YES ... racial profiling is still an aspect of police work that needs correcting through improved race relations. If Prof. Gates were white in the same situation ... Sgt. Crowley most likely would have given the professor the benefit of the doubt and not arrested him.
Citizens however ... should most times give the police the benefit of the doubt and respect them and their requests simply because of the dangerous job these people have vowed to do for our communities.
NO ... Prof. Gates should have NEVER been arrested under the circumstances presented to the public. Those police in fact acted STUPIDLY ... which any human can make a bad decision without the proper training and sensitivity.
However because the general public lacks understanding of the job description of police officers and the personality type the particular police officer might have. As did Prof. Gates who needed to understand the job of the police better which would have allowed him to avoid being arrested ... even if the cop was unprofessional.
"UNDERSTANDING THE POLICE AND AVOIDING TROUBLE" by Grady E. Morrison ... (a retired Baltimore Police Officer) IS A MUST READ FOR EVERYBODY.
This book points out that ... Even if the police officer is a racist ... REMEMBER they carry a gun and you must put yourself in the safest situation possible and do your best to comply with the officer's requests. In a situation where the police officer makes an unreasonable request ... make sure you get yourself in public view while complying. Citizens always have the option of submitting a formal complaint when dealing with a police officer that is somehow offensive.
Bottom Line ... Do everything you can to avoid being arrested or even worse ... getting injured or killed (Morrison, G. E. 2005). Read the above mentioned book ... and learn how to deal with the police with the proper, safest perspective.
