As many of you might recall from the Chris Rock thread, I have no tolerance for police who abuse or over-exert their authority. In this case, I've seen no evidence that the officer provoked this situation.
For one, the officer was dispatched to the scene for a possible crime in progress. This would legally give him access to the home under probable cause and to detain those found within the home until their identity was verified. The prof clearly obstructed the officer in this legal duty.
Now you would think that a Harvard prof would be smart enough to figure out that the police were at the residence for the purpose of protecting Gates' property and personal safety. Failing that simple understanding, Gates insisted on following the officers outside, in the public domain, to continue his verbally abusive and very public tirade, obviously creating a public disturbance for which he was arrested.
Take note also that there was no tazing or other use of force, excessive or otherwise. This leads me to believe that the officer was not excersizing his ego or authority but rather enforcing the public disturbance laws in force in that place at that time.
Personally, I fail to see any action on the part of the officer that might indicate a racial bias. The officer was sent to that residence to identify any persons there and to ensure the safety and property of the residence's owner. It seems that the only person who doesn't see the benefit of that policy is the home owner.
Also, personally, I fail to see the interest of POTUS in this situation. It is a municipal issue and if there are suspected to be genuine evidence of racial profiling involved, there is a federal agency in place to investigate and prosecute such actions. In fact, and take note here, if Obama's office pressured or threatened the DA to drop the charges because of his personal connection to Gates, it could be considered an obstruction of justice or influence peddling for which Obama could be charged, convicted and impeached.
