I rarely comment on campus issues but today, I feel so inclined. For those who aren't aware, Tufts sent out a community e-mail on Thursday, Dec. 2 stating that "a male with a handgun" was sighted on campus. The e-mail described the suspect as African-American and stated that town and campus police were notified of the incident. Shortly after, a correction to this report was released. Apparently, it had all been a false alarm. What had been perceived to be a gun was actually a ratchet wrench. I assumed that this would have been the end of it. I was wrong.
Not long after the correction, I noticed several signs posted around campus, including on my dorm's door. They depicted two hands, white and black, both holding an adjustable wrench — not a ratchet wrench. However, the caption under the black hand read "gun," while the caption under the white hand read "wrench." Provocative, I thought, but aren't we jumping to conclusions here? Do we really have enough information about this case to classify it as being an instance of racial bias?
I continued my day, online and offline, and it seemed as though everyone was talking about this case. Many seemed convinced that an episode of racism had occurred. I mean, what else could be the explanation, right?
Before I dive into the delicate subject of race, let me first explain my background. I grew up in Boston proper and spent most of my elementary days in majority-minority classrooms as one of few white students. I didn't question it; it seemed completely normal for my best friends to be Muslim, working-class or black. As I grew older, my somewhat naive vision of realized equality for all gave way to a more realistic social understanding. I became frustrated and troubled by blatant racial and social inequities, even in my supposedly "progressive" hometown of Boston. Something had to be done.
Education is a means to affect change in a profound way. It is also where one can observe a microcosm of societal inequality, made all the more tragic because the victims are children. Because I wanted to "do something," I've been working in the field of education since I was 15. Most of my career has been spent educating students of non-white racial backgrounds. Working in the de facto segregated schools of Mattapan, Dorchester and Roslindale, I have witnessed the disadvantages that many students must overcome because of their race, social class or simply where they live.
It is clear to me that there are systemic factors that unfairly disadvantage some social groups over others. For example, it is true that the black male is often perceived as a public villain. I believe this to be a product of conditioning and our racially unjust criminal justice system. Despite blacks only comprising about 13 percent of the U.S. population, approximately 37 percent of prison inmates are black males. Surely, this can't be because black people are naturally inclined to be criminals — that conclusion would be considered racist by most. Still, many are unfortunately conditioned to think in such a way, even subconsciously.
Could this have been the case in the wrench/gun incident? Could the false reporting of a black male wielding a gun been influenced by some subconscious prejudice? Absolutely! However, it is not necessarily so.
This incident may be a "teaching moment" yet. Perhaps it can teach us about the paranoid surveillance state that has emerged after Columbine and 9/11. The person who reported the incident could have genuinely been frightened of being attacked by a gunman, with little regard to his race. Americans and those who reside here are conditioned to believe that we are always at risk of being attacked. Whether it be in the form of al-Qaida, Mexican drug cartels or even American children — who listen to Marilyn Manson and play Doom, of course — there is always an "other" that could sneak up and shank us.
Not to mention the fact that Tufts was recently ranked the most dangerous campus in the United States. Though this was debunked, there are still several examples of serious crimes occurring in the Somerville/Medford/Tufts area that could make a person edgy. Features like the Tufts Emergency Alert System enable information to travel quickly without facing the scrutiny of lengthy deliberation and thus contribute to a widespread paranoia. While such systems are ostensibly in place to keep us safe, we must question what else these new systems are doing to our communities.
The reason I bring up the surveillance state is to point out the variety of ways we can interpret this event. I feel as though any public discussion should include an analysis of race. It's obviously an important lens through which we should view social issues. However, when people accuse the Tufts community of racism, it is counterproductive to the conversation. Even if someone's mistaken reporting of a gunman was influenced by race, is this racism? As I've mentioned, people are conditioned to think a certain way, and often they are not aware of this. I see it every day. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard the word "retard" used without hesitation by supposedly tolerant people. Should I accuse them of being hateful toward those with developmental disabilities? No, I think it is more an issue of ignorance than hate. The same is true for issues of race.
We should not accuse but instead educate. If someone thinks that "black male" is associated with "criminal" in the United States, a statistically correct assumption, we must explain why this is so. It is a complex question: Why is our society structured in such an unfair manner? Unfortunately, if we waste time accusing others of racism, or conversely, refuse to admit the racial implications of "wrenchgate," we may never have the resolve to answer it. Until we examine the systemic roots of racism and classism, our discussion will go nowhere.
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Gregory Beach is a senior majoring in political science.
