http://www.thesmokinggun.com/
and listened to the 911 call.
http://www.tmz.com/2009/07/27/
Crowley does not write that the 911 call indicated the men were "black." What is there for him to gain by writing that a witness told him Gates was "black" if it wasn't true (or at least if that's what he thought was said) and how does that make him racist? In the report he also states that as he approached the door he heard a voice and observed a "white" female. It's impossible for anyone to know what was the conversation between the caller/witness and Crowley or what was in the officer's head at the time of the arrest.
It's possible I'm wrong. At the same time, I don't believe racism is what provoked the arrest to actually occur. In fact, after reading the report, I'm less inclined to think that than before and not because of Crowley's description of the event (i.e. Gates yelling). I write that because he made the arrest even though there were numerous witnesses and, in this day and age, he probably (again, this is opinion) knew that this could create controversy. I look at it as officers doing what we, through our politicians, have empowered them to do in our age of 3 strikes and drug arrests. Police are now feared rather than looked on as friends. They have to keep up that image. There was a recent arrest of the Berwyn Heights, MD mayor whose skin color is light. His dogs were shot, which, btw, resulted in little national press. This crap happens to people of all color.
Race relations will not improve until events of this type no longer devolve immediately into racial discussions. When people whose skin color is X are accused of something and they are immediately defended by people whose skin color is X, simply because their skin color is X, more polarization is created. Let's look at facts and get the emotion out of it.
