We've heard it time and again, the call of folks who just don't seem to get it. "We don't have a race problem," these well-meaning folks will say. "We have an economic problem."
These people argue that white privilege doesn't exist. It's all economic privilege, and because black people are disproportionately not rich, they tend to bear the brunt of this burden.
This is wrong, of course. Economic privilege does exist. The rich benefit in ways that the poor cannot. But racial privilege also exists. For instance, I've never been tackled by NYPD while texting my friends while standing outside of my Midtown Hotel. And I'm not even a rich, famous former professional tennis player.
James Blake is, though. And he happens to be black. No amount of adherence to black respectability could save Blake from the fate that many black people suffer in New York and other cities around the country on a daily basis. Not his time at Harvard, nor his charity work, nor his really inspiring story of overcoming personal trouble to become the world's fourth-ranked tennis player could spare him. Not even his prepped-up tennis spokesman apparel could keep him from the business end of an officer-led tackle and subsequent pile-on as he prepared to represent one of America's corporate giants in an appearance at New York's preeminent summer event.
In case you haven't read between the lines, James Blake was slammed to the ground by an officer and had four more officers restrain him, as they yelled things like, "Don't say a word" and "You're in safe hands." They suspected that he was a person involved in an identity theft ring, because those sorts of people often wait patiently outside of posh NYC hotels while waiting for their private cars to take them to the US Open. Blake did not run, even as he saw a plain-clothes officer charge toward him. According to Blake:
Maybe I'm naïve, but I just assumed it was someone I went to high school with or something who was running at me to give me a big hug, so I smiled at the guy
Blake described the incident as "hard to believe," and vowed to use his public megaphone to bring awareness to police brutality. He acknowledged that he'd likely have much more success at doing so than the average Joe on the street, who will suffer brutality while receiving little in the way of recourse.
It might be true that rich, educated, and powerful will win you points with law enforcement in the end game, but as we see today, black people walking on American streets are considered poor, powerless, and criminal until proven otherwise. Blake's stature couldn't save him from being type-cast in the role black men typically are - as criminals waiting for violent arrest.
Of course, this case also highlights the trouble that officers and witnesses alike have in identifying faces of individuals who are a different race. That brings to bear questions of why the police unit seeking to apprehend a black suspect consisted of only white officers, as this one did. Like with most WTF stories in the criminal justice niche, the questions abound.
Luckily for James Blake, he'll live to talk and write about this. Some, like Eric Garner, won't be so lucky. As the big wheel turns, let's add another one to the list - Texting While Rich, Famous, and Black - of criminal offenses in America.