I'll give my 2 cents

Ok, Everywhere you turn someone is discussing the Gates situation. You cannot run from this topic so I'll give my two cents. I can see both sides of this story. Before I get stones thrown at me, allow me to explain. Henry Louis Gates is a Harvard professor and I guess in his mind due to his position and socioeconomic status he feels that he should be exempt from certain situations. I understand that Yes, he did have ID and that he presented to the officer, but you have to also understand that the officer was called he didn't just ride down the street and decide to profile him, he was doing his job. Now here's a possibility, there are many people who don't immediately change their IDs after they move from their homes so Gates could still have been trespassing. Also what if Gates had a domestic charge filed on him for assaulting his wife and he was in violation of a restraining order? So the officer asking him to step out would have been justified. I am not saying that either of these two scenarios were what the officer was considering but if he was thinking this he acted correctly. From what I have heard the office did request backup and in my mind he seemed to have every intention of arresting Gates, which I would consider quite excessive. Now Gates I understand his frustration, he felt that a man of his stature should not have been subject to this treatment. Unfortunately this is the case in the world we live in and I guarantee that if Gates was an "average" 60 something year-old man who worked in a steel mill this story would not have gotten this much publicity. We as African Americans strive to become successful, put ourselves in another bracket so we wont be judged like "other" Black people but the sad truth is we are still seen to many as just a threatening Black person.

I'll give you an example I know of an incident that occurred with an African American judge (I wont reveal the name or location of the judge) who was having a discussion with his wife in their home a neighbor heard them and "mistook" the situation as the judge beating his wife so the police were called to the residence. Now the officers arrived and the judge told them that there was no reason for the visit he told him that his wife and him were just having a discussion the police insisted on asking the judge to step outside of his home repeatedly. The judge decide that he didn't deserve to be spoken to in this manor and slammed the door in the officers face. Now this incident could have went in many different direction but it didn't. The judge was treated like any "average " black person. At the end of the day yes it sucks that we are treated like this and I wish it weren't the case but it is. It would have been better if Gates did as the officer requested and filed a complaint later if he felt that he was treated unfairly. Colin Powell stated that he himself has been profiled and he believes that Gates could have handled the situation differently.

So what do you think would have been the best way for this situation to be handled?