Video: Gates Arrest Still Scrutinized CBS
President Barack Obama has expressed regret over his choice of words, regarding the Cambridge Police department, who arrested his friend, professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., in his own home, in an incident of racial profiling, which the head of state referred to as the cop, "Acted stupidly."
The President has called the police officer James Crowley and the professor to talk the matter over.
I do believe officer Crowley was in the wrong. Not because he is a police officer and not because he is white. I believe he is in the wrong, because America and most English speaking countries, offer their citizens free speech and freedom from improper searches.
Officer Crowley willfully violated both tenets of the U.S. Constitution, in trying to teach an offended black man a lesson, for daring to speak to him in less than reverential tones, because his rights had been violated.
Officer Crowley refused to give his name and badge number, because he knew he was in the wrong. Hence the police department dropping the charges.
Disorderly conduct is public inebriation, fighting, issuing death threats and threats of violence. Based on what has been released, Professor Gates did none of those things.
It is you, Officer Crowley, that owes the professor and America an apology, for doing your duties with bias and abusing your post. Your pride and ego have gotten you into trouble. This story is being carried all over the world and the general consensus is you are in the wrong.
The next time you try to lock up a black man on trumped up charges, check to make sure he does not have access to the press, with the ability to embarrass you.
I know if such a thing had happened to me, I would be very offended and upset.
Side Bar: while I do not recommend it, all he had to do was tell the professor "your mama" back and call it a day, if he was that incensed at Gates exercising his right to free speech, in his own home, in a non-threatening manner. However, pride and ego clearly took over and made way for revenge via an arrest.
Obama regrets 'stupidly' remark on professor's arrest
Posted: 07/24/2009 07:38:01 PM PDT - WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama tried Friday to defuse a volatile national debate over the arrest of a black Harvard University professor as he acknowledged that his own comments had inflamed tensions and insisted he did not mean to malign the arresting officer.
Obama placed calls to both the professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and the man who arrested him, Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., Police Department, two days after saying police officers had "acted stupidly" in hauling Gates from his home in handcuffs. Obama said he still considered the arrest "an overreaction," but added that "Professor Gates probably overreacted as well."
"I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up," the president said during an appearance in the White House briefing room. "I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sargeant Crowley specifically, and I could have calibrated those words differently."...
