Jul 24 2009
Racism and Profiling in America
The confrontation between a Massachusetts police officer and a Harvard professor is the latest story to be over-covered by the media. As usual, the public, encouraged by the half-stories presented by the media on both sides of the fence, is busy passing judgment and offering opinions without knowing the full story. What we know is that a prominent Harvard professor was reported by a neighbor for breaking into a house in Cambridge. Turns out, the house was his. We also know that some kind of altercation ensued between the professor and the responding officer, culminating in the professor accusing the officer of racial profiling. Ultimately, the professor was arrested. After his release, President Obama came out on his side, saying the Cambridge police “acted stupidly.”
But how much is really known about what happened that afternoon? As some media outlets have reported, we have yet to hear the 911 tapes that, presumably, will shed some light on the situation. As for the altercation itself, all we have is the officer’s word, as written in the report he filed that is available (with some redactions) online, against the professor’s. So really, we have no idea what the professor might have said or done to encourage his detainment, but already certain groups have embraced this as yet another example of police bias.
Clearly, racial profiling is not a thing of the past, but was that really the issue here, or was this actually a case of escalated machismo that’s being exploited for it’s possible statement on profiling? Racial profiling exists and bias by law enforcement officials needs to be addressed and stopped—these facts are incontrovertible. But the bigger issue here may be one of general respect. Who can say what the professor did, if anything, to provoke his arrest? And maybe the police officer wasn’t profiling; maybe he was just doing his job, or maybe he unnecessarily pushed the professor’s buttons. But like it or not, law enforcement professionals are entitled, within reason, to detain anyone they feel is a threat. Why do we automatically assume this police veteran (who played a key role in his department’s racial profiling prevention training and was in the news over a decade ago for trying to revive a dying Reggie Lewis, who was, of course, black) arrested the professor because of his race? Is it because of his position as a scholar and Harvard professor? Does that put him above the law? Perhaps his own feelings of intellectual superiority led him to verbally abuse the police officer or threaten him. Or maybe he saw an opportunity to exploit his situation to bring attention to the problems of racial profiling in America (the professor is undoubtedly knowledgeable in that topic and is renowned for his work in African American culture and literature).
Arguably, the professor gets the benefit of the doubt because he’s an intellectual on the payroll of one of America’s most prestigious universities. But that shouldn’t give him, with his intellectual, financial, and social abilities, to tarnish this police officer’s career in an effort to stand upon his own soapbox.
Regardless of the motivations of either party involved in this dispute, the point is that the general public and the media know little about the truth involved in this drama, yet many are relying on their own biases and stereotypes to judge innocence and guilt. While they debate this issue and make half-informed comments about the case, in Paris, Texas, race riots have been going on for several days. White supremacists and black separatists are clashing in the streets. Yet, this direct story of racial hatred in America has been virtually ignored in the national press. Maybe if a few Ivy League professors got involved, the country would pay more attention.
