Sometimes a person has to call it like they see it. I have been asked to comment on this matter, so here goes. The recent debacle in Cambridge, Massachusetts has reinvigorated the racial profiling debate. Dr. Henry Louis Gates alleges that he was racially profiled by an officer from the Cambridge Police Department. I was quick to dispel any notion that racial profiling had anything to do with this matter. I must be honest, prior to this incident, I did not have a high opinion of Mr. Gates. I've always viewed him as an elitist, but gave him props for his knowledge. I had an opportunity to listen to his version and my opinion has not changed. I think Mr. Gates believes that he deserves special dispensation just because he is a "Harvard" professor. I sense that both parties let their emotions get the best of them and feelings were hurt. I think this situation was blown out of proportion and should have been handled at the local level. To receive such media attention only validates my assumption that if this was someone with less status, we would not be talking about it. There is no doubt that racial profiling is real, but not in this case. Mr. Gates....get over yourself.
