The police receive a report of a possible burglary in a well to do neighborhood. When they arrive at the house, they are greeted by a 58 year old, five foot six inch white man who uses a cane. They politely ask the 58 year old white man if he is the resident and if he is okay. The 58 year-old white man says he is the resident and shows the police his ID to verify that he is the resident. So the police are relieved that everything is fine, wish the man a good day, and leave.

This is what should have taken place between the Cambridge police and Professor Henry Louis Gates, and if events unfolded as I just described them we would not have the present uproar. As a 56 year old white person, I cannot put myself in the shoes of a 58 year old black man who has living knowledge of police abuse of innocent black men, but I certainly would never believe that a white or black policeman would wind up placing me under arrest under similar circumstances.

"There's also no compelling reason for Gates to have mouthed off the way he did, if Crowley's account is to be believed, since at least in the origins of the police visit, they were trying to protect Gates's property, not harm him."

Since when has "mouthing off" to the cops been an arrestable defense? Show the law on the books that states a man cannot angrily berate a copy who is disrespecting him in his own home?

This attitude that everything cops do is sacrosanct has contributed to a police force that is out of control and has an obnoxious sense of entitlement. If some cop tries to arrest me in my home he's getting an earful from me as well.

Good luck trying to get the police vote in your bid for reelection.

People on either side will believe their side, no matter what. Look what's getting all the attention now, instead of the healthcare debate! I am surprised that Obama the master politician would step into it this way.

Resembles what can be seen in a baseball game on occasion. The Player 9citize) blows off steam at the umpire (cop). Instead of devoting full effort to defusing the situation, the over-authoritarian umpire aggravates by returning steam, sometimes even going as far as following the player as he walks away. The confrontation continues ending in the umpire laying down his ultimately trump card of power--ejection (arrest).

True, Obama should have probably stayed quiet on the Gates case but he probably reacted as a black man who's been targeted while being black. I too went to school in Boston years ago and black people were definitely targeted and even killed by white police officers that I think Obama reacted viscerally to the question. Now as president, he has to be more circumspect about his comments but that's how I read his reaction. I know people want to think that this just doesn't happen for no reason but it's happened to too many people especially black men for random reasons. Unfortunately, racial profiling is the price that black men pay for living in this country.

is absolutely correct. Lost in all the verbiage about this arrest is the fact that it is obscene, patently obscene to accept as a given that it is OK for the police to arrest anybody simply because they "mouthed off" on one's own property. That's complete and utter rubbish.

If a peace officer is so thin skinned that s/he can't handle someone mouthing off, then that officer needs to leave the force. Mind you, I said mouthing off, not getting physical. If a person becomes physically violent, that's a whole different matter. But no where have we read that Prof. Gates became physically violent. Was his behavior over the top? Perhaps. But again, you DO NOT arrest someone for behaving over the top in their own house. I would expect a professional officer to defuse the situation and then walk away.

Why he chose to associate a police department with the word "stupid" is beyond me. Not to mention that for all the talk of racism in the Gates incident, I can't see any. I'm a white guy. I set off my dad's house alarm recently, couldn't turn it off, and had to deal with cops at the doorstep. There's nothing racist about what happened to Gates. If anything the issue is about our unhealthy obsession with home security.

we don't yet know all the facts, although from what we do know, it seems an arrest could have and should have been avoided.

If that ends up being the case, that the facts show Gates shouldn't have been arrested, then the police acted stupidly.

...if you're left/liberal leaning, you assume Gates is right.

...if you're right/conservative leaning, you assume Crowley is right.

If you want to wait and see as more facts about the case comes in, either side will accuse you of racism/self-hate. Is this where we've ended up in race relations in this country?

Ms. Walsh,

I disagree with your conclusion, as I believe it misses the point of President Obama's comments.

While you are correct in asserting that Obama's adversaries will make as much of this as they can, that falls into the same catagory as "water wet, fire hot". Obama's opponents will do what they will do anyway.

As the first black president, Obama cannot lead simply by saying the safe thing, or hewing strictly to a prepared script. He can, indeed he must, speak from the heart on those issues with which he is most familiar, and which, coincidentally, carry the most import.

This will not be neat, or clean, or smooth, or enviable process. Yet Obama would be doing a far greater disservice if he did use his office to speak clearly and forcefully on issues affecting all Americans. And racism-- or the perception of racism-- certainly falls into that catagory.

Obama is a divider, not a uniter. We do not need to hear every thought that goes through his mind. And since he can't possibly have all of the facts all of the time, restraint would be wise. But Obama can't show restraint.

Gates was wrong. We are all so tired of entitled: "Don't you know who I am?!" people who want to play by different rules.

For the rest of us who have tried to break into our homes before: Thank you officer for coming by. Here's my I.D.