Yes, we should all be polite and cooperative with police officers, and with DMV clerks and receptionists and customer service representatives. And police officers and DMV clerks and customer service representatives should be polite to us, too. But there is a real threat of surrendering our rights if we just meekly allow cops to be rude to us, or unfair to us, or to treat us unlawfully. Yes, they deal with some very scummy characters, but they do not have the right to treat everyone the same way they treat the scummy characters. And if we allow ourselves to be treated that way, well, it is a slippery slope.
I don't think there was a real racial element to this case until Sgt Crowley decided to arrest and handcuff Professor Gates. Remember, Crowley was all the way down the steps preparing to leave when he decided to exert his authority. He could have done the right thing then, smiled wryly at the assembled crowd, and left. At that point, Gates would have looked like a crank, and Crowley could have looked like a cool guy who was just doing his job. But Crowley, a 38 year old long time cop, decided to show Gates who was boss. That's when Gates said his "being black in America" remark. We have only Crowley's word that Gates was flinging the "R" word at Crowley inside his house.
By the time Crowley was down the steps and walking toward the sidewalk, he was well aware of who Gates was- a homeowner, a professor, a crippled man in late middle age. Please raise you hand if you think Gates was a dangerous character.
Here's the law under which he was arrested:
Section 53. Common night walkers, common street walkers, both male and female, common railers and brawlers, persons who with offensive and disorderly acts or language accost or annoy persons of the opposite sex, lewd, wanton and lascivious persons in speech or behavior, idle and disorderly persons, disturbers of the peace, keepers of noisy and disorderly houses, and persons guilty of indecent exposure may be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than six months, or by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
"Disturber(s) of the peace"? Ridiculous. There is more yelling going on in Harvard Yard and in Cambridge Square any time you want to name, and there is not a massive arrest going on.
And, a police officer is required to present a card with his name and contact information to anyone who asks- he isn't supposed to say "mynameissgtcrowleybadge2212phone5551212". Did he give Gates his card?
I find it interesting that we have heard nothing from those half dozen people who witnessed the arrest as to what they saw and heard. No doubt the intrepid press will find them and ideally find out. It does occur to me that under the circumstances, some people would be hesitant to speak out against the police. You don't want to get your name on the official "S" list with the Cambridge PD. And to me, that is one of the more disturbing elements about this whole affair.
So many people seem to be of the opinion that we should just meekly submit to rude or unfair treatment by the police and keep out mouths shut for fear of being arrested. What kind of police department does that produce? I am not being silly enough to evoke stormtroopers and Bull Connors type of lawmen, but it's a slippery slope.
Yes, police have a tough job, and I respect those who choose that line of work. But I refuse to give them powers over me which they do not lawfully have, and that includes the power to be shielded from tough talk by innocent citizens.
No, you shouldn't especially in a traffic or drug stop, etc - but when you're TRYING TO GET IN YOUR OWN HOME? In a well known and diverse community? That doesn't happen often, so what's the protocol?
