The New Negro Stoops to Conquer his Image

I am ashamed of myself and every academic on the planet for what Gates did. Why in the world would you have to call the President of the United States of America? Except but to rub somebody’s face in the belittling remarks. Even I know to cooperate with the police completely and congenially. Something else could be going on. In fact one day I found out there was a stand off around the block from where I worked. Also, police frequently showed up after a string of robberies brought them into the library.

What disturbs me most is Gates’ high and mighty attitude. He behaves as if academia insulates anything you do as being correct and right, for the sake that he is smarter than you. I was devastated one year that I got called an intellectual elistist. A classmate stood on some feeling that I would never have anything to do with anyone who was not as smart as me. Then I realized, in light of his comment, why I didn’t have as many friends as others. My closest mates where my books. I made of point of never belittling anyone,of any walk of life, for not having the benefit of a bookish or discovery intellect.

Gates, in all of this seems weak. And I’ll tell you now, remembering former elitists professors, once they are full of themselves and you don’t cowtow to their demands of defference because of who they are, it is all over with. They do become boisterous and agressive. Like fiesty three year olds. I guess an equivalent in street terms would be “Ya betta recognize!” In other word, ya better recognize Gates as a intellectual and academic heavyweight who better be treated porperly. Although I, personally, would not know if that is complete true about him or not. Gates didn’t see Officer Crowley as a person, but just another racist cop, from the television banter I have watched. Gates had a profile in his head of what, why, and how the officer would behave. Faceless and nameless is all it amounts to. He has hedged a war of characterizations with an attack like presenting a dissertation in front of a committee as proof. But Gates is in the humanities, not empirical science. And this is not an issue science can award anything to. In that respect I apologize to Officer Crowley for being treated so inhumanly by a man who is known in the Humanities divisions of some colleges and universities. Gates is not fighting you, though comments have espoused. It is a thing he is fighting and many have put your face on it as a representative. Oddly considering Officer Crowley expertise in racial profiling and race relations, it has to be confusing to Gates’ supportive academics and culling disfavor with their years of “this is the way it is” for African-Americans when dealing with the police.

Gates, is a weak man in that for his accomplishements and refined abilities, he could not take the high road by refusing to go on an international attack, as some news media would report .What was he trying to prove by following his arrest up with this media barrage? {Not to be cheeky, but when people get older is it a sign of senility that they are embarrased about something as simple as a jammed door and the polic doing their job? “Why can’t i do this simple thing like open the door to my home? I’ve written 30 plus books for God sake!”} Was Gates trying some form of academic retribution by using his image influence by damaging someone elses character. It seems to be an academics attack on someone who does not agree with their theories of life. Again a weakness on his part for not being open minded to find constructive criticism from another life angle. For Gates this whole thing is a teaching moment about him being in the school of life. I see it. Still, this could have ended long ago.

Quite frankly, I learned a while back, the nicer you are to a police officer, the nicer they are back. Especially when you get pulled over. Several times I only got warnings and another time an officer did not show up in court. If Gates had not has an emotional break by getting angry, the officer might have called for help with the door, checked the house for a burglar. Personally speaking I like butter, how about you?

I hear odd things about people threatening to call Barack Obama at the White House as defense for what they are doing. Rather a threat that if you don’t back off the President will have you killed. I think its a damageing joking by playing off the slur that all black people are related to each other. If Obama picks up for Gates, what about your man on the corner of Fifth and Tarrel sellin chop shop pasrt who’s due for court tomorrow? Can ya make a call? And uh. yeah. Tell your cousin Barrack I need a job. Can he hook me and a few friends up?

Letters from black faculty in support of Gates

Letter from Association of Black Faculty, Administrators and Fellows

July 25, 2009

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Alphonse Fletcher University Professor
Harvard University
W.E.B. Du Bois Institute
104 Mt Auburn St
Cambridge MA 02138

Dear Skip,

We, Co-chairs of the Harvard Association of Black Faculty, Administrators and Fellows, would like to add our voices to the chorus of outraged people responding to the unjustified, illegal, and unwarranted arrest that you were forced to endure. As black men, we know what racial profiling and stereotyping is all about. Moreover, we regret the serious affront to your dignity in respect of the booking process.

Inasmuch as enormous progress has been made, well exemplified by the election of President Obama, race nonetheless insinuates itself into far too many aspects our lives. As you know, not even the Harvard community has been immune from undue attention from law enforcement: a respected black Harvard professor is stopped in The Yard by police because they mistook him for a thief; a white police officer pulls a gun on a black teenager outside a Harvard building because the officer thought the student was stealing (his own) bicycle; black Harvard students having an annual game day in the Radcliffe Yard are questioned by police.

These are but a few examples of racial incidents in Cambridge over the last few years.

Regrettably, your arrest demonstrates how vulnerable some in our community still are to police abuse of power.

Skip, we are outraged and angry about how you were treated. We want you know that we support you, and stand ready to help in anyway possible. Please do not hesitate to call on us if you think we can be of service.

With respect,

Robert P. Mitchell
Co-Chair

Ronald S. Sullivan
Co-Chair

 

Letter from Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham

HARVARD DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

Barker Center
12 Quincy Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138-3879

Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Chair
Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African and African American Studies

July 22, 2009

Dear Henry Louis Gates, Jr:

I and your colleagues in the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard are outraged by your arrest by the Cambridge Police at your home on July 16, 2009. After seeing a filmed statement of the police spokeswoman, who described your arrest as tantamount to an unfortunate incident that was inspired by misbehavior on both your and the arresting officer’s part, I feel compelled to write to you. As your friend, co-author, co-teacher, and colleague, I can say honestly that in the many contexts in which I have seen you over many years, I have never known you to exhibit tumultuous or disorderly conduct. I certainly speak for myself and also, I trust, for all of AAAS, when I state that I believe your account of the events and support you in every way. Indeed, we are proud of you and rejoice that tonight you will receive acclaim by CNN for your scholarship and leadership in bringing knowledge of African and African American history and culture to a wide, even international public. We commend you for this, while also realizing that to be black in America brings painful situations such as what you are now experiencing.

I have known personally great people, specifically historian John Hope Franklin, federal appellate court judge Damon Keith, and Howard University law professor Patricia Worthy, to have experienced insult at the very height of their careers. The insidious nature of racial presumption is that the offending white person is often unaware of his or her insulting actions and has no deliberate intention to commit a racist act. For Franklin and Keith, the humiliating incidents were not police-related, but they were unfortunately all too common experiences for many black people. Nor have successful black persons been immune from police arrest or harassment, even though innocent of any crime. Racial profiling by the police has long been a subject of discussion by academics, lawyers, and ordinary citizens, and sensitivity sessions have clearly not yielded a transformed police force.

I was particularly proud to read your statement in which you identified and sympathized with black people far less privileged than yourself, who undergo similar arrest and even more suffering. As you remarked, their stories rarely make the national news. We will probably never know the full emotional state of the policeman who came to your own home in the belief that you were breaking and entering. We do know you, however. Rest assured we are in your corner.

Sincerely,

Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham