A very private 'teachable moment'
After sharing beers on the Rose Garden patio this evening , there was no final resolution to the confrontation between Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley that turned into a national racial issue.
But President Obama, Crowley, and Gates's lawyer, while declining to divulge details of the private talks, said there had been progress through a cordial, frank discussion.
“I am thankful to Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation," the president said in a statement. "Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them. I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart.I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode.”
Crowley said afterwards that all agreed to look forward, not dwell on the incident July 16 in which he arrested Gates while investigating a break-in at the professor's Cambridge home. The disorderly conduct charge was later dropped.
"Two gentlemen agreed to disagree," Crowley told reporters at AFL-CIO headquarters. "This was a positive step in moving forward," not only for Cambridge, but the nation.
Read entire article at Boston Globe
But President Obama, Crowley, and Gates's lawyer, while declining to divulge details of the private talks, said there had been progress through a cordial, frank discussion.
“I am thankful to Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation," the president said in a statement. "Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them. I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart.I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode.”
Crowley said afterwards that all agreed to look forward, not dwell on the incident July 16 in which he arrested Gates while investigating a break-in at the professor's Cambridge home. The disorderly conduct charge was later dropped.
"Two gentlemen agreed to disagree," Crowley told reporters at AFL-CIO headquarters. "This was a positive step in moving forward," not only for Cambridge, but the nation.