Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of the nation's pre-eminent African-American scholars, was arrested Thursday afternoon at his home by Cambridge police investigating a possible break-in. The incident raised concerns among some Harvard faculty that Gates was a victim of racial profiling.
This is what happens when the arrogance of power, and the expectation of deference that comes with holding authority over others collide in two people. Pride is often not pretty. This is "Don't you know who I am?" meets "I have a badge, a gun, and more credibility in front of a judge and jury than you do." Like many of the replies here I fault both, but in the end I have to take Gates' side. The police officer is supposed to be the professional, the one who is paid to confront both the innocent and the guilty, and the one who is supposed to be able to walk away when there's no crime, no emergency, and no role for the police.
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