Professor Gates Says Yes to Beer With Sergeant Crowley
In a statement made to The Root, Professor Gates agrees to meet Sergeant Crowley and President Obamafor a beer at the Whitehouse.
Obama extended the invitation Friday, two days after saying the police had “acted stupidly” last week in hauling Professor Gates from his home in handcuffs. Mr. Obama said he still considered the arrest “an overreaction,” but added that “Professor Gates probably overreacted as well.”
The President acknowledged that his own comments had inflamed tensions and insisted he had not meant to malign the arresting officer.
“I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up,” the president said in an appearance in the White House briefing room. “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 Sergeant Crowley specifically, and I could have calibrated those words differently.”
The invitation was extended first to Sgt. Crowley then to Professor Gates, who responded in an e-mail message that he was “pleased to accept his invitation.”
It will definitely be a tasty way to diffuse tensions – cheers!
