This is what I love about Colin Powell, are truely level headed man. He agrees that both men could have acted differently.....

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Colin Powell on Larry King
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has a good point when asked about the incident between Cambridge police and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates. He said in an interview with CNN's Larry King "both have to be blamed."

KING: You're saying Gates was wrong?

POWELL: I'm saying that Skip, perhaps in this instance, might have waited a while, come outside, talked to the officer, and that might have been the end of it. I think he should have reflected on whether or not this was the time to make that big a deal. But, he's just home from China, just home from New York. All he wanted to do was get to bed.

His door was jammed. And so he was in a mood where...

KING: What about those who say he brings the whole history into that body of a black movement?

POWELL: That may well be the case. But I still think that it might well have been resolved in a different manner if we didn't have this verbal altercation between the two of them.

So, my first teaching point for young people, especially, not for Dr. Gates, that the young people, especially, is, when the police are looking into something, and if you're involved in it in one way or another, cooperate. Don't make the situation more difficult. And I think in this case, the situation was made more difficult.

And you could part on the part of the Cambridge Police Department. Once they felt they had to bring Dr. Gates out of the house and to handcuff him, I would have thought at that point some adult supervision would have stepped in and said, OK, look, it is his house. Come on, let's not take this any further. Take the handcuffs off. Goodnight, Dr. Gates.

I don't get that paragraph.....he wants to teach young people to cooperate with police but that does not apply to Professor Gates????

Obviously, Professor Gates hasn't learned that lesson.

He said it 'does' apply to Gates, he also said that anger is basically unproductive, controlled anger is productive. Gates should have gotten grip on himself and cooperated then dealt with his anger in a more productive way.

Basically that both could have changed the outcome by changing their minds.

so far I have seen a lot of the scene but have yet to hear or see how Gates acted. For me if he acted as the officer said, it still didn't warrant handcuffs and the arrest. One man's actions or choices does not reflect on the whole police department.

If Gates had just cooperated.. if the officer had just let the yelling roll off his back... if the media hadn't been looking for sensationalism and hadn't involved the president...

Everyone could have chosen another path which would have produced a more positive outcome.

my first teaching point for young people, especially, not for Dr. Gates,

????????

Not sure if you have already seen this, but here is the incident/arrest report on Gates:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html

Too bad Powell is too smart to run for president. I have seen him speak in person on several occasions. He's brilliant!

Yes, thank you I did see that. And I felt as I do now that all those concerned could have acted differently.

What is your point? I am not sure what it is your missing, that I have not covered? He did not let Gates off the hook, Gates was the reason he said that children need to learn to control their anger, cooperate, then act on you anger in a productive manner. The officers reaction was also a teaching point, he too could have been a chosen differently knowing the man was in his own home.

Typical, and telling.

I agree, he is brilliant and able to see things from more than one point of view, priceless.

So, my first teaching point for young people, especially, not for Dr. Gates, that the young people, especially, is, when the police are looking into something, and if you're involved in it in one way or another, cooperate.

The part in the above, "especially, not for Dr. Gates," .... Why say that????


If he includes Dr Gates in that, would that offend Gates??? Shouldn't that be a lesson for all people young and old as well as Dr. Gates....

oops.....copyrighted

Ah I see now what you are getting at. I don't know what he meant by that specifically because Larry tends to cut things off and I think it was in response to something Larry said. But the whole conversation made it clear that Gates should have taken responsibilty for his actions.

Does that offend Gates. It might but it's still true. Look, lets get real here, you have 2 men all in positions of authority butting heads, I don't know about you but I have seen that dynamic between guys and they don't always handle with grace.

All of a sudden one guy is acting more right than the other? I think not if the officer knew he was on his own property and still chose to arrest the guy.

I would wager if the same thing happened to the police officer he would be livid being arrested on his own property. This is being kept alive for political advantage, mostly.

Verbal abuse directed toward an officer could put that officer in danger....in a flash....it becomes physical sometimes...it has happened before...especially with famous athletes....I understand but I'll have to go with the officer on this one...from what I read.

I can not go with either one frankly. I agree that verbal abuse can escalate, but I expect that the officer who is supposedly trained can assess the level of danger. Especially in this case considering what the officer knew as time passed during the incident.

I am not willing to put it all on the officer any more than I am willing to put it all on Gates when we haven't seen exactly how he responded, we only have the officers take on it. Sorry but that isn't enough for me even though I have a lot of respect for good cops.

I have no doubt that Gates was irritated so I don't need much to know that they both could have done this differently and saved anyone from having to come their individual support.