Both Parties To Blame in Gates Arrest

The Henry Louis Gates arrest is a deafening reminder that racism STILL exists in our country. Even though we have reached the political "promised land" and have a black president, our country is still victim of racism and the problem will not go away easily.

The fact that someone of his professional stature (with a Ph. D.) can be the victim of racial profiling makes me believe that my father is not crazy after all & that people are still bound to their racial beliefs and views. Even if Gates was acting in a irate manner, he obviously thought that he was in a racially-charged situation. We don't know his prior experiences with police or something that would make him sensitive to it and become combative. You can't completely believe the police report either, because the officer could have said whatevr he needed to in order to make the case against him.

When I first heard about this situation, I have to admit that I came to the same conclusion as many people did:
"Why is this educated black man being arrested for trying to get into his own house?"

I immediately took his side because, frankly, when I heard that he was arrested by a white police officer for trying to get into his own home, I thought it was racial profiling.

I thought of a Dave Chappelle joke that I had heard:
"I didn't even call the police. I wanted to, but i couldn't. My crib was too nice. Not that it's too nice, but it's too nice for me. Soon as I open the door, they'd be like 'He's still here! Open and shut case, Johnson. Apparently this black guy broke in and hung up pictures of his family everywhere. Never seen anything like it.'" That was meant as a joke, but it hold a different meaning today.

I do not believe that Sgt. James Crowley is racist, even though you can teach against racial profiling and still have your own views, I do think that he is guilty of following the "unwritten rule" of police in racially-charged cases: GUILTY until proven innocent.

The person to blame may not be Gates or Sgt. Crowley, but the insensitive person who called the police about a break in without knowing that it was indeed a break in. I understand that the people in the neighborhood may not have been used to someone leaving their keys and trying other ways to get into their house, but immediately thinking that it was a break in because of race brings some fault as well.

Honestly, I do not like the fact that President Obama is being ridiculed for saying that the police acted "stupidly". People sometimes forget that he is a BLACK man and will have his own reservations and experiences when it comes to the police. They asked him the quesiton and he answered it...that's all.