Racial profiling is such a given that I don't see why or how the Gates debacle solidifies what everyone already knows is true. Being black and male makes you more likely to take shit from police, no question. But the part of this story that is not getting nearly enough attention is abuse of police power. The fact that Gates was actually arrested is infuriating, and not [just] because of his race. The clearest conclusion I make from this? A cop who feels disrespected is a dangerous person. If you don't kiss his ass, you can end up arrested on your own front porch.
Jacob Sullum has a great
post about this. Bottom line:
Instead of showing what happens to "a black man in America," the case illustrates what can happen to anyone who makes the mistake of annoying a cop.
When we think about the cops, it's scary, on one level, to conclude that a cop can basically arrest you on a whim. It's scarier still to think that this is what Americans want, that this country is as we've made it.
