Skip Gates’ Friend Says Unapologetic Cambridge Police “Acted Stupidly”
In the news conference that preempted Wipeout last night, the Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times asked President Obama about Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s arrest and what it says about race relations in America. Here is his response (in text here):
Two minutes later, fat people were getting knocked around by giant bouncy balls.
Although the President of the United States just said he “acted stupidly”–on top of Skip Gates calling him a rogue cop and a racist–Sgt. James Crowley isn’t apologizing.
Though he harbors no “ill feelings toward the professor,” a calm, resolute Crowley said no mea culpa will be forthcoming.
“I just have nothing to apologize for,” he said. “It will never happen.”
He also says he’s not a racist (as if anyone would ever admit to it). The proof is that 16 years ago, he performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis after the basketball player collapsed during a practice with fatal heart failure. Of course, someone could say Crawley only attempted to save Lewis because he plays for Boston in a sort of variation of Celtic Pride–except that would really be stupid.
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July 23rd, 2009 at 11:41 am
Well, it looks like our postracial President demonstrated once again how he transcends race at a news conference, on some kind of health bill or some other minor matter. But Obama felt it necessary to devote 445 words to what really gets under his skin.
It’s kind of funny how Obama’s formerly fairly plain-spoken Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, was instructed to stonewall the U.S. Senate at her hearings, but the President feels compelled to interject himself, disingenuously, into a police blotter matter.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I can’t believe Obama spent time on this. Do you think he would’ve even given it any thought at all had Gates been say Asian? Pres. and the media totally portraying this in the wrong light to make the police look like villains. They’re just looking to rile up folks for a situation where the police were just doing their damn job. You could be a albino aborigine for all I care if you are using a shoulder to push open a door of a house you shouldn’t be surprised when the cops get called on you. If you don’t shut your hole and keep yapping at a cop you are either stupid or haven’t dealt with many cops before, either way you deserve to get booked.
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:48 pm
way to use the bully pulpit to affect change, Mr. President. That’s just what this election was about–a mandate for higher profile race baiting after inconsequential occurrences.
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama.
July 26th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
y’all are racist. my homey gates got every right to sit on his own porch.
i bet if homey was white, the po-po wouldn’t say a word.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Crowley is a “coward” ..
The Cambridge police Union is UN-AMERICAN having “Lied” about Gates ‘yelling, etc’ yet the tapes proof the Truth, opposite of the Cambridge Police Union. Every police officer can make a mistake and be more respected to admit it than be the Coward like the Union to deny facts. Shame on the Cambridge Police Union who disgrace the badge again, thy are mice, not men. I’m glad I don’t live there any more.