By
Cat Viglienzoni - July
1, 2010
It's been almost a year since the controversial arrest of
Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his Cambridge home after a police
officer thought he was trying to break in, and a committee says both men are at
fault for the incident. The independent review panel said both Gates and
Sergeant James Crowley missed opportunities to alleviate the conflict.
Gates was arrested last July on disorderly conduct
charges after Crowley responded to a call about a possible break in. Gates and
a cab driver were trying to open the jammed door to Gates' home. The report
said both men were 'fearful' - Gates when an officer showed up at his home and
Crowley of a possible burglary - and the situation deteriorated 'within seconds'
after Crowley's arrival at the house.
The report said Crowley could have better explained why
he was at the house and Gates could have used a different tone. However, both
men told the review panel they would not have acted differently today.
The incident sparked a national debate on race, class,
and policing that even reached the White House. After offending Cambridge
police by saying they acted 'stupidly' in arresting Gates, President Obama backtracked
and said he used a poor choice of words. He then invited both Gates and Crowley
to the White House for a 'beer summit' with himself and Vice President Joe
Biden to try to resolve the conflict.
Cambridge Review Committee chairman and executive
director of the police executive research forum Charles Wexler said though
race, class, and police authority cannot be taken off the table, the incident
was more about the relationship the two men had during the encounter.
"The committee believes if Sergeant Crowley and Professor
Gates had been able make their positions understood and had made greater
efforts to deescalate the tensions of the encounter, the incident could have
been resolved quickly and peacefully," he said.
Cambridge police chief Robert Haas said Crowley responded
in accordance with his training and the incident highlights the need for
alternatives.
"There has got to be other ways that we can deal with
these kinds of situations," he said.
The 12-member panel included law enforcement officials,
community members and race relations and conflict resolution experts. The panel
was called upon last September to review the incident and make recommendations to
the police on issues of race and police authority.
(Photos courtesy: AP Images)
