Whether in the hood or an Ivy League neighborhood, a brother is just another brother

July 21, 2009 by Roland
Filed under Commentary

When word spread that renowned professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. was arrested by police at his home in Cambridge, Mass., many folks I know were stunned.

He was arrested after a neighbor called police to say that two Black men were trying to break into a home. We later found out that Gates had an issue with his door, and he and his driver worked for a moment to pry it open. Once inside, the police arrived and checked his identification.

But that’s when the trouble began.

According to the police, Gates was loud and angry, yet he says he was demanding to know the police officer’s name and badge number because he felt he was mistreated.

At the end of the day, Gates was arrested, had a mug shot taken, and the story made national news, embarrassing the hell out of the Cambridge, Mass., police department. The police department quoted Gates as saying “you don’t know who you’re messing with.”

I bet they do now!

Charges against Gates were dropped today, but the sting of the arrest hasn’t left the well credentialed professor, who has chronicle race in America for years through his academic work, writings and documentaries with PBS.

Gates got off easy. Once he was put into an interview room – after spending some time in a holding cell – he was allowed to call several friends and was released after four hours. But for so many Black men, especially those poor and without the many degrees of Gates and his numerous connections at Harvard University, you can bet they would still be sitting in jail, having to accept whatever treatment from the police department.

Non-Blacks may say Gates had it coming, but when you’ve never walked a day in his shoes (or mine) or that of any African American, then you don’t know what it means to be Black in America.

The Gates saga is interesting on so many levels.

First, the neighbor of Gates apparently worked with Harvard Magazine. How did this woman, reportedly white, not be able to recognize her high-profile neighbor? You can bet the neighborhood isn’t filled with a ton of Black folks, and it’s not like he isn’t one of the most recognizable faces – white, Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American – in the Harvard community! Yes, she could have been looking out for her neighbor. But according to Gates, the report she gave was of two Black men with backpacks trying to break in. Gates was returning from China and he had three suitcases, was dressed in a coat and tie, and his driver was dressed like drivers normally do.

Then there is the officer. Once he saw Gates license and Harvard ID, why didn’t he just say, “Sir, sorry for the misunderstanding. Have a good day”? Apparently he was offended that Gates had the audacity to question his authority and demand some information from him. Folks, I’ve seen beligerant whites demand the same thing, and the officers obliged.

It is clear from this incident and others that happen on a daily basis that we have not achieved the post-racial world so many are quick to assign in this age of Obama.

Now that he has felt the pain of the criminal justice system, albeit briefly, Gates said in an interview with the Washington Post that he will now turn his attention to the criminal justice system and racial profiling.

“[The idea] had never crossed my mind but it has now,” he said.

And I’m sure an unknown brother with a high school degree is pleased that Gates is willing to bring his celebrity, fame and fortune to an issue that is dealt with everyday by countless brothers and sisters.