
Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department says he is not a racist and I believe he is not a racist. And he is not evil. He is, in fact, from where I sit a good cop. A very good cop.
But Sgt. Crowley should have known better.
Crowley should have worked harder to deflate the situation but instead chose to escalate the situation to a point of no return. Had the person he arrested for disorderly conduct been anyone but Professor Henry Louis Gates, we wouldn't be discussing any of this. But it was Professor Gates and in my view that is a good thing.
Otherwise, these type of incidents would never get discussed publicly.
And that is the point now. We should be discussing these types of situations.
Sgt. Crowley should accept Professor Gates offer to meet and discuss the situation. Crowley can learn quite a bit from Gates. And maybe Gates can learn something from Crowley. So let's quit the nonsense and become adult about this situation. The President of the Untied States was asked a question and he answered it from his heart. As a black man. I am quite sure that Barack Obama, prior to becoming President of the United States was profiled. And it is from that perspective that he answered the question.
The nation is ready for this type of dialogue. And of course we need health reform. Hey, we can do both. Chicago City Hall Examiner.