Black Officer Who Witnessed Gates' Arrest Speaks Out

Somewhere on the blogosphere yesterday I saw an item that referred to the photo of Henry Louis Gates' arrest and noted the black police officer in the picture. That blogger was questioning why we hadn't heard anything from him yet.

Well, today he has spoken out:

A black police officer who was at Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s home when the black Harvard scholar

was arrested says he fully supports how his white fellow officer handled the situation.

Sgt. Leon Lashley says Gates was probably tired and surprised when Sgt. James Crowley demanded identification from him as officers investigated a report of a burglary. Lashley says Gates' reaction to Crowley was "a little bit stranger than it should have been."

Asked if Gates should have been arrested, Lashley said supported Crowley "100 percent."

Gates has said he was the victim of racial profiling.

President Barack Obama says the officers "acted stupidly." Lashley called Obama's remark "unfortunate" and said he should be allowed to take it back.

Nobody's stopping Obama from taking it back except Obama.

Yesterday, in an effort at damage control and to try and turn the attention back to health care, Obama phoned the white officer involved in the arrest. Perhaps he should call Sgt. Lashley too...and then every other officer he insulted on the Cambridge police department.

If he hoped to make this all go away with a phone call, so far it's not happening.