Quote:
Originally Posted by fatso
that's why I used the clause "If there is racial profiling..." Not enough information to determine what happened.
Could be the neighbours thought Gates was still in China and heard shuffling next door and just called it in. Could be they don't know who lives there at all and saw a guy shuffling into the backyard. Could be they think all black people are gang members.
In any event, the phone call in my opinion is crucial to determining the police officer's state of mind in attending to the house. Can't make any claims about his behaviour without that in mind.
|
Yeah, possible. We should keep in mind that though there is nominal diversity in a place like Cambridge, affluent New England areas tend to be predominantly white, and there's a lot of silent racism in those sorts of communities.
On the other hand, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. may not be famous on CP.... but he is in Cambridge, and in lit-crit circles more generally. I happen not to think he's a particularly great
scholar, but that's neither here nor there. It seems weird to me that a neighbor wouldn't recognize him.
And as you said, one look at the guy would seem to confirm that he's not a robber. Well dressed, elderly and walks with a cane. As long as we're profiling, we probably should look at
all the details that might be relevant.