Obama's got my back
I don't know if you read the paper at all this week but if you have at least once, you've seen controversy over the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. He was arrested at his own home by the Cambridge police recently. He had returned from a trip overseas to find that his door was stuck. A passerby noticed him struggling with the door and called the cops. The cops arrived, found him inside and asked to see his ID. He showed them his ID and at some point an argument ensued between him and the police. The police report and Gates's account of what happened differ but the end result was that Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct. Gates claimed that his arrest was racially motivated and is considering a lawsuit against the Cambridge police. The police decided to drop all the charges but now say they wish they hadn't. In the meantime, President Obama, who is a personal friend of Prof. Gates, has said that the Cambridge police "acted stupidly" although he admitted he did not know all the details and did not comment on the race aspect of the incident.
My view on the situation is that I am happy that Gates is making a big stink about this, but I think he is going about it the wrong way. I can't really say whether racism was an issue or not and unfortunately no one will ever be able to know for sure either. I n fact, I believe that he probably would have been arrested even if he was white. I know from experience (see my previous journal) that the cops will arrest you if you argue with them regardless of your race. I am happy that he is bringing the larger issue of police abuse of power to light, although I really wish he didn't frame it as an issue of race because it is making him a lot of enemies and detracting from the real issue.
As for Obama's comments, I think they are great and he is 100% correct. No one should be arrested in their own homes when they have broken no laws. The police overreacted and should have just left when they determined that Gates was the resident of the house. It doesn't matter if Gates was agitated or not. The fact is, it is not a crime to be agitated and yell at the police (it is not even clear whether Gates did yell or not, he claims he didn't and as I've learned, police reports aren't always true). Now, I don't think it was a good political move on Obama's part and I think he would have been better off if he didn't comment at all, but I still completely agree with him.
My own case isn't over yet. I'm attempting to get my criminal record sealed so that it won't cause trouble for me in the future. This will likely be a long and difficult process and I'm currently trying to gather all the documentation I need now. Also, I am planning on filing a complaint against the MIT police officer who instructed the Cambridge police to arrest me. I know that her actions were performed purely out of malice as I did not interfere or resist arrest at all. I don't think the complaint will mean anything but it will make me feel better. I'd like to think that if perhaps if she gets enough complaints, which she will if she continues to abuse her power, she'll get fired and won't be able to bully anyone anymore.
My view on the situation is that I am happy that Gates is making a big stink about this, but I think he is going about it the wrong way. I can't really say whether racism was an issue or not and unfortunately no one will ever be able to know for sure either. I n fact, I believe that he probably would have been arrested even if he was white. I know from experience (see my previous journal) that the cops will arrest you if you argue with them regardless of your race. I am happy that he is bringing the larger issue of police abuse of power to light, although I really wish he didn't frame it as an issue of race because it is making him a lot of enemies and detracting from the real issue.
As for Obama's comments, I think they are great and he is 100% correct. No one should be arrested in their own homes when they have broken no laws. The police overreacted and should have just left when they determined that Gates was the resident of the house. It doesn't matter if Gates was agitated or not. The fact is, it is not a crime to be agitated and yell at the police (it is not even clear whether Gates did yell or not, he claims he didn't and as I've learned, police reports aren't always true). Now, I don't think it was a good political move on Obama's part and I think he would have been better off if he didn't comment at all, but I still completely agree with him.
My own case isn't over yet. I'm attempting to get my criminal record sealed so that it won't cause trouble for me in the future. This will likely be a long and difficult process and I'm currently trying to gather all the documentation I need now. Also, I am planning on filing a complaint against the MIT police officer who instructed the Cambridge police to arrest me. I know that her actions were performed purely out of malice as I did not interfere or resist arrest at all. I don't think the complaint will mean anything but it will make me feel better. I'd like to think that if perhaps if she gets enough complaints, which she will if she continues to abuse her power, she'll get fired and won't be able to bully anyone anymore.