Over at Reason, Radley Balko argues that the real lesson to be drawn from the Gates/Crowley fiasco has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with power:
This deference to police at the expense of the policed is misplaced. Put a government worker behind a desk and give him the power to regulate, and conservatives will wax at length about public choice theory, bureaucratic pettiness, and the trappings of power. And rightly so. But put a government worker behind a badge, strap a gun to his waist, and give him the power to detain, use force, and kill, and those lessons somehow no longer apply.
Police officers deserve the same courtesy we afford anyone else we encounter in public life—basic respect and civility. If they're investigating a crime, they deserve cooperation as required by law, and beyond that only to the extent to which the person with whom they're speaking is comfortable. Verbally disrespecting a cop may well be rude, but in a free society we can't allow it to become a crime, any more than we can criminalize criticism of the president, a senator, or the city council. There's no excuse for the harassment or arrest of those who merely inquire about their rights, who ask for an explanation of what laws they're breaking, or who photograph or otherwise document police officers on the job.
Balko's piece is worth reading in its entirety. For my part, I've already explained why I think conservatives are being deferential in this instance--and why they wouldn't be under other circumstances. Regardless of what happened between Gates and Crowley, I doubt conservatives would be arguing as forcefully in Crowley's favor if Gates hadn't been black and liberal.
-- A. Serwer
