Is this man a criminal? I don't think so.

I suspect that the fact that the charges were dropped in Gatesgate is indicative that they would not have held up in court. As far as I know, it is not a crime to become upset when being questioned in your home, or even to yell at a police officer. Both parties in the case are human and subject to the emotional responses that can come from a tense encounter. I know that being a police officer can be a very stressful job. I've been led to believe that being black in the USA can be a life threatening situation. I can tell you from personal experience that being white and publicly not hating blacks was a life threatening situation for my family at one point in my childhood. I can only try to imagine the thoughts of the two men involved in this case.

In trying to figure this thing out, I can empathize with both parties. Dr. Gates has, no doubt, been subject to countless incidents of prejudice. Sergeant Crowley, likewise, has certainly faced hostility by simply being the policeman at the scene.

The question, as I see it, in this case is whether there was either a crime committed or the imminent threat of one. It does not seem to me that there is much of an argument that there was. Why didn't the police leave after determining that they were speaking to the legal resident at that address? Why was the arrest made? The claim of racism on Sergeant Crowley's part seems equally weak.

One particular experience that I had with the Cambridge police gives me a clue. Without going into full detail, here is my somewhat similar encounter with a Cambridge policeman. After a long, hot, lousy day, I was questioned by an officer while unloading goods at a local business. After the officer's suspicions of illegality were removed and I was leaving, I slammed my car door in frustration. Officer Friendly didn't like that and the full weight of the law was brought down upon me.

Not showing complete submission and respect to a Cambridge policeman who was in fact wrong got me in big trouble. No crime was involved, just some attitude. It cost me a lot of time, and cost the City a bundle to go through that.

You’ve all heard the advice not to talk back to a policeman. Why is this advice so freely given? Because you will probably get arrested if you do. I have little doubt that this is what happened in the Gates case. Racism? I sincerely doubt it. Abuse of police power? It looks like it to me. At least Dr. Gates had the clout to get the charges dropped. If it had just been some tired, frustrated, citizen like me, I’d have a court appearance to look forward to.

Shouldn’t our peace officers be trained and expected to de-escalate situations like this instead of carrying out vengeful arrests? Yes they’re human, but so is everyone else. This is a problem that exists around the world and has for ever. We’re not special in this, but that does not mean we have to accept it. Cambridge is perceived as a progressive city. Real progress would be made by eliminating this way of doing business. The City Council formed a Police Review and Advisory Board decades ago. The City Manager refused to implement it and the city was sued to make it happen. The Manager has made certain that the PRAB has had little effect ever since.

One more thing, as long as I'm on the subject. The Cambridge Public Library has chosen "Colored People" by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as its selection for their city wide book club called Cambridge Reads. I suggest that you check it out and read it. This is no "Autobiography of Malcom X" (which is certainly essential reading in the American canon), but rather, an entertaining read about a bright kid growing up on one side of a defining line.