Obama: Race Issue Still Sensitive In America

I wanted to address you guys directly because over the last day and a half obviously there's been all sorts of controversy around the incident that happened in Cambridge with Professor Gates and the police department there.

I actually just had a conversation with Sergeant Jim Crowley, the officer involved. And I have to tell you that as I said yesterday, my impression of him was that he was a outstanding police officer and a good man, and that was confirmed in the phone conversation -- and I told him that.

And because this has been ratcheting up -- and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up -- 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. And I told this to Sergeant Crowley.

I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well. My sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved.

The fact that it has garnered so much attention I think is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America. So to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate, but rather contributed to more media frenzy, I think that was unfortunate.

What I'd like to do then I make sure that everybody steps back for a moment, recognizes that these are two decent people, not extrapolate too much from the facts -- but as I said at the press conference, be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past, you know, African Americans are sensitive to these issues. And even when you've got a police officer who has a fine ...

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News & Politics

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• Obama
• Professor
• Gates
• Cambridge
• Police
• Sergeant
• Jim
• Crowley
• JimCrowley
• HenryLouisGates
• HenryGates

[Anthonymon177]

I bet at least 1 out of every 5 people would get offended if I called someone from Japan "Asian."

[mcdaniel01]

it's funny that he would say this when 66% of his vote came from whites ! But not mine of course! ok let me explain the white people feel this way towards blacks is ? they think that all whites owe them its because they dont have any understanding of history ! only 3% of the country had enough money to own a slave the rest were white share cropers! 1500.00 - 2000.00 dollars for a slave thats like 200,000.00 in todays time go back and look for yourself very few whites had this kinda money either

[DJFresh916]

some people jus swear their race is the best...but when really were all the same GO OBAMA

[Bladen12345]

Racism is so dumb.

I remember back in Primary School. There was no such thing as racism. Kids were kids. Skin colors were just merely colors.

Our forefathers were idiots.

[Skyman46]

These are the facts...you're a moronic piece of shit...now you have the facts that you nutcases speak of..facts, facts, facts...idiots.

[scbluesman13]

Any racial group can be *prejudiced*. Many are - blacks, whites, asians, hispanic. In public discourse we often mistake racism for prejudice. *Racism* is a cultural dynamic that is employed by a dominant racial group upon a subordinate one. It goes beyond just prejudice - it is an economic, psychological, and cultural leveraging of power to force another racial group to collectively submit their will. This is why it is ridiculous to watch white men say that blacks or hispanics are racist.

[PASSIONTEE]

Now tell me, why is it, when whites commits crimes, and runs from police at the same rates as blacks we are the mojority when it comes to mortality by the hands of the police? Its imposible for a black man to be a rasist, if we are agaist something its because of what have been done to us, what have we done to whites that they have hate towards us, NOTHING. Thats why blacks can't be racist.

[PASSIONTEE]

The same day this happened a young african teen in Miami was shot by cops 7 times in his back trying to run from police. Whites would never understand the daily dealing with blacks and police officers in this country. Ask yourself, why is it mostly black men are the ones being shot and beaten by the cops and we are a minority based on amount of whites in this country. For every 30 blacks killed by the police 1 white may have been shoot .

[dmelt]

Did he change the Teleprompter for the Ear Piece?

Ummmm...Ahhhhhhhhhh....Aaaaaaa­aaaaaannnd....ummmmmmmmmmmmm..­..ahhhhhhhh. ahhhhhhhh.  umm.

[echotalon]

Obama you are the racist, you condemned someone without knowing the facts, now STFU you piece of shit!