As for Lashley and Figueroa backing up Crowley, law enforcement backing up law enforcement would only matter if law enforcement had a sterling reputation for being neutral even when that neutrality meant disputing a brother (or sister) in blue. Law enforcement does not have that reputation, and they earned not having that reputation.

What matters is that Lucia Whalen — the witness who began all this — disputes what Crowley put into his write up. She even went so far as to be confused about the presence of bags on tape. Crowley claims he had an interview with Whalen. An interview should consist of significantly more than being told to ’stay right there’ — and that’s it!

Besides, according to MSNBC in a July 29 article: “But the 911 recording released by police showed that Lucia Whalen never said two black men were involved. She did not describe their race, acknowledged they might just be having a hard time with the door and said she saw two suitcases on the porch.”

There is a problem when law enforcement is given carte blanche to just make things up in order to justify their own actions in the name of .. well, law enforcement. That is not law enforcement, however, and it is not justice. Again, I am appalled at the number of people out here in cyberspace who are BLINDLY side with law enforcement — and yet then will talk nasty of Obama for jumping to conclusions with his ‘acted stupidly’ remark.

“just as some of the questions Crowley asked of Dr. Gates was none of Crowley’s business after Dr. Gates had produced identification proving he was indeed the owner of his own home”

Really I would love to hear what questions were further asked by Crowley? Oh you don’t know? Yeah no one does except for 2 people. No one except 2 people know even if he did ask more questions. Think before you comment. You have to take BOTH accounts with a grain of salt. I base my opinion more on what Sgt. Leon Lashley and Officer Figueroa say in their reports and thats that they back the arrest up 100%. But what do they know right???? i mean they were only there……

You may be “registered” Republican, but it must be more the McCain type, because to see Obama as having given a humble response, you would have to be a liberal. Like you said…tunnel vision.

Obama was not humble or open minded in any way, shape or form, and still believes he was right in his assessment of racial profiling. The only reason he back-tracked in the least little bit was because so many people, includng the Boston police force, became upset by his response.

The fact is that Crowley followed procedure. Gates was in his face. My brother once spent a night in jail for getting into a cops face. The fact is, police are hired to keep order. For them to do that requires a respect for law and order by the citizens. Without an ability to enforce order, their job would be unmanageable. You certainly sound liberal…

The one that truly showed wisdom and open mindedness in his response to the situation was Bill Cosby, in his interview with a local Boston station. There has been no better response than his.

This case has less to do with race than it does with an abuse of authority on the part of Crowley. It is an abuse which should be unacceptable to all who hold the rights of the private citizen sacred, even if such abuse has become so commonplace as to be swallowed as ‘just the way it is’ by too many citizens and law enforcement alike.

I am one who hopes a real discussion is held on this matter — the matter of the misapplication of the charge of ‘disorderly conduct’. I’m not exactly sure what you are. I’m not exactly sure what is really going on around your dinner table, either. Children are never on the same level as adults when it comes to family discussions and family decisions. But, again, I do not know the construct of your multi-racial family; and it’s none of my business……… just as some of the questions Crowley asked of Dr. Gates was none of Crowley’s business after Dr. Gates had produced identification proving he was indeed the owner of his own home. You don’t owe me an answer — and neither did Dr. Gates to law enforcement, after proof that a crime was not in progress had been provided.

I believe we can agree to disagree on this one. I, too, can be hard-headed, obstinate, and supremely confident in the righteousness of my tunnel vision. President Obama, through his actions this week, is most definitely a better person than either one of us: he leads by example, and his example is that of humility, open-mindedness and conciliation. In my opinion.

Please enjoy a safe evening with your family.

TWO OF THEM means TWO PEOPLE OF THE SAME OPINION AGAINST ONE PERSON OF THE OPPOSITE OPINION. That’s the situation we’ve all been in before! Situations where we have felt dog-piled!

OMG, if it makes you feel any better, our family, here in my home, is multi-racial. We have lots of dinner time laughts over stuff like this. The people most uncomfortable with race are usually the ones that make the biggest issues about it - including liberals that think they are “tolerant” of race. (Remember Boxer and the CEO of the Black Chamber of Commerce last week?) (Notice, I didn’t refer to her as “Senator.” Shhh…she’s one of THEM!)

Should Crowley now say that he was only kidding when he made the suggestion? What kind of man does that make Crowley? And what exactly does ‘there’s two of them’ mean, in your blog entry?