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by Mark Silva
Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. says he's looking forward to his next talk with Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley, maybe lunch, maybe dinner with the families, maybe getting the officer's kids into Harvard -- if the officer will stop arresting him.
So that didn't take long.
In the confrontation between the professor and the police officer, which President Barack Obama had cited as a sign of racial profiliing in America by officers "acting stupidly,'' only to dial back those words and then invite Gates and Crowley to the White House for beers (Sam Adams, Blue Moon and Bud Light), there now appears to be some room for humor. That's probably a positive sign.
Gates, in his first public appearance since the non-beer summit (the president said it wasn't a summit) noted, however, that the controversy sparked by the saga shows that issues of class and race still run "profoundly deep" in the United States.
"They have not been resolved at all," the professor told a gathering of more than 150 at the Martha's Vineyard Book Festival -- on the island where Obama and his family will spend the last week of August on vacation. .
Gates, poking some fun at himself, allowed that: "I should have been funnier in the kitchen of my house on July 16'' -- when Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct in his own home after police responded to a call about men forcing their way into the house, its door jammed. The department dropped the charge.
It's still a serious matter, however -- Gates has received death and bomb threats.
Yet Gates says that he and Crowley have discussed meeting again privately -- either going to lunch or taking in a Boston Red Sox or Celtics game or sharing a family dinner.
"I offered to get his kids into Harvard -- if he doesn't arrest me again," Gates said, drawing laughter from the audience at the festival on the Massachusetts island summer resort off the coast of Cape Cod, a place that offered respite for black intellectuals and others in a time when others were off-limits.
Gates, a scholar of African-American culture at Harvard, was promoting his book, In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past. It traces the family trees of black celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Chris Rock.
The AP contributed, and MSNBC supplied the video.
Comments
Sergent Crowley injected race into this saga when he clearly falsified there were 'two blacks with backpacks" when no such info had been given. In that sense he unwittingly betrayed his bias in his arresting Prof Gates.
The bigger issue not being debated here is the violation of the Fourth Amendment to a citizen, thats the tragedy.
Posted by: Bill | August 3, 2009 8:49 AM
He offered to help get the Police officers children into Harvard? How VERY elitist of him.
Posted by: S J | August 3, 2009 9:05 AM
Prof. The ley to the whole mess Obam still stands as a Racist as he hasn't apolgised.
As it now stands looks to me like Obama is standing on a log in in the middle of a large mass of water.
One side is core voters or believers the other side mass America.
If he apoligises now, he wil fall on the core voter side create great problems for himself. If he keeps standing on the log he will tire out and fall in time, Obama seems to be waiting for this Racial Issue to blow over so he want fall so quickly..
Posted by: Inky | August 3, 2009 9:24 AM
Now the truth can be told. Gates has a book to sell and this incident has helped him grab the spotlight. Isn't Martha's Vineyard an appropriate place for an intellectual elitist to promote his book? Sgt. Crowley was used. Sgt. Crowley needs to fade into the background now and let Gates make his fortune. This is sad.
Posted by: markie | August 3, 2009 10:07 AM
What humor? " I will get your kids into Harvard," as if that is the holy grail, the seat of all the heavens. And to hold some figurative carrot out for Mr. Crowley's kids. Sick. What friggin' arrogance and show of elitism. Is this man completely clueless???
I have to say, I intend to boycott any sponsors of any of his opportunistic shows. There was a time I watched his PBS programs, was interested in them, was open to them... but I don't condone racism from any angle, and I believe Mr. Gates has his own brand of profiling and stereotyping. (And by the way, my older brother and I both attended Harvard... so I don't believe my opinion would fall into one of Mr. Gate's probable "wannabe" categories, as reason for my disapproval.)
Posted by: annie | August 3, 2009 10:44 AM
apologize for what, Inky? Your delusions?
Posted by: gladys | August 3, 2009 12:11 PM
Gates did not make that statement about being able to influence Harvard's admissions office, DID HE????
Harvard admits a lot of "blue collar" children.
President Conant used to call it "geographical distribution" but his "wide net" brought in a lot of "blue collar" kids from every state in the country.
From my observation, no Harvard professor has any power to influence the admissions office.
Period.
Unlike , say, the U of I in Urbana.
So, Prof. Gates, get your foot out of your mouth and correct the record.
Posted by: ornery | August 3, 2009 12:47 PM
ornery, on the tape there is a lot of laughter; Gates was joking around.
Posted by: rupert | August 3, 2009 3:17 PM
Would Gates have acted the same way if the first policeman on site would have been black - I doubt it.
Have you read the police report ? Why is it that the woman who reported the incident was not praised for sticking her neck out trying to help ? Gates stated himself that his lock was broken because of a previous break-in, and now he wants to berate the police department for showing up and going the extra-mile of making sure he was who he said he was.
This sad little man wanted to shout to the world that he is friends with BO "do you know who you're dealing with".....what a sad joke he is.
I hope Sgt Crowley has some political aspirations...he would have my vote !
Posted by: DeepThoughtsShallowMinds | August 3, 2009 3:33 PM
apologize for what, Inky? Your delusions?
Posted by: gladys | August 3, 2009 12:11 PM
Sorry Gladys can't help you on your comment until you get over your Obama delusions.
Posted by: Inky | August 3, 2009 3:51 PM
Inky, you say you want Obama to "aplogies" (as you say it); but now you can't tell me what he should aplogize for? Lucid, as always.
Posted by: gladys | August 3, 2009 4:36 PM
"What friggin' arrogance...Is this man completely clueless??? I intend to boycott any sponsors of his opportunistic shows. There was a time I watched his PBS programs, was interested in them...
(And by the way, my older brother and I both attended Harvard so I don't believe my opinion would fall into one of Mr. Gate's "wannabe" categories)"
Doubtful you attended Harvard. Had you honestly done so, your post wouldn't have been littered with street slang. Equally doubtful is the claim that you used to watch Gates when he was on PBS. If this were so, you would've already known what to expect instead of pretending to be shocked and appalled.
Posted by: Diane | August 3, 2009 4:59 PM
Look at that racist cop - the nerve of that cop to put his hands on the elderly Harvard Professor.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Over-Beers/
Notice who is helping the elderly gentlemen down the stairs.
Posted by: Terry | August 3, 2009 5:40 PM
Inky, I didn't say a word about Obama, you phony.
Posted by: gladys | August 3, 2009 5:44 PM
Just read this on Newsday.com....
"In a widely quoted post on The Daily Beast, Gates wrote of Crowley: "He should have gotten out of there and said, 'I'm sorry, sir, good luck. Loved your PBS series - check with you later!' " These are not simply the words of a man understandably angry at being arrested at his own home. They are the words of someone miffed that he wasn't recognized as a celebrity."
Unbelievable.
Posted by: terry | August 3, 2009 6:00 PM
Well, if Gates is joking, he needs some better comedy writers. Or he should stick to his day job.
A book was written recently about Harvard admissions.
No professor has any influence over what the admissions office does.
There are few, if any, legacy admissions any more.
Even children of alumni get no preference.
If anything, they are disadvantaged. For example, parents who were admitted years ago on high admissions test scores, high secondary school greades, etc., find it hard to get their kids admitted, even though the kids have similar credentials.
They are expected to have made substantial contributions to Harvard in addition.
Say, a $1 million contribution. That, plus your kid has straight A's and a 1590 out of 1600, and a star athlete and valedictorian....would have a pretty good shot as a "legacy".
I still can't believe Gates is making statements implying he can "pull strings" with the admissions office for Harvard College.
Obama can't even do that.
Posted by: ornery | August 3, 2009 6:56 PM
Inky, I didn't say a word about Obama, you phony.
Posted by: gladys | August 3, 2009 5:44 P
Just glad not in your shoes.
Posted by: Inky | August 3, 2009 7:02 PM
It was said in laughter terry, but don't worry about the proper context; that certainly justifies handcuffs right there.
Oh wait, they dropped the charges didn't they?
Posted by: rupert | August 3, 2009 7:17 PM
"Just glad not in your shoes."
Posted by: Inky
Not comfy in high heels, Ink?
Posted by: gladys | August 3, 2009 9:59 PM