A few more things about this: Everything seemed reasonable to me up until, and maybe even a little beyond, the point where Professor Gates showed his ID to the police officer. It is reasonable to be startled and a bit upset to find a strange man, even if it's a cop, unexpectedly in your home saying you are being investigated for being in your own home. It's also reasonable that the cop wanted to see an ID and remained a little skeptical even at that point, given that cops should be skeptical and are trained to be. After that, things went downhill, and the cause depends on whose version of events you believe. It is quite possible that these two powerful guys decided to display their power; neither of them humbled themselves and only got angrier as the minutes went by. Still, even given all of that, the arrest was over the top and unnecessary because it was clearly established that the man was in his own house. If he wants to be angry and even a little loud in his own house, he has the right, though I think much of that could have been avoided if someone stopped and tried to calm rather than inflame the situation. That didn't happen. The lesson for the rest of us? In such heated moments, which are entangled with racial implications because of our history (and present), we have a choice to make, even when it's unfair or uncomfortable. I really believe if one of those guys chose to respond differently, this would never have made news and there would not have been an arrest.
« Whirling Dervish Drivers | Main | Obama Has a Grown-Up Talk With America (Gulp) »
