The Professor and the Cop

The Boston GLobe reported this morning that,"Sergeant James Crowley, the Cambridge police officer who ignited a national debate on racial profiling when he arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home, can be heard on a recording of radio transmissions to his dispatcher during the incident describing Gates as "uncooperative" and asking her to keep sending backup ."

Now that the tapes of the 911 call to the Police and the subsequent recording of the officers call for backup its clear to me that the only one in that group (including the woman who placed the 911 call) who played the "race" card was the professor. I think it must also be clear to his Harvard compatriots that the good professor, swollen with self importance, lost his cool and became belligerent to the cop. The teaching lesson to be learned in all this in my opinion, is that even Harvard professors need to cooperate with authorities when confronted.

I am sure that the country will soon witness a televised "group hug" between Gates, Obama and the Cop. I am hoping that Gates will admit he "lost it" and apologize. But
now that he is a media darling I am afraid that his view of himself will be too bloated with self importance and it wont happen.