My Take on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

After watching an update on the news (and reported here at CNN.com) about the arrest of Gates and subsequent media fallout, I thought I’d chime in with my thoughts.

While some doubt it is a teachable lesson, I still think it’s possible. It all depends on how it’s handled.

It’s true. Most whites and blacks view the same incident through a different lens. Personally, I think both sides overreacted a bit. But - I sympathize with Gates. He is a respected scholar. He has lived through segregation and has experienced the burn of racism first hand. He has worked on several documentaries tracing the ancestors of several high profile black Americans. He’s accomplished, respected and no stranger to racial profiling. I can’t help but believe it’s the lens he viewed the situation through. And when you consider the fact he’d been locked out of his house - well, it’s not unreasonable to think he might’ve been in a bad mood before being approached by the police. (This is just my surmise.)

So, when he’s questioned by police (a white man) in his own home, the home he has worked & paid for and earn the right to live in, it’s not surprising he would be offended and upset.

But - stop here. I think he should’ve just obliged and provided ID. And I think when the police finally saw his ID, they should have left. No further action. It’s not as though Gates slammed the police officer against the wall or took a swing. He got enraged and offended. It appears to my uninformed eye, the police officer used his force because his own ego was engaged. His authority had been questioned and Gates had given him a hard time about showing proof of identity. Crowley overreacted.

So, at the end of the day, I think the arrest was stupid and unneccesary and despite how much flack President Obama got for saying the police department acted ’stupidly’, I agree with him. They did.

What are your thoughts? Personally, I hope it will show there is still work to be done and wounds to be healed.