Prof. Gates, Sgt. Crowley, and a beer with President Obama

(Originally published on Examiner.com)

So much has been reported about the confrontation between Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley, that tonight's (6:00 PM EDT) meeting for a beer with the president will be as widely covered as any White House summit in recent times. From the moment President Obama said that the Cambridge Police "acted stupidly," the story's rather long legs grew a few inches. Now the story is getting more air time than health care reform, and just about everything else.

The fascination with the arrest of Gates is not surprising. First the question of race became the focus. Was Gates arrested and singled out because he is black? Much evidence now seems to point to other factors, as well. The initial caller to 9-1-1 does not mention race until the dispatcher asks her for a description of the men she thought might be breaking into her neighbor's home. Her response, that one might be "Hispanic" would seem to indicate her focus was on the act, not the race of the individuals.

The fact that Sgt. Crowley arrested Prof. Gates after he knew who he was, and that he was in his own house, indicates something about the confrontation between the two men--a power struggle--led the police officer to act the way he did. Among interesting comments about why things devolved so fast are those suggesting that testosterone fueled male power struggles are more likely to end in such confrontations. On one side, the world renowned Harvard scholar, on the other, a working police officer who felt he was just doing his job; clearly, neither felt he was getting the respect he deserved.

Perhaps President Obama will find some common ground and all of us will learn valuable lessons from this latest story. A certain cliche comes to mind, "it takes two to tango." It seems that both Gates and Crowley began their destructive dance and neither knew when to back off. Ultimately, Crowley had the power during the moments of the confrontation--the power of arrest, the strength of other officers on the scene, and the authority to do what he did, or to walk away. Race inevitably became part of the story, by the very nature of who was involved.

The president wisely reached out in an effort to turn things around. The news coverage has actually helped set the stage for tonight's "Summit with Suds." The country will be watching to see how the participants characterize the meeting, in much the same way diplomatic summits use code words and language to convey meaning. The aftermath of tonight's meeting will generate its own coverage. Perhaps, too, a little good will may emerge.