Let’s talk, don’t argue

The arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., a black Harvard scholar, at his home in Cambridge recently has caused a flurry of media coverage and countless stories about race relations, racial profiling and police jumping to conclusions.

According to the Associated Press, Gates was arrested last week by Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., police department, who is white, after a caller telephoned 911 and reported an apparent burglary. Gates, who had been trying to get into his own home, was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge, quickly dropped by Cambridge police.

The case really went nationwide when President Barack Obama said the police “acted stupidly.”

However, the police were doing their job when they responded to the call of a possible break-in.

It seems Gates was a little taken aback by their actions, and shared some words that the policemen didn’t care for.

Both parties should have let it go at that. Instead hard-headedness was responded to with hard-headedness, and Gates was arrested.

We feel both parties could have done a better job of communicating.

It’s a bad policy to argue with police. Even if they might be wrong.