President Obama generally downplayed the issue of race during his historic presidential campaign and his first months in the White House. But at the end of Wednesday's prime-time news conference, he offered some unvarnished views about the controversy surrounding the arrest of Harvard African-American studies professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was taken into custody July 16 during the investigation of a report of a break-in at Gates's home in Cambridge, Mass.
Obama is friends with Gates and responded to a question about what the incident says about race relations by first saying, "I might be a little biased here." The president then recounted reports about how Gates had jimmied the lock on his door and remarked that if he tried the same thing at the White House, "I'd get shot."
But his tone quickly turned serious.
"I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact," Obama said.
Obama went on to note the incident doesn't lessen "the incredible progress that has been made" in race relations and cited his presidency as an example. But he added a long history of African-Americans and Hispanics being stopped in disproportionate numbers by police "still haunts us."
"Even when there are honest misunderstandings, the fact that blacks and Hispanics are picked up more frequently and often time for no cause casts suspicion even when there is good cause," Obama said. "And that's why I think the more that we're working with local law enforcement to improve policing techniques so that we're eliminating potential bias, the safer everybody is going to be."
Authorities dropped a disorderly conduct charge against Gates on Tuesday, but Gates has threatened a lawsuit and demanded an apology. Sgt. James Crowley, the Cambridge police officer who arrested Gates, said Wednesday he would not apologize, and added the arrest was not racially motivated.
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Comments
Typical race baiting by the media and the President.
Gates was arrested because he wouldn't open the door to his house and show ID to the responding officer. He also was verbally abusive to the policeman who was only responding to a tip that someone was acting suspicious and trying to forcibly enter a home.
Cambridge, MA is too politically correct and should back up their cops. They should never have dropped the charges. If you act suspicious or do suspicious things during nightime you should reasonably expect to be questioned.
Posted by: Felix335
| July 23, 2009 2:11 AM
Obama is a real card. He doesn't known ANY facts of the situation and then makes generalities like the entire police dept is racist. This harvard guy had a big ego and wanted trouble. He was rich, arrogant, and condesending to the police officer. How hard would it have been to show ID and prove he lived there. Not at all, but he wanted to test the limits and spewed hate speech and dared to be arrested. Obama nad this Harvard retard deserve no respect on this issue. Both are cowards.
Posted by: dante805
| July 23, 2009 7:47 AM
What President Obama said was true as to the nature of police intervention with people of color. Anyone who lives in the real world would know that. If the professor crossed the line, so did the police officer. I think that some previous posters have their own issues with prejudice that perhaps they should deal with.
Posted by: primghar
| July 23, 2009 11:51 AM
It was idiotic to mention the incident at a press conference about health care. Not only did he alienate the cops who were doing their jobs, but he diverted attention away from the reason he was giving the speech in the first place. Dumb move on his part.
Also, he looked frustrated and was extremely flat.
Posted by: Field Marshal
| July 23, 2009 11:52 AM
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