Race an Issue in Cambridge Arrest of Professor

I knew nothing about the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. until I watched the President's news conference last evening. After scouring articles on the internet today and reading the police report there is only one logical conclusion to what is going on. Race is unfortunately an issue, but it wasn't initiated by Sergeant James Crowley who made the arrest.

I've read with fascination the comments of people all over, including President Obama, who have criticized the police for their actions in the matter. People with little understanding of law enforcement are outraged that they dared to question whether or not the professor lived at the residence.

The police received a report of a burglary. The sergeant responded to fine Gates inside the home. At that time, Crowley had no clue who was in the home and had to assume that a burglar was in there. Nothing the cop did was unreasonable. He was doing his job. He asked for Gates' identification so he could determine whether or not he really lived there.

Right from the start, Gates accused the cop of being racist and was hurling unnecessary insults.
When the officer was satisfied that Gates was who he said he was, he attempted to leave. But Gates demanded who to know the officer was and continued acting belligerent when the two outside which led to the arrest.

It was completely within the officer's authority to arrest Gates for his behavior and there is no evidence or nothing to suggest that the officer's actions or the arrest had anything to do with race.

The only thing revealing any facts at this point is the police report. Reading that reports reveals a cop who withstood a lot of abuse and was patient. It also revealed a professor with an inflamed ego who was rude, belligerent and completely uncooperative.

You would think that someone would appreciate the police coming to their house and making sure someone was not breaking into it. Apparently, not in this case. We have not heard the full story from Gates. Other than his lawyer making unfounded racism claims with no evidence, there is nothing else to suggest what happened.

It is unfortunate that the city of Cambridge had to step in and drop the charge because of their fear of the professor and the race issue. It is sad that an ignorant President had to comment on the issue without knowing the facts of what had happened, thus irritating the law enforcement community.

This issue has the potential to bring up some old and painful wounds. Thankfully, I'm to naive to know the extent of racial problems that still exist in this country. I would like to think this country has moved past much of it. But being sheltered in Wyoming doesn't expose one to what is really going on out there.

I do know that if the police report was accurate, the behavior of Gates was pathetic. For a professor of such prominence to act in such a manner is quite sad. I do know that there is nothing to suggest race was involved in this issue and that Gates, Obama, Al Sharpton and the rest are way out of line on this one. Thank you Sgt. Crowley for doing your job so well.