"Being obnoxious is not a crime.", of course, the author is referring to the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. a Harvard professor of African history. Gates was arrested on counts of disorderly conduct. Gates had just returned from China after filming a PBS documentary, to find his front door jammed. His taxis driver , also an African American took a crowbar from his trunk and helped him pry the door open. This was all seen by the watchful eyes of a little old lady, who proceeded to report to the authorities that 2 black men had broken into her neighbor's house, never taking the time to notice that it was her neighbor trying to force the door open, not a burglar in a ski mask. She calls the police, officer Crowley arrives on the scene, this is where the controversy starts.

"A police officer who’s proud of his reputation for getting along with black officers, and for teaching cadets to avoid racial profiling, feels

maligned to be cast as a racist white Boston cop.

A famous professor who studies identity and summers in Martha’s Vineyard feels maligned to be cast as a black burglar with backpack and crowbar."

Officer Crowley sees 2 black men trying to force a door open, Henry Gates Jr sees a white officer approaching him, this sparks a clash of egos. Gates proclaimed Crowley was “gruff , unsolicitous and made my the hair on my neck stood up.” While Crowley said that gates acted “put off” and “agitated.”

Gates, being a calm headed individual, explained that this was his home and that his front door was jammed, Crowley wanted to see some identification, Gates flashed his Harvard idea, Crowley looked at it, gave it back and asked for his drivers license. Gates insisted that the His Harvard idea was enough and that crowley was suspecting him because he was black, the two began to bicker, it ended up with Crowley arresting gates for disorderly conduct.

“There’s a fine line between disorderly conduct and freedom of speech. It can get tough out there, but I tell my officers, ‘Don’t make matters worse by throwing handcuffs on someone. Bite your tongue and just leave.’ ” Quotes the author, it seems to me that the author is more or less sided with gates, streghten by the quote

"But the strong guy with the gun has more control than the weak guy with the cane. An officer who teaches racial sensitivity should not have latched on to a technicality about neighbors — who seemed to be outnumbered by cops — getting “alarmed” by Gates’s “outburst.”

It seems that there wouldn't be a problem if gates was a bit more humble and had just shown his Drivers License.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/opinion/26dowd.html?ref=opinion