More Weigh-In on Gates Case – Cosby et al

The Police Officer at the center of this storm, Sgt. James Crowley –

Sgt. James Crowley

Crowley is a police academy expert on understanding racial profiling and has taught a class on the subject for five years at the Lowell Police Academy after being hand-picked for the job by former police Commissioner Ronny Watson, who is black, said Academy Director Thomas Fleming.

In radio interviews Thursday morning, Crowley said he followed procedure.

“I support the president of the United States 110 percent. I think he was way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts as he himself stated before he made that comment,” Crowley told WBZ-AM. “I guess a friend of mine would support my position, too.”

Here is how Crowley put it:

There are so many things in this incident that keep me scratching my head wondering. I apologize, I was not aware who professor Gates was. And when I read the name off the card, it wasn’t like I said, ‘Oh, wow, that’s professor Gates.’ I’m still just amazed that somebody of his level of intelligence could stoop to such a level and berate me, accuse me of being a racist, of racial profiling, and speaking about my mother. It’s just beyond words.

Bill Cosby weighed in on Boston Radio –

(Courtesy, WZLX “Karlson and McKenzie”)

On a Boston radio program this morning, Bill Cosby suggested that President Obama spoke too soon on the controversial arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates.

“I’ve heard about five different reports [on the details of the arrest],” Cosby said on Boston’s WZLX. “If I’m the president of the United States, I don’t care how much pressure people want to put on it about race, I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

“I was shocked to hear the president making this kind of statement,” Cosby said referring to the president’s remarks during last night’s press conference.

The comedian appeared to have dialed his comments back a bit in a later interview on Boston’s FOX 25 television station. Cosby cautioned those from coming up with their own conclusions, but gave the president some leeway.

“People who have not been there, people who don’t know are beginning to have their own personal feelings, but they weren’t there,” Cosby said.

“Does this include the president?” asked the FOX25 reporter.

“It includes everybody,” Cosby said. “[But] I would have to take into consideration that he lived in Cambridge for some time so he may know more than he’s saying about situations of that sort,” Cosby said.

I stick by my original assessment – that things got way out of hand on both sides. I think Gates was tired and frustrated, compounded by not being able to get into his house – and he lashed out. I think Sgt. Crowley should have just walked away. With that – there is no evidence Sgt. Crowley is a bad cop.

I’m not convinced the racial component in this exists anywhere except in Skip Gate’s mind. Nor am I convinced the Police Officers would have treated a white suspect the same way.

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Insofar as President Obama’s response – he was right. He was answering a question by Lynn Sweet relative to the incident. The Police need to be held to a higher standard, which is – based on the tremendous power we give them – a good emotional rain coat to shed the sometimes stupid behaviors of citizens who are tired, frustrated, or just having a damn bad day.

I bear the Sgt. no ill will, and I hope he does not suffer any adverse job action because of this. Gates needs to drop the threatened lawsuit…

And move on.