The Responsibility to protect and the North-South Divide

Abstract

We had "a teachable moment" on July 17, 2009 \vhen Sergeant James Crowley arrested Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gares in Boston. The incident sho\ved how it is possible for both sides in a disputed sequence of events to be right. Intelligent and reasonable people \vho share a common experience can nonetheless interpret events differently and dra\V contradictory conclusions because we view events through rhe prism of our respective collective and individual historical narratives and life experiences. American police officers operate in a more hostile and life-threatening environment than rheir counterparts in other Western countries. For this reason, they are more heavily armed and operate with a different mind-set that prioritises securing compliance from a suspect over other considerations of politeness and nicety. Called to investigate a domestic break-in in progress, they will assume the \.VOrst until convinced otherwise and treat anyone on the premises as an offender. For their part, blacks, Hispanics, and other visible minorities have deeply ingrained memories and experiences of racial profiling. The racially differentiated statistics of those who have been stopped, charged, and convicted for all manner of offences-the popular phrase "driving \vhile black" demonstrates the prevalence of this practice-are deeply disturbing as they illuminate the separate and unequal status of whites and nonwhites in the United Stares.