Above the Law

Here’s where we’re at in the Gates arrest now: President Obama personally called Sgt. James Crowley, the officer who arrested Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for disorderly conduct, in a routine response to a home break-in report that went awry. A highly insulted and agitated Gates has characterized the situation as racial profiling, while Crowley has maintained that he followed proper procedures. Why President Obama decided to comment on this local matter and say that the police acted “stupidly” escapes us, particularly since he knows and is friendly with Gates. That in itself would have been sufficient reason to back off, but Obama chose to comment. Perhaps the prez felt that this would influence the police to apologize to Gates and that would defuse the situation. However, the Cambridge, Ma. police have stood solidly behind Sgt. Crowley, who, it turns out, has an outstanding record and teaches a course about racial profiling. Thus, Obama’s call to Crowley to tell him that he regrets his choice of words.

Are there are any real lessons to learn from this incident? Maybe. None of us are supposed to be above the law. Even Harvard professors should cooperate with the police and not jump to conclusions that an officer is a racist because of his skin color. Presidents should stay out of local incidents.

But probably the most important one is don’t raise false alarms because, as we all know, when false accusations are made, it muddies the waters that should be clear when there is a real incident.

Read Obama Weighs in On Gates Arrest from the Gates Ain’t The Only One Files

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Tags: barack, henry, james