By Guest Column Aaron Goldstein——Bio and Archives--July 22, 2009
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If he apologizes sincerely, I am willing to forgive him. And if he admits his error, I am willing to educate him about the history of racism in America and the issue of racial profiling … That’s what I do for a living.Quite frankly, Crowley doesn’t need any favors from Gates much less a lesson in tolerance. If anything, it is Gates who should apologize to Crowley. Unfortunately, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Crowley and the Cambridge Police Department as well as the City of Cambridge could face a lawsuit from Gates. There could also be demands that Crowley and the other officers on the scene face disciplinary action. If it comes to that then one must ask why we have police departments in the first place. What should have Lucia Whalen done when she saw this suspicious behavior? Should she have minded her own business? She could have chosen that path but she contacted the authorities instead. Once that call is made an officer or officers are dispatched to the scene to investigate the situation. When the police respond to a situation they never know what they might find. They could find absolutely nothing. They could find themselves at the wrong end of a gun. They could also find themselves in a situation where things aren’t what they seem and there is a genuine misunderstanding. That is the situation in which Sgt. Crowley found himself last Thursday afternoon. Crowley investigated the situation, determined that Gates was in fact not breaking and entering. That should have been the end of it. But Gates instead escalated the situation, following Crowley outside to further the confrontation and engaged in disorderly behavior. Gates was warned about his unruly behavior and refused to comply with Crowley’s repeated instructions to calm down. He was placed under arrest. Is the law not applicable to Professor Gates? Is Henry Louis Gates, Jr. above the law? The most ridiculous aspect of this entire episode is the notion that Crowley racially profiled Gates. When a member of the public calls 911 to report a crime in progress it is usually helpful to the authorities if they know who they are looking for. If the caller doesn’t know the identity of the person allegedly committing a crime a general description of the person will have to do. How tall? What kind of build? What clothes is the person wearing? Are they male or female? And yes, the person’s skin color. That Gates would accuse Crowley of having a “narrative” of a “black guy breaking and entering” demonstrates he doesn’t have a clue of what is involved in law enforcement. Instead of Professor Gates educating Sgt. Crowley about the history of racism in America and the issue of racial profiling, Sgt. Crowley should educate Professor Gates about what it is like to be a police officer and what it is to risk one’s life to protect the public each and every day. That’s what Sgt. Crowley does for a living. Aaron Goldstein was a card carrying member of the socialist New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP). Since 09/11, Aaron has reconsidered his ideological inclinations and has become a Republican. Aaron lives and works in Boston.
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