Hoping to defuse the racial tensions from his comment that police had “acted stupidly” in the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., President Barack Obama has invited Gates and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., police to a “beer summit” today at the White House.
On July 16, Gates returned from an overseas trip to find his door jammed. He attempted to force it open with the help of 
the taxi driver and it was then that neighbor Lucia Whalen called 911 and reported a possible break-in. When the police arrived Gates had already went through the back door and was inside on the phone. After Crowley asked for identification to prove it was his house, police said Gates accused the Sgt. of racial bias, flew into a verbal rage, and refused to calm down. He was later arrested for disorderly conduct for protesting the policeman’s actions. Although the charge was later dropped, Gates demanded a public apology, sparking national debate by calling his arrest a case of racial profiling.
Obama’s ill-chosen words at a news conference only inflamed the issue further. He later acknowledged he should have been more diplomatic and invited the black professor and the white policeman to a “beer summit,” to be held at a picnic table near the Oval Office, in an effort to quiet the furor and move past the emotionally charged event.
Both men report looking forward to sitting down for a beer with the President and are contesting claims that this will be a mediation session for apologies. However, Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, an attorney for Gates, said late Wednesday: “This will be an important opportunity for the moment to settle their dispute, but also create a springboard for a larger discussion about how law enforcement interacts with minority communities and how we can figure out a way to both enforce the law but also protect civil liberties and civil rights of our citizens.”
What’s on tap? The President will be enjoying Bud Light, Gates will be drinking Red Stripe, and Crowley will be having Blue Moon.
Wouldn’t you know it: U.S. beer companies are upset that the summit will not consist of only American beer.
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