Officer Crowley Had Previous Bias Complaints

UPDATE-August 20, 2009: The officer who touched off a national firestorm when he arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates in his home last month was twice before accused of racial bias, but cleared in both cases, according to internal affairs files released Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

Of the eight citizen complaints filed against Crowley during his 11 years on the force, two involved Black males alleging racial bias, according to the records. He was cleared in all eight cases. 

In a 1999 complaint, two Black men in a car whose driver was ticketed for offenses including driving the wrong way down a one-way street said Crowley referred to a passenger as a "homeboy."

In a second incident, another Black driver complained in 2003 after he and a friend were detained by Crowley and other officers because they supposedly resembled suspects in a video store robbery.

The other complaints included allegations that Crowley was rude to motorists he ticketed.

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Gates Not Done Talking About Incident

UPDATE-August 3, 2009: Looks like professor Henry Louis Gates is still speaking about his arrest for disorderly conduct a few weeks back that has caused the nation to think long and hard about the issue of race. Gates appeared at the Martha's Vineyard Book Festival on August 2 in Chilmark where he disclosed that he received so many death threats after the incident in his Cambridge home that he had to change his cell phone number and his email, according to CapeCodToday.com.

Gates said that at first, "Everyone looked like a deer caught in headlights," about his meeting with Sgt. James Crowley, President Obama and Vice President Biden last week, but after he reached out to shake Crowley's hand, things calmed down considerably. Gates admitted that he and Crowley may even take in a Boston Red Sox or Celtics game. He also joked that he might help get his kids into Harvard.

Gates was at the festival to support his 2009 book, "In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past."

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Crowley Speaks Out on Beer Summit

UPDATE-July 31, 2009: Sgt. James Crowley is talking about his meeting yesterday with President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Professor Henry Louis Gates saying that it was productive and that the two men will meet again, on their own, according to CNN.com. While he wouldn't divulge specifics about the conversation, Crowley did admit that no one apologized and he was interested in learning more about Gates' point of view.

The four men met in the Rose Garden at a picnic table, munching on snacks and drinking selected brews of beers. The President drank a Bud Light, Vice President Biden drank Buckler (a nonalcoholic beer), Gates drank Samuel Adams Light and Crowley drank Blue Moon. Both men departed the White House thanking the President for hosting the meeting but also agreeing that they would both like to move on from this experience.-WLW

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Beer Summitt 2009

UPDATE-July 30, 2009: Over a couple of brews, President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge, MA Sgt. James Crowley sat down in the Rose Garden at the White House today chatting about the incident that brought them to this moment, according to CNN.com. While chomping on peanuts and pretzels, we can only assume that the men spoke about the July 16 incident when Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct outside of his home by Crowley. Reporters were not allowed to ask questions but were told that the men brought their families along and had a tour of the White House prior to the sit down discussion.

Dubbed the "Beer Summit" President Obama commented earlier in the day that it was going to be a much more casual meeting, where the two men could finally communicate their feelings and share their differences.

"I am thankful to Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation," said President Obama. "Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them. I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode."