Obama Surprised By Controversy Over Gates Arrest Remarks

After pointedly saying he believed the Cambridge, Massachusetts police acted stupidly to arrest Harvard academic Henry Louis Gates Jr. for disorderly conduct in his own home, President Obama only ended up fanning the flames of the controversy. The GOP and police officials criticized him while questions were raised about how much racial progress has been made in the country. Obama defended his remarks last night on Nightline, saying, "I have to say I am surprised by the controversy surrounding my statement, because I think it was a pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don't need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who's in his own home."

Obama added, "I think that I have extraordinary respect for the difficulties of the job that police officers do. And my suspicion is that words were exchanged between the police officer and Mr. Gates and that everybody should have just settled down and cooler heads should have prevailed. That's my suspicion." Here's video:

Sergeant James Crowley, who arrested Gates last week, told a local Boston TV station, "I acted appropriately...I support the president of the United States 110 percent. I think he's way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts, as he himself stated before he made that comment." He added that Gates was shouting, "Mr. Gates was given plenty of opportunities to stop what he was doing. He didn't. He acted very irrational. He controlled the outcome of that event...There was a lot of yelling, there was references to my mother, something you wouldn't expect from anybody that should be grateful that you were there investigating a report of a crime in progress, let alone a Harvard University professor."

It was also pointed that Crowley teaches a racial profiling class at the police academy; Lowell Police Academy Director Thomas Fleming said, "Former police commissioner Ronny Watson, who is a person of color, hand-picked Sgt. Crowley. ... I presume because he would be the most qualified and most professional. He’s a very good instructor. He gets very high reviews by the students." The Cambridge police chief promised a review of the arrest, but said he supported Crowley and that Obama's remarks "deeply hurts the pride of this agency."

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By Jen Chung in News on July 24, 2009 8:55 AM

Comments [rss]

snickerdoodle

The only one who needs to do some serious apologizing (as well as eating the biggest piece of humble pie you can imagine) is the racist Harvard Professor Mr. Gates, who clearly "profiled" the white cop very, very wrongly by presuming him to be "rogue" "racist" and Lord knows what else, all because he was white and he was cop. It looks like Mr. Gates didn't know who he was messing with. Mr. Gates was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have one of the good cops show up at his door. Perhaps if Mr. Crowley is feeling generous, he can offer to teach Prof. Gates all about the evils of racial profiling, free of cost, of course.

Maybe if he had a pair and would man up he should also publicly apologize to Mr. Crowley for his obvious mistake, and for dragging Mr. Crowley's good name through the mud, but that' not likely to happen is it? Black racist cowards like Prof. Gates can never admit that they are wrong; they can never admit that, contrary to black myth, not all white people are evil racists who have it in for people like him. He's already embarrassed himself and Harvard on the national stage, so no way will he had the integrity or character to apologize. Even a blowhard bigot like Al Sharpton has distanced himself from it all, LOL.

glennQNYC

The interesting thing to watch is if Obama will be able to convince black "leaders" to shut up, and help this embarrassing display of Obama's racially-motivated stupidity go away.

JohnnyK

It's not illegal to yell at a cop. If a cop comes to your house and accuses you of being a criminal, anger is expected. Any cop who arrests you for yelling is stupid. If you need the assitance of a cane, any cop who arrests you for yelling is straight up retarded. Not to mention this definitely must cross some line of civil liberties.

JackoPaidOffVictims

Obama's checkered history with Cambridge PD:

According to the Somerville Times in 2007, as a Harvard Law School student, Obama got 17 parking tickets during 1989-1991 from the Cambridge Police Department that he left unpaid until just weeks before he announced his bid for the presidency.

"In other words, as a practicing lawyer in Chicago, he allowed these tickets and penalties to remain unpaid; as an Illinois state senator he allowed these tickets and fines to remain unpaid; and as a United States senator he allowed these almost-two-decade-old signs of his disdain for the law to remain unpaid," commented John LeBoutillier on Newsmax.com.

The Washington Post said two years ago that the tickets included parking without a proper permit and parking in a bus stop.

The Associated Press reported in 2007 that Obama's "healthy stack" of parking tickets was finally paid, including late fees, "two weeks before he officially launched his presidential campaign."

NannyState

And he was born in Pakistan to a Yemeni mother! Go ahead, make that call to Hannity...

inoyourider

OOoh parking tickets!

Great find!

You really busted him now!

inoyourider

If its dark and late and you going to walk outside to your neighbor's house to see who is breaking in?

mangell

I can understand that cops may not know who Henry L. Gates was. Maybe they don't watch 'African American Lives" and so forth. So yeah, they had to arrest him.

But why didn't his neighbors, presumably other educated types who should know a thing or two, call the cops? Did they not know whom their neighbor was?

jaycjay

"you can't commit disorderly conduct in a private home."

He was arrested after following the cop outside, and continuing to yell at him in the presence of onlookers and after have been warned that he would be arrested if he didn't calm down.

In other words, circumstances under which any one of us would be risking arrest.

ANGRYGOD11

Why was it OK for George Bush Sr. to comment on the Rodney King videotaped police beating as something terrible and why isn't it acceptable for Obama to comment on a professor he's known for years?

This is not a right/left issue.

GaryK

this has less to do with race than the fact that cops are jerks. black cops are jerks, white cops are jerks. if you mouth off to them (even if you are right) they will use their power to haul you in and 'teach you a lesson'.

moocow

is it illegal to mouth off to a cop? no, but cops are more than happy to get an old man to come out of his house in order to arrest him for pissing a cop off. oh, wait, gates was not disturbing the public, trying to assault anyone, or fleeing the scene (aka HIS HOME)? then what constitutes disorderly conduct in this case?

Fritzdecat

Now the Cambridge Police Dept is DEMANDING an apology, for the the Presidents remarks.

chuzzlewit

and thereby acting stupidly. again.

henry.hamilton

I'm sure he is "surprised" and not pleasantly surprised either. Regardless the bandwagon you choose, know that Obama acted "stupidly" at the press conference. This is a gift to his opponents. Every minute that this goes on is to Obama's detriment politically, and its HIS camp that continues to dig. It will get worse when those tapes are played. lol

moorecor

Im surprised that most of you took time out of your day from reading The Post to come and comment on this story. Go watch FoxNews morons.

NannyState

And you can go back to CNN to find out the latest on which hand Michael Jackson used...

inoyourider

And this asshole Gates is considering a lawsuit!!!

"Its so terrible but give me some money and everything will be all right"

Scumbag

A lawsuit won't change the situation, it will only cost his neighbors more tax money. Just because he has to be a pompous ass who shot off his fucking mouth!

Shut the fuck up and pay your fine.

Hillymeg

I've been reading a bit of Buddhist literature, all about "Right Speech," (also called speaking skillfully). The two questions one is always supposed to ask before one opens one's mouth are, "Is what I'm about to say true?" and "Is what I'm about to say useful?"

I don't think the president could answer either one of those definitively in the affirmative when he said the Cambridge police "acted stupidly" by arresting Professor Gates. Read more on Everyday Ethics and let us know what you think!

matty

Who is Obama's chief of PR or whatever. They should be fired.

He should never have commented on this story. It detracted from the REAL issue of healthcare and now, once again, an old black guy is ruining his chances of success (anyone remember his pastor?).

Obama needs to cut himself off from the NAACP and Co. as soon as he can. These guys are just going to drag him down.