Thursday, July 30, 2009
For once, I think I agree with President Obama.
No, not about the Cambridge Police Dept. acting "stupidly." As Obama already conceded last week, he could have "calibrated" that statement differently. Personally, I believe he could have calibrated his concession differently. Maybe, Something more like: "I could have just ummm... not said anything until more information became available." I understand though, and what Obama said might have been fine with just a little recalibrating. Much of what presidents say is blown out of proportion. Obama did state later through one of his aides that "it was stupid to use the word stupid."
Apart from that, I agree with what President Obama had to say in summarizing the whole situation. He put it in perspective. Professor Gates and Officer Crowley are two "decent men," as Obama put it. Just as Crowley's record virtually exempts him from racial accusations, so Professor Gates achievements prove that he is no "race-hound." Professor Gates has dedicated his career and his life to promoting a greater understanding of African-American culture, especially its literary culture. At face value, Gates and Crowley are two men who have earned the respect of their community.
Both men have maligned as different people have voiced their opinions on what happened. That is not what I am here to do. At this point, the whole story is still very foggy, and no one but Crowley and Gates know what truly happened. I'm going to say what President Obama, and everyone else in the country, should have said had should still be saying:
I don't know enough of the details yet, and I will refrain from speculating.
What many fail to understand is something else that Obama said.
"Be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past...African-Americans are sensitive to these issues."
That is where I agree with our President. African-Americans bear scars from past mistreatment, mistreatment that too often involved law enforcement. These scars take time to heal. Put a black man in any situation with an officer, and that man's guard will go up along with his suspicion. It is human nature to react according to past experiences. I'm not saying that it is right. I'm saying it's natural and should be anticipated. Professor Gates should have easily cooperated with the police. However, why he did not do so should be understandable.
As the president said, "Even when you’ve got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the African-American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding."
When this whole situation is sorted out (and I hope it will be), the conclusion should not be judgment, but understanding. Understanding will bring unity. Unity will remove racial divides and heal racial scars. Unity is American.