Race Issues Still Exist..

For once maybe in this blog's 6 month history, we'll attempt some level of seriousness. The ongoing, back-and-forth race exploits stemming from the recent incident in Cambridge is an issue that needs to be addressed.

For those unaware of recent news events, what went down was this:

Cambridge police received a call from a neighbor this week that a (black) man was attempting to jimmy the lock of a front door on Ware St. Sargent James Crowley (white) reported to the scene at which point Henry Louis Gates, a prominent Black Rights activists and distinguished Harvard professor, was already in the house, which turned to be -- you guessed it -- his own house.

Gates had just returned from a trip from China and according to reports was either locked out or struggling with the lock.

When police arrived and confronted Gates inside his home, they stated that Gates had initially refused to show identification. When Gates was told that Crowley was investigating a possible break in, Gates then stated, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" When Gates repeated a request for Crowley's name, Crowley replied that he would only speak to Gates outside. Crowley stated that he desired to go outside at that time as "Gates was yelling very loud [sic] and the acoustics of the kitchen and foyer were making it difficult for me to transmit pertinent information to EEC or other responding units".

Gates then followed Crowley from the house onto the porch, yelling at him and Crowley arrested him for disorderly conduct. Charges were eventually dropped on recommendation by Cambridge police and the city of Cambridge, calling the incident "regrettable and unfortunate."

-Now what's transpired after this has been nothing short of over dramatized attacks from the conservative right (on Crowley's side) and the black left (Gates side), blowing this up into a mega racial-profiling meets black sensationalism. Gates has demanded Crowley apologize. Crowley has refused, stating he was just doing his job. Hell, even Barak Obama chimed in during his conference for health care this week.

Obama, who is friends with Gates, said that Cambridge police "acted stupidly," further infuriating the right and police officers everywhere, who starting today are organizing silent protests via wrist bands that show their support for Crowley and rights of officers everywhere.

Phewww...how did we get this far? Or rather, how have we (as a society) still not come far enough?

People LOVE playing the race card. Whether its Gates taking offense to a standard question because of his underlying feelings against whites or Crowley and whites everywhere sick and tired of any action they take that a black doesn't like deemed racists.

The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle of these two sides, who, of course, are playing each other as the fool to further promote their own cause.

Firs of all, how dumb is this fuckin "neighbor." You seriously don't know who lives next to you? Especially when it's a dece famous Harvard guy who is boys with Obama? Get outta here. Secondly, it's very simple: Gates, an ultra-proud black man who judging by some of his comments probably harbors some very nasty feelings toward whites, most likely the result of years of being treated differently, something that I'll never understand.

Crowley, meanwhile, had to answer the call. He was probably upset the way Gates flipped and decided he was going to arrest this guy. Why do you think he wanted to "speak with him outside?" Well, you can't arrest a guy for disorderly conduct when he's in his own house. Hard to disturb the public in your home. But that has probably more to do with him being a cop (aka: an entitled dickhead) then anything with race.

Did Gates being black have something to do with it? OF COURSE! It probably influenced the person who called police and more importantly, had Gates been white or Crowley been black, this incident never leaves the doorstep of the house, a fact that speaks to both the immature actions of both Crowley AND Gates.

In a society where Big Ben Roethlisberger is charged for rape and ESPN chooses not to report it (they finally caved into pressure and did yesterday), citing the fact that it''s a civil suit, yet the network had previously reported on OJs exploits and the accusation that Sandy Alomar Jr. had AIDS (doesn't get much more civil than that), there sometimes seems to be double standards. This is human nature and it's unavoidable.

People need to chill on race and realize people are inherently different and do not HAVE to get along. I mean, I don't walk around in black neighborhoods expected to be treated like I'm fuckin Sammy Davis Jr. But you don't see me complaining. I just know that, or at least feel that way. The same way blacks feel uneasy traveling in a car through ultra-white neighborhoods. Both isntances are wrong, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Black, Whites, Asians, Hispanics all have cultural differences. It's OK. Years ago, you didn't even see Italians and Irishmen get along. People roll with their own crews. Back int he days of tribes, you didn't just roll through another tribe and expect them to accept you. You'd get bundled. Same reason I wouldn't stroll through Harlem trying to make conversation. Most likely, those people wouldn't like me there.

People are normally more comfortable around their own. It's not necessarily racism, it's just human nature. And the fact that these two dudes had a scuffle, probably had more to do with the pig-headedness of both than ANYTHING to do with race.

--Nick