Jul 23, 2009 7:40 am US/Eastern
Obama Says Police Acted 'Stupidly' In Gates Arrest
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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President Barack Obama answers a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House July 22, 2009.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Henry Louis Gates Jr. mug shot from Cambridge Police.
Cambridge Police/WBZ
President Barack Obama said Cambridge police acted "stupidly" in the arrest of prominent
black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in Cambridge last week. The comments came in response to a reporter question at the end of a primetime news conference on health care reform Wednesday night.
Obama started off by making it clear that Gates is a friend of his, "so I may be a little biased here." The president said he doesn't know all the facts about the arrest last week, and does not know what role race played, "but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be angry, and two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof they were in their own home," Obama said.
"And number three, there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. And that's just a fact."
Watch: Obama's full response to Gates' arrest
Gates was arrested outside his own home for disorderly conduct, after showing ID to police who responded to a report of a possible break-in.
During Wednesday's
prime-time news conference, Obama said he's a testament to the progress minorities have made.
But he said Gates' arrest in his own home is a reminder that racism "still haunts us."
"The President made it clear that this is a situation any homeowner would be troubled by," Gates' attorney, Charles Ogletree Jr., said.
"I think what he called for is exactly what I'm calling for -– a dialog between Cambridge police, the community and professor Gates to address these issues. It's a very uplifting comment in the hour-long press conference tonight."
"I think this is a great time for all of us to sit down, put aside our differences and make a big difference in making Cambridge, Massachusetts and the country more willing to talk about these issues," he added.
WBZ political analyst Jon Keller said the President's remark is one he may come to regret.
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(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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