I’ve been following the blogosphere’s reaction to Henry Louis Gates’s was-it-racial-profiling? arrest with increasing dismay over people’s ability to jump to all sorts of conclusions. There’s an interesting new analysis by AP writer Jesse Washington that attempts to reconstruct both Gates’s and arresting officer Crowley’s points of view, as the incident unfolded. One of the most fascinating things about it is the writer’s clear belief that a narrative approach will help readers to better sympathize with both parties: as someone who responds well to stories, I’m on board with that, though I also wonder if the “re-creation” of the event will also lead readers to assume a certainty about “what actually happened,” a certainty we’ll probably never really have.
So far, my favorite commentary on the event has been from Edward Gilbreath:
Those who say Professor Gates was completely wrongheaded and unreasonable aren’t willing to take seriously the history (both distant and recent) that has defined the relationship between African American men and law enforcement. And those who say Officer James Crowley was just a racist, rogue cop are not willing to take seriously this man’s totality of experiences as both a public servant and a human being.
And, as Gilbreath says in the comments on his post, “God help us all.”
Carissa Turner Smith is a compulsive reader, writer, and Irish dancer. She earned her Ph.D. in English at Penn State and currently teaches writing and American literature at Charleston Southern University. At age three, she announced that all she wanted to do was “sit at a desk and read and write,” and she has been trying to make good on that promise ever since. Fortunately, she is occasionally distracted from this mission by her husband Stephen and their cheese-obsessed cat. A loyal native of Arkansas, she has always loved the fact that Jesus dwelt in an underappreciated corner of Galilee (see John 1:46). 
And I will respond here the same way I responded there:
That a person has the belief that they have a grievance against a segment of society does not – or at least should not – be an excuse for misbehavior.
Reverse the situation, if you like. Blacks commit a LOT of violent crimes; is it Ok for a cop to think he has reason for grievance against a Black suspect? No.
The sword has to cut both ways or it’s broken.
I find the discussion surrounding this incident to be bringing the best and the worst out in people. I think there is such a thing as a healthy disucssion about race, assumptions, and the reality of profiling (which we, let alone law enforcement, all done whether we want to admit it or not).
Having a legal background I struggle a little with whether there was ground for the charge of Disorderly conduct given that Dr Gates was in his own home at the time completely independent of any extraneous concerns. Have these charges been dropped? if not, i am actually interested in what the court finds.
The charges were dropped the next day as is usual in Disorderly Conduct charges resulting from getting belligerent or obstructive with a police officer.
As for profiling – what about Gates’ – and theoretically the “Black Community’s” – profiling of White police officers?
“The sword has to cut both ways or it’s broken.”
Jonolan, allow me to introduce you to the finest in Japanese swordcraft.