Jul 24, 2009 6:49 pm US/Eastern
Obama Calls Cambridge Police Sgt. Crowley
Obama Invites Crowley, Gates To White House
WASHINGTON (WBZ) ―
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President Barack Obama speaks at the press room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2009.
Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
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Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley speaks to WBZ Radio July 23, 2009.
WBZ
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Henry Louis Gates Jr. mug shot from Cambridge Police.
Cambridge Police/WBZ
President Barack Obama made a telephone call Friday to the white Cambridge police officer who arrested black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. last week.
Making a surprise and impromptu appearance at the daily White House briefing, the president says he believes the sergeant to be an outstanding police officer.
Watch: Obama's Surprise Announcement
Read: Transcript of his full statement
"My impression of him was that he was an outstanding police officer and a good man, and that was confirmed in the phone conversation."
The president said Friday that he continues to think both the officer, Sgt. James Crowley, and Gates overreacted during the incident -- but Obama also faulted his own comments.
"Because this has been ratcheting up, and I obviously helped to contribute to ratcheting it up, I want to make clear that – in my choice of words – I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically. I could have calibrated those words differently, and I told this to Sgt. Crowley," Obama said.
Gov. Deval Patrick, who has said Gates' arrest is "
every black man's nightmare,' said Friday he is encouraged by Obama's call to Crowley and is hopeful it will bring a resolution to this problem.
After calling Crowley, Obama made a phone call to Gates around 3:15 p.m. The White House press secretary said, "They had a positive discussion during which the President told Gates about his call with Sgt. Crowley and statement to the media."
Obama has also invited both Crowley and Gates to join him at the White House in the near future, the spokesperson said.
The President caused a stir when he said at a prime-time news conference earlier this week that Cambridge police had "acted stupidly" by arresting Gates.
Friday, Obama asked everybody to step back for a moment and "be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past, African Americans are sensitive to these issues.
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Even when you've got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the African American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding."
The president said he hopes this can become "a teachable moment" for the country.
In a lighter moment he revealed that he and Sgt. Crowley spoke about the possibility of gathering with Professor Gates, at the White House, for a beer. "We don't know if that's scheduled yet, but we may put that together."
Cambridge police Commissioner, who has stood behind Sgt. Crowley, released a statement Friday evening:
"Earlier today I had a conversation with Sgt. James Crowley. He was so pleased to have had the opportunity to speak with the president. The city manager, the mayor, the members of the police department, Sgt. Crowley and I remain optimistic that we are moving forward toward a resolution. We continue to reflect and learn from this incident. I wish to share our sincere appreciation to President Obama for his graciousness."
The Cambridge Police unions also released a statement about Obama's phone call:
"Sergeant James Crowley and President Barack Obama had a friendly and meaningful conversation this afternoon. Sergeant Crowley was profoundly grateful that the President took time out of his busy schedule to attempt to resolve this situation.
"It is clear to us from this conversation, that the President respects police officers and the often difficult and dangerous situations we face on a daily basis. We appreciate his sincere interest and willingness to reconsider his remarks about the Cambridge Police Department.
"The Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association, the Cambridge Police Patrol Officers Association, the Massachusetts Municipal Police Coalition, and particularly Sergeant Crowley, extend our special thanks to the citizens of Cambridge and across the country for their overwhelming support during this difficult time. We look forward to returning out attention to the important police work we do everyday."
Here are some excerpts from the president's press briefing:
AN OVERREACTION
"I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of him home to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well."
TWO GOOD PEOPLE
"My sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved."
VERY SENSTIVE ISSUES
"The fact that it has garnered so much attention, I think is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America."
CHOICE OF WORDS UNFORTUNATE
"To the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate but rather contributed to more media frenzy, I think that was unfortunate."
SENSITIVE TO THESE ISSUES
"What I'd like to do is make sure that everybody steps back for a moment, recognizes that these are two decent people, not extrapolate too much from the facts, but as I said at the press conference, be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past, African-Americans are sensitive to these issues."
'FRAUGHT WITH MISUNDERSTANDING'
"Even when you've got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the African-American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding."
A 'TEACHABLE MOMENT'
"My hope is that as a consequence of this event, this ends up being what's called a teachable moment, where all of us – instead of pumping up the volume – spend a little more time listening to each other."
ON STEPPING INTO LOCAL ISSUE
"There are some who say that as President I shouldn't have stepped into this at all because it's a local issue. I have to tell you that that part of it I disagree with. The fact that this has become such a big issue I think is indicative of the fact that race is still a troubling aspect of our society. Whether I were black or white, I think that me commenting on this and hopefully contributing to constructive -- as opposed to negative -- understandings about the issue, is part of my portfolio."
ON THE BOSTON PRESS
"He also did say he wanted to find out if there was a way of getting the press off his lawn. (Laughter.) I informed him that I can't get the press off my lawn. (Laughter.) He pointed out that my lawn is bigger than his lawn. (Laughter.) But if anybody has any connections to the Boston press, as well as national press, Sergeant Crowley would be happy for you to stop trampling his grass."
(© 2010 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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