American Morning
Harvard prof offers jokes about arrest
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) - In his first public appearance since the "Beer Summit" at the White House, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates joked about his controversial arrest last month in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and said he likes police Sgt. James Crowley.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/03/art.beer.summit.afp.gi.jpg caption="Sgt. James Crowley and professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. sit for beers with the president and vice president Thursday."]
"I offered to get his kids into Harvard if he doesn't arrest me anymore," Gates said.
Gates was speaking Sunday at the Martha's Vineyard Book Festival where he signed copies of his book, "In Search of our Roots."
The professor said he plans on meeting with Crowley again. "I offered for the two of us to have lunch together, one-on-one, or go to a Red Sox game, or a Celtics games, or maybe the families can get together for dinner. Why not?"
Gates had a face-to-face meeting and a beer with Crowley at the White House last week, a move orchestrated by President Obama in an attempt to diffuse racial tensions that had erupted following Gates' arrest. Gates called the president's gesture "brilliant."
Crowley arrested Gates on July 16 when the officer responded to a call of a possible home break-in at the Cambridge residence.
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Gate's is just trying to look good, he's just like most Phd's feels he is way above us common folks. An Crowley is a cop who doesn't know how to swallow his pride and do the right thing.
Just my ideas on the whole affair that sure doesn't deserve a beer at the White House.
the female host said that someone, via email, made a death threat against gates. in the video clip, gates says only that someone, via email, said he/gates should die. yeah, saying either is a major mistake; however, the female host was irresponsible/unprofessional to characterize it as a death threat. if there's more info, apart from the cnn video clip, that someone actually made a death threat, then, yeah, that's what the host said; however, all the tv/video clip audience gets to see, here, is the host misrepresenting the news.
Not every interaction with the police can end with a beer at the White House. Shem Walker, a New York war veteran, was shot in the head by an under cover police officer.