Professor Gates Nightmare is a Black Mans Reality

The incident that happened to our beloved brother Professor Henry Lewis Gates Jr. is a constant reminder of the true meaning of institutionalized racism. The reality is; it just doesn’t matter if you’re a student from New Rochelle, N.Y. with a scholarship, a world renowned professor of learning, or an off duty police officer making an arrest, as long as your skin color is Black, the institution of policing sees you as a criminal first.

We question Sgt. Crowleys report of the incident by the simple fact that the department dropped the charges. Disorderly Conduct Charges are common among cases found when the actions of the arresting officer are in question. Most victims of racial profiling live at poverty level or below and do not have the means to afford proper legal representation. The majority are ill-advised regarding their charges and have no other choice but to plea bargain for a lesser charge. Mr. Gates is not the average person that couldn’t afford good legal council. They knew that Mr. Gates had the finances to fight the charges to the full extent of the law. So it was expedient for the officials of Cambridge to drop the charges to save the embarrassment of a possible law suit for false arrest.

President Obama and Massachusetts Governor Patrick were correct when freely criticizing the actions of Sgt. Crowley and the Cambridge Police Department. The National Black Police Association has been addressing this issue for decades. Politicians and policy makers have kept their eyes wide shut for too long to this ongoing problem. We have seen the civil rights of our mothers, sisters, fathers and brothers repeatedly violated and abused. How many more reports of police misconduct and criminality must we hear about until Politicians have the testicular fortitude to ask for accountability and proper oversight in law enforcement nation wide?

The National Black Police Association has been in existence since 1972 nationally and has chartered organizations in the United Kingdom, Canada and Bermuda. The principal concerns of the National Black Police Association are the promotion of justice, fairness, and effectiveness in law enforcement issues and the effect of those issues upon the total community.