We now have the tape of the 911 call and the initial interaction between Sgt. Crowley and his department. I have a lot of questions for the two men, which revolve around why they got so angry: part of Gates' ire I can possibly understand, and part of the policeman's irritation I can also understand. But I am at a loss to why the policeman felt that the way to proceed was to arrest Prof. Gates. Was he armed? Did he threaten the officer or his colleagues with his cane. Did he refuse to comply with requests for ID? So far, I hear "No" to each of these questions. Did he try to flee? "No". So why arrest? Tell the man to go inside, calm down and have a good day.
Why did Crowley go searching for two black men at the scene of the alleged crime when he had been told nothing much about race, and the caller gave a vague positive to the questions posed about race "White, Black, Hispanic?" hinting at a possible resemblance of one person to a tall Hispanic; the other person had gone inside the house. We hear no indication of Crowley saying anything to the caller, who was at the house when he arrived. How about "Does this look like one of the men?" Maybe police do not do that until the matter gets to court. Why was he so persistent with Gates after the man had proved he was in his own home? Almost as if he still did not believe and wanted some reason or proof that this was a burglar? I sense a lot of people jumping and saying "I know why." Comedian Bill Maher
said on CNN last night that Gates was arrested because he would not kiss butt. Wolf Blitzer did not know what to say. "But, butt,...". Do watch the link http://www.wikio.com/video/1462323. He also called America a "stupid country". OMG! Sarah Palin also got tazered.Beer and pretzels with POTUS might get to some better understanding between Gates and Crowley but I fear that the officer's actions are too typical, and therefore the root of a tree that is still standing strong. Police are trained to be suspicious, but sense needs to prevail in the face of evidence that you are not dealing with a criminal. That said, I have been in a situation in Barbados when a policeman alleged an offence. I told him he was categorically wrong; my wife was with me and she agreed. He then moved on from that allegation to ask about something else. Natural justice says to me "Man, you made your charge. It was bogus. Now you are going digging to find something else. Go long." My attitude changed and therein lies the problems. Irritation at being taken advantage of, or some other kind of disrespect, is now my most compelling emotion. You have overstepped and now you are stepping on me. I feel for Gates, even though I think he too could have done otherwise; that comes from having had time to reflect.
Crowley and the police force should get off the call for the President to apologise. They have dropped the charges (in the glare of media spotlights?) and they should be decent and just say "Sorry".
Gates too should apologize to the officer for anything he said that might have caused offence. POTUS does not need to apologize but could do so to show that he is above pettiness. The caller should get an apology too from the police for having been misrepresented and ignored.I'm going on to mind my business. I will also wonder if I can get to write for the Huffington Post (see their latest take on the Gatesgate, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-wells/hard-truths-and-the-teach_b_245856.html).
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