Bud Light, Red Stripe Beer & a Blue Moon Beer for Race Relations

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | July 30, 2009 at 02:40 am

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Today, at 6pm EDT, President Obama will welcome Harvard Professor Heny Louis Gates Jr and Sergeant Jame Crowley to the White House. Sergeant Crowley arrested Gates earlier this month for disorderly conduct at his home.

During a press conference on Health Care Reform, President Obama commented that the police had acted stupidly during the incident. He made this statement even though he had acknowledged that he knew little about the incident.

The arrest of Professor Gates and the subsequent statement by President Obama created outrage on either side of the debate. The Cambridge Police Department stood behind Sergeant Crawley, including his African-American collegues.

President Obama, on his part, did some damage control and announced that he had phoned Sergeant Crawley, whom he called a good man, and had invited him for a beer at the White House. This get together was suggested by Sgt Crawley according to the White House Press Secretary and was also confirmed by President Obama during a Press Conference. Subsequently Professor Gates also accepted an invitation.

During a Press Conference discussing the Beer Summit this afternoon, President Obama stated that the idea of this meeting came about when Sergeant Crawley said "Maybe I can have a beer in the White House sometime. Obama said I think that could be arranged.

This evening the three men will sit around a picnic table at the White House lawn, outside the oval office.

The President will have Bud Light, Professor Gates Red Stripe (Jamaican beer) and Sergeant Crawley Blue Moon.

The occasion which has been advertised as the "Beer Summit" will occur at 6pm EDT today.

Perhaps if this cools of the incident, this approach will be used in future to settle other heated issues.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Thursday that none of the three planned to say anything about their meeting when reporters are allowed to join them during a brief photo opportunity.

"This is not an after action report," Gibbs said, adding that the White House "is not here to mediate any apologies."

The White House says both Gates and Crawley are bringing their families and both families will be given a tour of the White House.

President Obama will welcome a well-known scholar and the police officer who arrested him to the White House on Thursday, in an effort to put to an end the racially charged controversy caused by the arrest near Harvard University earlier this month.

Obama, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., police are scheduled to gather over beers at a picnic table outside the Oval Office, joined by their families. The White House hopes the meeting will transform a public relations misstep for the nation's first African American president into a "teachable moment" for improving the nation's race relations.

The meeting happened this evening in a sitdown aimed to chill racial tensions. Television coverage saw them sitting around a white round picnic table. Staff brought chilled mugs of beer.

The media was kept out of earshot so none of the conversation as overheard. Gates and Crawley appeared to be talking to each other amicably. Vice President Joe Biden was also attending.

Sgt Crawley, who agreed to talk to the press afterwards, said no one apologized, but that he hoped that this would move the issue forward and that America could move beyond that.

U.S. President Barack Obama hosted a meeting over beers on Thursday between a black Harvard scholar and the white police officer who arrested him this month in a sitdown aimed at calming racial tensions and nationwide debate sparked by the incident.

Television footage showed Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden sitting outdoors just after 6 p.m. ET at a picnic table at the White House with Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., police.

The four men were seen talking amicably as White House staffers brought them frosty mugs, but their conversation was out of earshot to reporters and photographers struggling to get shots of the meeting from a cordoned-off area. At one point, Gates nodded as Crawley spoke before the media was ushered away from the meeting.

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Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 05:36 on July 30th, 2009

Thank you for your comments QH

Rhonda J Mangus

at 05:58 on July 30th, 2009

I look forward to the outcome of this 'little gathering'! Keep us posted!

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:17 on July 30th, 2009

will do Rhonda:)

Karen Hatter

at 06:18 on July 30th, 2009

Actually, the suggested meeting for a beer between the involved parties, President Obama, Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley, emanated from Sgt. Crowley, as reported by the Associated Press.

Sgt. Crowley made the suggestion to President Obama when President Obama called him after his initial remarks at the news conference regarding the actions of the police.

The offer from Sgt. Crowley was revealed by President Obama during that press conference.

The President then passed on word to Professor Gates.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:18 on July 30th, 2009

Thanks for your comments and links Karen:)

Rhonda J Mangus

at 06:33 on July 30th, 2009

Thanks, Karen. I'm sure albertacowpoke will make the necessary correction. Nevertheless, it was President Obama who made the telephone call to Sgt. Crowley and evidently President Obama thinks Sgt. Crowley's suggestion is a good idea.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 07:10 on July 30th, 2009

Unfortunately, I don't have time to highlight this story, but it seems the 'Beer Summit' is the latest example of a well-worn genre: Racial Politics in the White House.

Uwe Paschen

at 07:24 on July 30th, 2009

It is a very good article Rhonda well worth the read.

Thank you.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 01:45 on July 31st, 2009

You are very welcome, Paschen!

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:22 on July 30th, 2009

Excellent article Rhonda, thank you:)

Rhonda J Mangus

at 01:45 on July 31st, 2009

You are very welcome, albertacowpoke!

158

at 09:22 on July 30th, 2009

This is more damage control rather than a serious meeting. Obama spoke before hearing the full story.

I do agree the police should not have arrested Gates.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 09:30 on July 30th, 2009

Thanks for your comments 158. I guess hindsight is always 20/20.

TannerJO

at 16:33 on July 30th, 2009

This is a great article and I think that President Obama is doing a good thing here. However..I'm honestly not happy with how big of a deal this is. I mean...Obama and a few other famous guys are having a few beers...sounds great, have a great time.

Now..why does America need to know about this...well so that we know how relations are with Obama and other high ranking Americans. Should it really be such a big story though? I mean come on people..I was at the beach a week ago watching the news...and was hearing about this. Now I'm hearing about it again....my lord!

cheers.