Sherrilyn Ifill, Professor of Law, U. Md.:

 

http://www.politico.com/arena/

Sherrilyn Ifill, Professor of Law, U. Md.:

.... as Attorney General Holder once said, we are still "cowards" when it comes to talking about race. Every day, new information -- whether the police report, the 911 call or the Massachusetts statute on disorderly conduct -- supports that the arrest of Prof. Gates was not warranted. No matter. Who needs facts? Who needs law? Instead we've been given two choices: either Gates is a crazy race-baiter and Officer Crowley is an aggrieved public servant (Sotomayor/Ricci redux). Or Officer Crowley is a racist, rogue cop and Gates is a saint. This is the personalizing of institutional racism. It makes it very difficult have honest conversations about race. And it can't be solved with a beer and a handshake.

The truth is that Officer Crowley doesn't have to be racist to be a participant in a set of practices that would result in the false arrest of Prof. Gates. Black men and boys everyday are subject to what we know as "attitude tickets" and "attitude arrests" by police officers. More...