How do you feel about the Professor Gates incident?

It's the same as the African American police officer that was shot in the back by a white police officer only not as deadly. The man HAD to be guilty just because of his ethnic group. That's all they saw. He had a right to be angry at the way they were treating him when all he was trying to do was get into his own home!

Prof was showing lack of breeding, poor manners, cops were too full of themselves and testosterone, and prez should keep personal opinions to a different forum. I seriously doubt it was racial.

While I am not usually supportive of cops, I strongly feel that Mr. Gates was wrong. According to the police commissioner there, and all of the cops involved, including a Hispanic and a Black, Mr. Gates was unruly and deserved to be arrested. About three hours ago the Cambridge police dept. had a news briefing, all of the cops, male/female, black/white, all supported the cop and said he followed procedure by the book.

That is a college town. They deal with their share of drunken parties. If a young person, regardless of color, followed a cop outside screaming at them and calling them names, not only would they have been arrested, but probably cuffed while face down on the porch.

Oh, and before you read this then say "racist", my son-in-law is a black cop. he is a good of a father and a person as you would ever meet. He sided with the cop and so did his mother (father died of cancer) and his grandfather who is 92 - who has experienced real racism.

Gates was acting like a jerk and didn't listen to the officers. Then he started race-baiting the officers. He got what he deserved. Now that he played the race card he is looking for his 15 mins. of fame. Next stop Larry King. At least Obama called the cop to 'apologize'. His comment was out of line.

Royally screwed up all the way around. Nobody involved acted properly. For the President to personally comment on it was a mistake in my opinion. Not that he doesn't have an absolute right to his opinion and to speak his mind about it when asked, but we have bigger issues than any one incident like this one.

gates had a chip on this shoulder- refusing to obey the police officers request to come out and raise his hands! arrogance,
the cop should, however, on being satisfied that he was the owner of the house, tried to quell the situation a bit. but cops everywhere can overstep where they feel their authority is being challenged - no matter what race you are.
sensationalism. am disappointed that obama used the word stupid in reference to the cop while in the same breath admitting that he did not have the full facts. It's the first thing he's done since coming to office that I was unimpressed with.
but.....gates is his friend- so hard to be impartial I guess.

What?....... He's too smart, educated and wealthy to be arrested by mistake? There is no more self -inflated buffoon than a college professor.

I hate that this happen to the officer and the Professor. I don't know who made the biggest mistake. But it won't be forgotten, ever. And for Pres. Obama to make that remark only added fuel to the fire. This has set my race, African American back a few, and the race relations back a generation.

The officer is a hot head and control freak. the professor had ID forms and explained his situation. That cop could have walked away and said" sorry sir.". He really had to be the man...

I think this story is WAY past its expiration date and starting to stink up the place.

There was bad judgement all around:
- The Police.
- The Professor.
- The President.
- The Politicos.
- AND the Pundits.

Just toss this story out with the rest of the garbage already.

Heights, stupidity....I can't find a better word

I Saw it on "Today" overnight!....What was that Officer

thinking!....I hope he gets the book thrown at HIM!!


Guilty until proven innocent!

Any thing I may say here will label me a racist. Every time we hear of an incident of this sort we hear the race card being played and anyone who questions the validity of the charges are then labeled as such.

Gates has always been and still is an well known activist and racial agitator and it is he who could have alleviated this minor situation but he chose not to. His agenda has been to decry the cops as racist and thanks to our misguided president he has succeeded to make this national news.

Frankly the race card is played so often that it has no meaning nor impact for me and I just regard it a stupidity and so much pap to be ignored.

If blacks were so maligned in our society no whites would spend the millions of dollars they do on their idolized stars and athletes.

I think Pres. Obama should have left this to the local authorities. And my personal experience of Cambridge, MA. is it's so diverse I find it hard to see the racism in the town and I'm from the ghetto Born in (Roxbury) and residing in (Dorchester) . When I was a teen I'd go to Harvard square and kick it with all types of nationalities, colors. Central square is brimming with all types of people you fit in any and everywhere. I think the professor may have been jet lagged and the cop just tired. And the situation just got out of hand. I really think they should both get together and handle this and go to the media together and tell them to back off!

I was five years old when my dad said, "Allways be polite to cops no matter what!"

This advice has served me well, even when I was accidentally detained. This man is a college professor and he doesn't know this?

If this had been a home invasion and the police had not questioned the person at the door and if harm had come to him, the uproar would have been deafening. Gates was itching for a fight!