from the statute because of the First Amendment. Alleging racial bias, as Gates was doing, and protesting arrest both represent core political speech.

This is why the arrest WAS STUPID as well as illegal. Crowley SHOULD have known the law. The officer had to misrepresent the facts to fit the statute which has consistently been held unconstitutional when used like Crowley did in Massachusetts courts.

In several cases, the courts in Massachusetts have considered whether a person is guilty of disorderly conduct for verbally abusing a police officer. In Commonwealth v. Lopiano, a 2004 decision, an appeals court held it was not disorderly conduct for a person who angrily yelled at an officer that his civil rights were being violated. In Commonwealth v. Mallahan, a decision rendered last year, an appeals court held that a person who launched into an angry, profanity-laced tirade against a police officer in front of spectators could not be convicted of disorderly conduct.

So Massachusetts law clearly provides that Gates did not commit disorderly conduct.

"I don’t care what church he goes to, what beer he drinks, how he works out, what school his kids are going to, what his middle name is, what his wife wears, what color his skin is, or where his dad was born. I only care that he wants what is best for this country and that he’s doing everything he can to make it happen."

Check out the Full Article at:
http://thequintessentialgeneralist.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/birthers-bigots-and-budweiser-americas-ridiculous-obsession-with-barack-obama/

Indeed, let's have a frank discussion.

For perspective, I'm white, I'm openly gay and HIV positive. The latter two have made me a target of discrimination. Also, for perspective, I was raised in WASP households in the 60s where black, latins, Catholics, Jews, homosexuals, etc., were deemed "below us."

Nevertheless, in the adult world, I take people at face value...which has caused a schism between me and the WASPs. And I don't care.

My credo is if you look, speak, act like trash...you are trash and I want nothing to do with you. Simple. Color's irrelevant.

I also agree with the comment about the modern day Brownshirts we've created. You give a musclebound 20-something a badge, a gun and a Crown Vic...and he's going to go off on a testosterone trip...Constitution be damned. (Case in point, the FTAA in Miami during which cops, a judge ruled, committed no less than 20 felonies against protestors and bystanders).

Of course, his primary target is the other testosterone trash with guns and tricked out Escalades. Gimme a break with this hypermacho bull.

Perhaps we can have a repeat of the Kent State shootings. Or perhaps a scene out of "Southland Tales"?

I'm 62, retired military, and getting ready to leave the Washington, D.C. area for somewhere west of the Mississippi river. I've had the good fortune to live across the length and breath of America, and I can honestly say that race-relations on the east coast, and in particular in Washington D.C. are the worst I have ever experienced.....really what I am reacting to is Black hatred of Whites. Black racism manifests itself on a routine basis in the Washington area....whether it be in the form of black police officers abusing their authority, black teenagers acting in crude, threatening and hostile manners towards every white person they meet, or the classic angry black woman display of emotion at every contact with a white person. I have personally worked for a senior female black professional federal government manager who's stated goal was to remove all the old white males from government service. I have worked in a federal government office where overt black vs. white hostility was routine, and apparently encouraged. (After a few years, obviously a change of agency was warranted.) So Sally Quinn, racism and in particular black racism is alive and well in the Washington DC metro area, and probably in the majority of the east coast region of the US. A white risks his life simply by traveling through a black-majority community - that is simply a fact of life, but the converse in not true. It's no wonder that the subject of reverse-racism is a hot button issue for it impacts an increasing percentage of the white and asian populations. I have experienced exceptions to this pattern of black discrimination, primarily with regard to former military personnel. Invariably, black American patriots who are activity duty personnel, reserve personnel, and retired service members have interacted with me and my family members on a friendly and professional basis. This continues a pattern I experienced in the majority of the remainder of the US, and for that I am grateful. Perhaps the lesson here is that the US military is the great equalizer, in deed as well as policy. As a society, there is much that American can learn from our uniformed services....were we willing to listen. Unfortunately, the increasing social gap between military and civilian personnel practically ensures that the listening and learning will not happen, so I anticipate no improvement in my lifetime nor the lifetimes of my children. Too bad really. It could have been different.

Sadly, this incident shows again that white America is largely in denial about its inherent racism. Obama was clearly right. Once Crowley found out he was confronting a man in the man's own home, it was Crowley's duty to cooperate with the homeowner, not the reverse. The arrest happened after Crowley knew that; therefore, the arrest was stupid, no way around it. But now we see whites rallying around Crowley, making all kinds of excuses, trying to say it's about other things, saying Obama had no business getting involved: the white guy is right, the black guys are wrong. Again.

Racism is an equal opportunity vice, but if you need any proof which way racism runs most strongly, just look at the stats. Whites are wealthier, healthier, and more powerful. Now, either you believe whites are inherently superior (which sounds pretty racist to me) or you have to admit that racism still plays a role in keeping blacks down. Which is it, folks? 'Fess up.

We still suffer from the mistaken belief that if we do not believe we are racist, why then we are not racist. But racism is so built into the fabric of our society that it takes effort to find it and root it out, even in our own beliefs. Until we get over this idea that we are the sole judges of our own racism, racism will thrive.

Not all cultures are equal. Some produce crime, hate and evil behaviors. Others produce lawful behavior and civility. High incarceration rates among some cultures can be an indicator of the health of that culture within our civilization.

Gates' anger towards Crowley and towards whites is misplaced. His behavior had consequences and he is the only one responsible for that fact.

BTW, check syntax: "That is exactly the case with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Officer James Crowley situation that has exploded this week."

Honest, eh? I doubt that's what Miss Quinn wants, given the Post's speech code, but I'll give it a try.

Blacks are singled out by law enforcement for a reason: the so-called culture of American blacks is fertile ground every manner of law-breaking, substance abuse and violence heading the list. Reasonable people can argue the causes of this fact, but attributing unacceptable behavior to a cause, however innocent, does not translate into a license for that unacceptable behavior. Anyone who's familiar with AA-like programs knows that admitting the cause of a problematic behavior - e.g. the physical addiction responsible for alcoholism - is the first step to taking personal responsibility for it. It is not permission to blame something else for the behavior, or a free pass to continue behaving that way, "because it isn't my fault." Choices can be difficult, but that doesn't absolve us of the duty to make good ones.

Alexander de Tocqueville, in "Democracy in America," observes as early as the 1830s that blacks and whites in the US are culturally incompatible, and the 170 years since then have done nothing to challenge the observation. Interestingly, American blacks are often more disliked by blacks from some foreign lands than they are by American whites, and for reasons that, if enunciated by a white person, would have them pilloried as racists for sure.

I have no doubt that the cop in this instance was out-of-line. Cops have far too much authority these days, and they're all too willing to bring the full weight of their authority to bear on anyone. A citizen's innocence of other wrong-doing ought to be permission to slap these Brown Shirts silly for unwonted interference in their lives; but, sadly, this isn't the case. Given the powers the people have foolishly granted the police this cop was within to technical limits of his authority. The lesson isn't only for out-of-control blacks with chips on their shoulders, such as the good professor here, it's for any of us going peacefully about our lawful business who are confronted by these jack-boots. Jack-boots or not, however, American blacks have, by and large, spent their entire careers in the US justifying the worst of the stereotypes whites have of them, compounding the likelihood of being made victim of the arbitrary, despotic conduct we allow our police to engage in.

I have always believed that it is prudent to be nice to everyone. I am probably the only fool that walks around with a smile on my face and a greeting for just about everyone.

In all the years I have been around, I have never had a problem with blacks, browns, yellows or whites. Why? I guess it comes down to the golden rule. I guess it is kind of hard to be mean to someone who is nice to you and facing you with a toothy grin.

The prez shouldn't have gotten involved in this tiff.
The real emphasis for the prez should be on the economy
and health care and the wars in the Middle East and bank regulation and wall street regulation and a science initiative and solar power and wind power and tidal power initiatives.

I am a white woman who is experiencing racism towards me every day - at work. When it first started-instead of being hurt and humiliated-I figured as a privileged white person I was getting what I deserved... That God was showing me how it feels to be black or hispanic. Now I realize the sad truth: unfortunately people of any race will dominate or bully others when they are in the majority.

Frankly, I am tired of blackmen using their race as a license to have a temper tantrum on issues that I as a white American would be jailed for!

Get over it! How many "Black" Presidents must we elect before these people realize the American people accept them as equals?

When will the chip come off their shoulders?

If that happened to me, I would have thanked the police for their efforts rather than disrespecting them, but then again I don't have a ficticious chip on my shoulder.

Gates is a hot tempered idiot!

In contradistinction to my statement below, if the white guys on wall street had been black, they'd all be in jail right now instead of vacationing at Martha's Vineyard.

No body should be insulting my mother, no matter what color or the situation. Gates needs to apologize.

THE SCARY HONEST TRUTH ABOUT THE MEDIA AND RACE:
Yes, lets have a candid discussion about race issues:

1. Most happenings are only made into 'race' issues due to the media highlighting the color of a person's skin. This is foolish. Mr. Gates was simply a man who thought since he teaches at Harvard he need not be respectful to authority. Lets see...police get report of possible residential burglary in process...officer arrives and in met with a belligerent man who is agressive and refuses to produce proof that he lives there...arrest follows...all perfectly logical.

2. The media and the left are fixated on race as it is a means to divide and attract votes. I suspect Ms. Quinn has no evidence to back up her statement that black men are hassled and killed by the police for 'no reason' except from her media associates.

3. True racism exists as much with the black population as with the white. It is a very small problem in 2009, not a large one.

4. Feel like whining about more young black men being in jail than young white men? Get over it. 99 percent of people are in jail because they are criminals. If you want more white men there, then report more crimes by white men and the police no doubt will oblige.

5. Are you still a guilty reporter/liberal? Get over it or you will be the true racist (always dwelling on the color of a man's skin versus his character).

It is interesting to see the response and that any confrontation between black-white...white-black must always be distilled to race. We really have raised up an angry, dysfunctional society if an officer of the law cannot respond to a valid 911 call and expect someone who had just had to break into his own home (given it was legitimate)to identify himself as the homeowner. (the simple presentation of a drivers license would have ended this event) The officer was responding to a call...had no idea what to expect...the home owner as such had an obligation to identify that house as his residence, period. It seems like such a mundane incident when race is extracted.

How sad is our society when the goal for our society should be to operate and live our lives in a colorblind way...but too many people refuse to allow that to happen due to their own and their leaderships insecurities.

Quinn says, "President Obama, in a rare moment of losing his cool.." Rare? Mr. Cool? What about his regular "Evil Eye" stares? not so cool. What about Obama attending 20 years at a racist black liberation theology church pastored by Jeremiah Wright who is connected to Louis Farrakhan, Father Pfelger, and James Cone? not so cool. What about Obama bumping his head on the helicopter and trying to get in a window instead of a door at the white house? not so cool. What about bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia, whose country produced most the terrorists who took down our twin towers with thousands of victims? Not so cool. What about ramming through a stimulus package without giving Congress time to read about it? not so cool.

About race. I live in a town 95% white where a small % of blacks and hispanics and Asians live comfortably in peace and safety with decent jobs, nice cars, with little racism against them. When I accidentally travel into a mostly hispanic or black town or neighborhood, esp. in a large city, my life is in danger within minutes or seconds. One time, in a black neighborhood in LA, two black thugs tried ramming my car within a minute of arriving there. A cop pulled me over, since I didn't fit in. After checking me, they told me to drive through red lights and stop signs to the freeway so I wouldn't get shot by blacks. Most blacks are racist against whites. Dangerous black neighborhoods, 98% of blacks voting for Obama, regardless of his policies, and endless bitterness and unforgiveness about slavery (all races can go back in time to find atrocities committed against them), prove this overwheling racism against whites. Insidious political correctness and it's tenet of Afrocentrism tries to make it appear that only whites are racist. PC TV advertising today lies by always showing dumb white men with nice smart black men (reality is not like this...just hang out at a busy airport to see 95% of white men keeping our country's economy & generosity--via aid and spiritual groups--humming along).

Wake up people...we are in the middle of a dangerous revolution which may bring the country to near ruin. Obama is following the cultish doctrines of Jeremiah Wright and James Cone with cunning stealth. Read wiki quotes about these two black liberation theology leaders...it will shock you. True Judeo-Christianity transcends race, esp. if one rejects Darwinian and new age spiritual evolution.

Ms Quinn, the scary honest truth isn't that no one is telling the truth, but like you, telling it through the clouded lens of perception. This incident was one of race, class and ego. The flash point was race, but class and ego played a larger role. Both gentlemen erred greatly, and neither man was the professional they should have been. That you can't see that is not a fault, but a sad national commentary.

The POTUS made it worse. That his support among white Americans plummeted with his comments and support of Gates speaks volumes about the viscosity of our melting pot. When you consider the enormous hurdles cleared to reach his vaulted position, it's noteworthy to remember that the race neutral campaign that witnessed his accent has crashed and burned because of this. His "blackness" or black thinking, the perception of it, be it true or imaginary, has painted him with the brush of difference. That, tragically, may well be the object of his decent.

Like many citizens of the "land of the free", and like many US police officers, Sally Quinn thinks its OK to arrest someone for behaving arrogantly and angrily toward a police officer.

Where that's the rule, you have a police state.

And if being angry while black is a lot more likely to get you arrested than being angry while white, you have in that respect a racist state.

Let's take race out of the issue for a moment. What no one else has brought up or asked is--did Officer Crowley lure Dr. Gates outside of his home in order to arrest him? Did he entrap him? No one is asking this, and it's key. Personally, I think Officer Crowley should've taken the high road-being the authority figure-realizing that it was a misunderstanding, and that this man had just returned, sick, from a 20-hour flight.

I've been unjustly detained by a white cop (I'm mixed-American), who I can describe as-at the very least-requiring anger management. I was treated like a criminal for having an expired temporary permit, when I produced extensive documentation proving that I'd done everything in my power to get my official registration, and was just waiting on the mail (this was later proven, in a 5-minute call to the DMV). This officer, however, insisted on giving me a ticket, which I had to waste an entire (school) holiday morning on, pay $10, and was asked to deposit $250 if I wanted to fight it. To his credit, the officer asked me to "wait in my car," because I was incredulous, and could not believe that I was being treated the way I was--I felt VERY strongly about this. It was, however-humiliating-and did not earn the cops any "brownie points" in my neighborhood. They already have a rep for hassling folks. He said he could've given me a ticket for a "cracked windshield." I'm sure our tax dollars could've supported something more in the way of public safety than windshield inspections, and DMV follow-up paperwork.

Thanks Sally for writing such a thoughtful article. I immigrated from India to USA in mid 80's. Discrimination has not escaped me (in India) whether against me or against another person. On arriving in USA, I could immediately sense the strong discrimination against African Americans. Later, my experience with blatant and stark racist discrimination was almost laughable. I also feel that USA offers freedom that no other country in the world can match. I love this country, my adopted home. A dignified open dialog is a good direction.

I think Bob Herbert's complaint about us not having an honest conversation about race is silly. Who is going to do the talking? Journalists and professors? If so, then he'll get more of what we've gotten on television, for the past two weeks. If everyone could talk the conversation would sound a lot like the posts I just read above, but with shouting, insults, and obscenities. I think Sally has laid it out pretty well. Two men who needed adult supervision acted stupidly. The rest of us turned it into a brawl.

There is a part of me that is happy that Gates threw a fit. Unfortunately, he had to make it about race instead of the cops acting beyond their authority. I am White and had a similar thing happen to me, except I was nice and polite to the cops. I ended up spending the night in jail for doing nothing wrong(later, my case was chucked for having no evidence). In retrospect, I should have made a big stink. If we don't stand up for our own freedom, who will? With that being said, if Gates was in another country, and made the stink he did in a non-White country, his cries of racism would be laughed at as ridiculous and he might have ended up being beat or with a bullet in his head, especially in his beloved Africa.

jhankl: it is not easy to answer that question because it has a lot to do with background, where you live, how you behave, etc. The black (or minority) opinions on what it means to be "white" are generally wrong; perceived through a filter.

Until we get to the questions like: what is it like to be a human being? what is it like to be an American citizen? etc, we will not move forward as a society on the question of race.

Thank you for having the courage to write such an honest and forthright piece. For those of us who are weary of automatic villian status due solely to the pale shade of our skin, you have done a great service. We will never effectively deal with racism until it ceases to be a witch-hunt and begins to be an honest and mutually respectful dialogue.

Story: my youngest brother (then 17) and his friend were driving through a nice Detroit suburban neighborhood. A girl in that neighborhood had been harassed and threatened. She mistakenly pointed out my brother's car (looked NOTHING like her original description) as it went by. The police pulled the car over and approached with GUNS DRAWN, pulled my brother and his friend out of the car, etc, etc. They didn't even come close the given description (dark complected; my brother and his friend are white), but the cops proceeded to harass them anyhow. AND THEN threatened to arrest our mother (guess what: white) with arrest because she became extremely angry at the whole situation and told them so.

So please: come off it already.

Would you like more first-hand examples of cops going overboard on white citizens. Get over yourselves.

I hope all of you come back to these comments so that you will have the chance to answer this question -- what is it like to be white? Answering that question truthfully will tell you what really went on between Gates and Crowley. I'll give you a hint -- the majority of you will have significant difficulty coming up with an answer that you can live with. Blacks generally have an answer. Whites do not.

Lillian: hear, hear.

We must put it ALL out on the table to have an intelligent discussion on race relations in America. Everyone involved must learn to take responsibility for his or her part in it, and then work together to reduce or eliminate it.

I have noticed that many American blacks are so oversensitive to the idea of racial discrimination (this is understandable given the history and also real current examples) that they sometimes perceive an event that is not racially driven to be just that - and overreact, as it appears Prof Gates did.

There are plenty of examples of all races - including whites - being arrested for loudly confronting a police officer. Gates might also stop to consider that it is a good thing that his neighbors and the local police reacted to seeing someone trying to break into his house. What if it had been a real burglary while he was away on his trip to China? So now his neighbors may be afraid to report it?

It would have been interesting to have actually seen this confrontation to make a clearer judgement. I suspect that there is blame to go around and it is not such a "black and white" (please forgive the expression) issue.

The hope for race relations in America lies with the youth. They do not seem to see a racist behind every bush like us older folks seem to.

[Thank you bugmenot for the login.]

A terrible article.

Oh sure, it's better than any other article that's been written about the subject, but still terrible.

I was jumped from behind a couple of days ago by a gang of black teenagers for no reason other than that I was white. I am not the only white person to have been thus offended.

Until THIS sort of incident is given a prominent space in an article like yours, NOTHING truthful is actually being said. Nothing.

A white woman is ONE HUNDRED TIMES more likely to be raped by a black man than a black woman is to be raped by a white man.

In this country at this time - black males between 13 and 30 years of age are, by and large, a violent menace.

If you don't live in their neighborhoods then you have no idea what these people are like and how constricted your life would be were you to live among them. You think "racism" is the illogical fear that whites have of your Ivy League educated black colleagues. Word to the wise, no normal person hates or fears your middle class black neighbors and colleagues - what every white who must live among tjem fears is the 75% of them who ARE NOT your colleagues.

Whatever.

I could speak on the subject until I'm hoarse and nobody would hear a word that I'd say. "Racism" is a white crime against innocent and holy black people and thus it must remain. As for me though, until Gates gets his dander up over the menace that his black brothers are to me and my family, I won't be hearing a darn other word that he has to say on any other subject.

The focus on race misses the point. We live in a society where anyone, white or black, has to suck up to a cop who comes to someone's home? The close-ranks attitude of the Cambridge cops is repulsive, but so is the knee-jerk claim of racism. I'm still fuming about a town official (not even a cop) who spoke angrily to me because a tree branch had fallen in my front yard. He was white. I was white. I think of him as a no-account uneducated jerk, and he thinks of me as a spoiled resident of a town he can't afford to live in. Let me live free of people with self-esteem issues on power trips , white or black, badge or no badge.

So because blacks represent a higher percentage of the prison population this proves discrimination? Gee, perhaps a culture that has CELEBRATED GANGSTERS, that considers school to be "acting white" results in ore blacks actually committing crime?

Is this the argument that because there are no midgets in the NBA there must be discrimination? How silly.

I'm white-in my life I have never been convicted of a crime and yet I have been stopped by police over 110x's. I have been held directly outside my home on two occassions for over 75 minutes for "walking while white". Perhaps this means that the police are really racist against whites or anti-semitic?

When police ask you questions answer them. No matter who you are-when the police come by-they can take you to jail and take away your freedom harvard faculty or not. That's called an understanding of reality.

A well written piece on the problems of Race - here in England we are not permitted to speak out for fear of being called a racist - but it is notable that the majority of crimes committed here have none native surnames .... Do non natives have different standards - I suspect so and all the time different races have different standards - those with one set of standards will remain in conflict with those who live by other standards - until we all have the same standards we will always have conflict..Sadly.....

Touché. Both you, Ms.Quinn and Mr.Herbert saw this incident through the prism of race. Mr. Herbert did not and is not denying it but you are, which makes Mr.Herbert more believable.Period. If Obama wants his presidency to succeed, he should stay off "anything" about race 'cos it makes white folks mad. It may sound simplistic but that's a simple fact, no Harvard degree required to figure this out.

While I personally believe the Gates/Crowley incident was blown way out of proportion, I feel compelled not to comment on that issue rather the issue of "reverse racism." Recently I have seen the term reverse racism used frequently in news and blog articles. What is the purpose of calling it reverse racism? A racist comment or action is the same whether it be directed toward a white, black, Hispanic, Asian or other. Racism is racism no matter where it comes from. When racism becomes reverse racism, it in itself becomes racist. The term reverse racism predicates that racism itself originated from a particular race.

Maybe because I'm rather young (25) or the fact that I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood in Southern California, I have not been subjected to Majority Racism. I have friends of all shapes and colors and experienced very little racism in terms of white v. some other race. If anything, to be honest, I have witnessed more racism in the Hispanic v. blacks. So when I see the term reverse racism, it makes me feel like racism can only stem from whites. and the fact that another race can be racist against whites is so amazing and life altering that we can not just call it racism; no, it has to be called reverse racism.

Racism is racism no matter where it comes from. And I wish it didn't exist.

(1) Crowley is a police officer who is to maintain law and order not just by pointing a gun but also through conciliatory, calming behaviour. He obviously failed professionally in this case.
(2) If Gates was a white man, would have he been arrested in his own home for disorderly conduct? Very likely not.
(2) If he was not a Harvard professor, as Crowley has established, but a black grocery owner, would have he been arrested? Probably not: Crowley's action reflects as much racial resentment as resentment against nerds (students and faculty alike), ingrained in the law inforcement crowd.(Remember Duke?) He killed two birds with one stone.
(3) Did Gates behaved propely? Probably not, as an intellectual he should have excercised ironic distance in this absurd situation.

Your heart is bleeding for the wrong issues. To claim disadvantaged by being black in America, as Gates did smacks of a phobia shared by most half white blacks. A place in Martha's Vinyard, a chauffer, a fine regular home and a professors paygrade just does not do the job of negating a partial black heritage. Neither does being President. It's there and will always be whined about and there will be dumping the guilt on whitey forever. Where is the American Indian in all this abuse and skin color thing in America? If you want to be treated like everyone else, act like everyone else.

I agree with Herbert. We will never have an open discussion. Because such a discussion can only occur when both parties want to have it. And, as far as I can see, the majority in America want to sweep any talk of 'race' under the rug, to make it simply go away. And any time a 'minority' wishes to bring up the issue, well that's just asking for 'special consideration' or asking for 'reverse discrimination'.
Fortunately, demographics information tells us that a day is coming when there will be no majority and we will all have to listen to each other. Maybe by then, the young folks won't have anything to talk about.

There has been a lot of reactions, surprisingly mainly emotional and not very objective.
But I think that the issues are neither class or race.

I think it's another aspect - men want to be respected, even to the point of demanding it when they feel disrespected on their turf.

Professor Gates felt that the sanctuary of his home was violated when he identified himself as being in his own home, and there was no crime (e.g. of passion) being committed, then he had the normal reaction that you and I would have: unless the policeman has a search warrant, he is now trespassing.

Officer Crowley, on the other hand, was there as a honored powerful member of society and was miffed that he did not receive the usual deference. So he demonstrated then (and still does) that he will not be slighted.

As Henry Kissinger would say, it's the tragedy that happens when two rights conflict.

Is Ms Quinn saying it is okay to arrest people because they are "short-tempered and arrogant"? Otherwise I don't see what bearing the bit about Prof Gates' character has on the issue of whether his arrest was proper.
People say the president should have kept his mouth shut because he did'nt have all the 'facts'. That he reacted "emotionally and thoughtlessly". Nothing can be further from the truth. Mr President admitted his bias at the outset and went on to state the pertinent facts,at any rate the facts that relate to the question "should a 59 year old, disabled man, who has identified himself as the occupant of the house be arrested arrested on his front door on a charge of disorderly conduct?" NO.
No other facts have arisen to change the answer to that question. Saying Prof Gates was arrogant or that Prof Gates insulted the officer's mother is neither here nor there. If anything, new facts that have arisen show that Sgt Crowley's report contained many inaccuracies.