Gates: The Emotions of Racial Politics

Yesterday, news of the arrest of Harvard Professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. last Thursday hit the news and blog wires with a decidedly loud twang. Gates, arriving home from a trip to China to find his front door jammed, used his shoulder and the aid of his driver to force his way in. A neighbor, Lucia Whalen, thought this suspicious and phoned police. What ensued is disputed by the arresting officers and Gates’ attorney, but suffice it to say the racial underpinnings of the incident are on full display. Gates is for now remaining mums, only saying through his lawyer that he presented ID to prove it was in fact his own home he’d broken into and that he believes this was a clear case of racial profiling.

Of course, like the Sotomayor confirmation hearings, the racial undertones of this incident are threatening to obscure all gray areas entirely. Gates, according to the officer’s report, said, “Why, because I’m a black man in America?” when he was informed they were investigating a break-in. It is difficult to question the professor’s anger here, especially when history does nothing but underscore those reported eight words posed, I imagine, as a rhetorical question. How many times was my brother stopped on the streets of Crown Heights for being tall, black, and male?

Like a line created with a thick, black magic marker, conversations about racial profiling have always been dogged by the leathery skin of race itself, leaving emotional and psychological prompts smothered and unspoken because to emote in the midst of articulating is to be weak and, therefore, forfeit the argument. That Gates omits that he might have been enraged by the presence of the police and what that might indicate about their mindset, about his neighbor, about being treated in a way that even his professorship could not stymie, about his own emotional and psychological hurt, is telling.

My friend E. wrote this earlier today: “After reading [Gates'] statement and the police report, in my [opinion] both were at fault. There was no need for Gates to overact and there was no need for Gates’ arrest. We all need to have open honest conversations about race in this country or this will continue.”

I could not agree more. A sense of humanity is frequently lost in these heated discussions that often focus on winning and which tend to pull on history to fuel histrionics. Should Gates’ have been arrested? Absolutely not. It is an affront to his long-time residency in the neighborhood and to him as a respected, contributing citizen of this country. Do I think the cops went too far? Yes, they did. His ID should have been enough to let it go. Do I think Gates lost his cool when cops walked into his house? Yes, I do. So much of this incident is laced with emotion that you can almost plot the rising ante on a chart. And that is really my point. There is more to it than race; there is boulder-sized indignation and entitlement on the side of both parties.

As I write this, CNN is reporting that all charges have been dropped against Professor Gates. This is as it should be, but the debate will surely continue.