When I was 18, I was stopped on a moped by white police officers and rudely arrested, booked, finger printed and locked up as I tried to explain they had the wrong guy for the alleged stolen moped I was driving.
The police dropped all charges. But, I got the message quickly: I’m a black man in America and this is the reality of my life when it comes to dealing with police, so be quiet, shut my mouth and obey law and order.
Fast forward 25 years later, and some white cops often escort me via police cruiser to any of my properties or home or even the office building on occasion.
While I cannot make any excuses or justifications for the wrongful and ridiculous conduct of Sgt. James Crowley, who arrested the 58-year-old highly-respected professor, I can only say I am a bit taken aback that Professor Gates says that he now realizes “if this could happen to me in Harvard Square, it could happen to anyone in America?”
This statement has a duality that alarms me: Is he suggesting that because he was at Harvard, somehow he is exempt from the basic pains and struggles of folks in Harlem, USA vs. Harvard square?
Or, is he saying that it took this arrest and fiasco to get him in touch with the real struggles of the Black Community with regards to racial profiling?
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