American Morning
Powell: Both Gates, police could have handled things better
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/29/art.powell.afp.gi.jpg caption="Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said he has been subject to racial profiling."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that he has been the victim of racial profiling but believes Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. could have been more patient with the police officer who arrested him.
Watch what Powell would advise Gates » 
At the same time, Powell also faulted the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Police Department for escalating the situation beyond a reasonable level.
"I think Skip [Gates], perhaps in this instance, might have waited a while, come outside, talked to the officer and that might have been the end of it," Powell said in an interview with CNN's Larry King.
"I think he should have reflected on whether or not this was the time to make that big a deal.
"I think in this case the situation was made much more difficult on the part of the Cambridge Police Department," Powell said. "Once they felt they had to bring Dr. Gates out of the house and to handcuff him, I would've thought at that point, some adult supervision would have stepped in and said 'OK look, it is his house. Let's not take this any further, take the handcuffs off, good night Dr. Gates.' "
Gates, a top African-American scholar, was arrested July 16 for disorderly conduct outside his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home after police responded to a report of a possible burglary. The charge was later dropped.
Powell said that under the circumstances, Gates may not have been in the appropriate frame of mind to best handle the situation.
"He was just home from China, just home from New York. All he wanted to do was get to bed. His door was jammed and so he was in a mood where he said something," Powell said.
He recalled a lesson he was taught as a child: "When you're faced with an officer who is trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him.
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The Republicans have nothing to do with this! This is a police, civilian issue, where a demo said something that I am sure he wishes that hecould just "take back".
Again, he had every right, by law, to arrest and detain a man ...out of control, and disturbing the peace,. Even his neighbors should never have had to hear the rantics of this childish man! They could file for thier peace having been disturbed! He was rude, and everyone knows it! Besides, I can not imagine that this police officer would have wished to do anything with "his momma". How childish can an educated man acutally be! And then to blame the cop! Be respectful to begin with. He was only there to help you, and to save your home! I would have felt blessed to have him at my home saving it! Maybe he would felt safer if the police would not have showed up, and his home finally did get robbed! Then he'd be complaining! You can not have it both ways, so why not just let the police do thier jobs? Why make a race issue out of it? Why? Could it be to help Gates with the book he is writing on racial profiling? Nah, he would not have done this just to sell more of his books? Who would do such a horrible thing? Think about it!!
A black, or white, or even a green man can commit a crime while using a cane. What would that matter. He wanted to see him outside to make sure that he was not being held hostage! He did a gr8 job! One day, they may not be there to help you...you accuse them when they do. Mr Sgt. Crawley, I have looked at your profile and past history. You are an outstanding police officer who is there to help ALL of the people, regardless of colors! There should be MANY more like you! Please keep up the good work! We need officers like you to protect our public! Thank you for all that you have done to help keep us safe! Your town should be soooooo proud to have you on thier team!
The police officer tried to leave quietly after seeing that Gates was the homeowner and that he was indeed safe, BUT ...Gates went outside of his castle(where he can be arrested). Once you leave your home and take it out where the town can hear you scream, you have broken the law. BUT..he asked his twice to stop, and even tried to leave, but Mr. Gates would NOT allow this. He got arrested! Good call on the behalf of the police officer. Until he is under control, for public safety, he had to.
Colin Powell needs to be hosting the beer party at the Whitehouse instead of Obama! If Obama would have stayed out of it, the media wouldn't be giving this story all of this unnecessary publicity.
If you take race out of it, the questions becomes why did the police drop the charges against Gates if Sgt. Crowley did nothing wrong? Because it was a false arrest to begin with.
Now enter the race angle along with the divide and conquer strategy. Get some blacks to defend Sgt. Crowley while ignoring the fact that ‘falsely claiming racism’ and ‘talking about your mama in your home’ does not justify an arrest. Again, it distorts the more serious issue that an old black man with a cane was arrested in his own house for being rude. What ever happen to your right to free speech?
By not concentrating on the poor decisions of Gates and Crowley, the media is turning all future cries of racism into a ' Cry Wolf ' moment while ignoring the problem that racial profiling exists in America.
BTW – The Republicans love to make this side show the main attraction since they don't want to take any affirmative action against racism in the first place.
CNN "American Morning" distorted what was an insightful and balanced analysis by Colin Powell. You chose to frame the Larry King interview as Powell blaming Gates for misreading and overreacting to the encounter. Powell had quickly followed up by saying that Crowley was equally to blame for misreading the situation. Powell, also, offered the opinion that Gates should never have been arrested. However, you chose to show only that portion of the interview ,accompanied by an equally misleading lead ,which conveyed the message that Powell only placed responsibility on Gates.This is disservice to tone and balance that Colin Powell so eloquently brought to the discussion.
Listening to your report on the interview with Colin Powell and Larry King this morning, I noticed how you CONVEINTLY left out Colin Powell's take on the Cambrige Police Department:
"I think in this case the situation was made much more difficult on the part of the Cambridge Police Department," Powell said. "Once they felt they had to bring Dr. Gates out of the house and to handcuff him, I would've thought at that point, some adult supervision would have stepped in and said 'OK look, it is his house. Let's not take this any further, take the handcuffs off, good night Dr. Gates.'
The bottom line, which the media refueses to acknowledge, is that once the officer received the necessary proof of home ownership it should have been a wrap but the officer had as "i'm the boss black man" issue to prove which is why he asked Professor Gates to step outside [we all know he could not have arrested Profesor Gates in his own home becasue he didn't like what was being said to him which is why he asked Professor Gates to step outside].
CNN obviously has the same police attitude when it comes to police and African American & Latinos – the police in America are "the boss black people/latino people" – stay in your place or go to jail.
Had Mr. Gates presented his ID when requested, this would have been solved. Wonder what would have happened if the police officer was black? Probably nothing.
Yes and the truth is revealed now the only thing that needs to be done is to convence Roland Martin that gates was in the wrong . good luck with that.
Has CNN made an editorial decision to only present what Colin Powell said about Gates as there has been no airing of his comments he made about Crowley's actions on air this morning?
Semective presentation of the interview is not NEWS but Bias.
I was very impressed at how Colin Powell presented this incident and how he was able to express this from an African – American perspective. I am not saying I agree with Professor Gates behavior, but I can understand his feelings in this awkward situation and his being weary from his travels alot better after Colin Powell shed some light on the situation from a human standpoint. Hopefully Thursday we will see some positive reinforcements from this incident and move on.
Well, it was good that Powell finally said Gates was wrong but he should have added Obama to the list.