Race, race, and more race

Recently, there have been two big incidents that have dealt with race (ethnicity not Tour de France). Speaking of the Tour de France, I was really pulling for Roger Hincapie to take the lead for a day. After riding 63 miles, I have a new found appreciation for the Tour de France riders.

Last week, a prominent Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Black man, was arrested in his home for disorderly conduct after being questioned by a town police officer about his presence in the home. To review, around noon he and his driver were trying to get into his house. A passerby called the police. After Gates, got in the house through the backdoor he and his driver attempted to get the front door to open because it sticks. While they were trying to get the front door open, a police officer arrived at the house. Both parties agree that the police officer stated that he was investigating an attempted break-in and asked Gates to identify himself. Gates identified himself and showed both state and Harvard ID. Both forms of identification had his picture and name. The state-issued driver's license had the address of the house on it. The police officer says that Gates was agitated and asked or suggested that if he were a White man the officer would not be questioning him. Evidently, there was a verbal back and forth, but neither account states any use of profanity or derogatory language by any of the parties. The interaction was ended by Gates being led out of his house in handcuffs. He was arrested for disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped today.

The various reactions to this incident are very interesting. CNN asked its viewers to weigh in on the interaction. Personally, I do not like opinion polling on news events like that since no one but Gates and officer were there for the whole thing. Walter Cronkite died last week and he was concerned twenty years ago that news was becoming more entertainment than information. Well, I think he just could not take it any more. After seeing newscasts covering American Idol and Brangelina.

If you think this country is past racial issues, then you should visit the posts on CNN. No matter whether you side with Gates or the officer or see both sides, race comes up again and again. Either that is how it is for the Black man or this is part of the hypersensitivity of Black people. The only post that was race neutral was the one that felt that it was more about the elite versus the common man and Gates wanting special treatment.

When things like this happen, I think it shows us that this country has a long way to go because we can not or do not talk about these issues until something major happens.

One thing I would like to clear up is that you are not required to produce identification when asked. You are required to identify yourself to police officers but not show them identification. This is a different standard than TSA or customs. There is a simple reason for this. Currently, we have no required state or federal ID. A driver's license is required to drive a motor vehicle but we are not required to drive a motor vehicle.