President Obama ‘Stupidly’ remark at last night's Press Conference disappoints Cambridge's Sergeant

Story by MSNBC.com
Editing, via respectfully adding 'President' in front of 'Obama', by Kirk Tanter

NATICK, Mass. - A white police sergeant James Crowley (AP photo left) who arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. says he's disappointed President Barack Obama said police acted "stupidly" without knowing all the facts.

Sgt. James Crowley responded to Gates' home near Harvard University last week to investigate a report of a burglary and demanded Gates show him identification. Police say Gates at first refused and accused the officer of racism.

Gates was charged with disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped Tuesday, and Gates has since demanded an apology from Crowley.

In an interview on WEEI on Thursday morning, Crowley said it was "disappointing that he waded into what should be a local issue."

President Obama, during a prime-time news conference Wednesday, said he didn't know what role race played in the incident but added that police in Cambridge, a city outside Boston, "acted stupidly" in arresting Gates even after he offered proof that he was in his own home.

"I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry," the President said. "Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. And number three — what I think we know separate and apart from this incident — is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact."

President Obama said Gates' arrest was a reminder that the race issue "still haunts us" and that federal officials need to continue working with local law enforcement "to improve policing techniques so that we're eliminating potential bias."

'There will be no apology'

Crowley said he's grateful he has the support of his police force. He said he's not worried about any possible disciplinary action.

"There will be no apology," he said outside his home Wednesday.

The Boston Herald reported that Crowley gave dying Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in 1993. The 27-year-old forward suffered a fatal heart attack during an off-season practice at Brandeis University, where Crowley was a campus police officer.

"I wasn't working on Reggie Lewis the basketball star," Crowley told the newspaper. "I wasn't working on a black man. I was working on another human being."

Crowley, 42, said he harbored no "ill feelings toward the professor."

The Boston Herald reported that Crowley is an 11-year veteran of the force who oversees the evidence room, paid details and records unit. He also coaches youth basketball, baseball and softball.

In a statement expressing its "full and unqualified support" for Crowley, the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association called him a "highly respected veteran supervisor with a distinguished record", the newspaper said.

But there was plenty of blame being spread around by the public, through talk shows, blogs, newspaper online forums and watercooler chats. Even the hosts of a sports radio show in Boston spent much of Wednesday morning faulting Gates.

Gov. Deval Patrick, who is black, said he was troubled and upset over the incident. Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, who also is black, has said she spoke with Gates and apologized on behalf of the city, and a statement from the city called the July 16 incident "regrettable and unfortunate."