Gates' Arresting Officer Too Controversial to Even Talk

When Sgt. James Crowley arrested Professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates for disorderly conduct in July, it's unlikely that Crowley foresaw what was to come: a nationwide debate over race relations that made even Mr. President lose his cool, and an ensuing "beer summit" at the White House that was meant to diffuse the tension surrounding the controversial incident. Though an October night at the bar seemed to indicate that Gates and Crowley have since kissed and made up, the brouhaha evidently has yet to subside.

According to a recent Boston Globe article, the cadets at the Randolph Regional Police Training Academy had invited Crowley to speak at their upcoming graduation ceremony in April. But according to Crowley's brother Daniel, the idea was vetoed by state officials at the request of Mass. Governor Deval L. Patrick '78 because Crowley would be too controversial.

But some are contradicting Daniel Crowley's story. Juan Martinez, the governor's spokesperson, said Deval had not been involved in the decision to reject Crowley, and Daniel Zivkovich, executive director of the Municipal Police Training Committee, stated that the academy had not extended an invitation to Crowley, though he had been mentioned as a possible speaker. Crowley declined to comment on the issue.

In any case, it seems like Crowley's summer run-in with Gates may be diminishing his opportunities at refining his oratory. Perhaps Harvard should give Crowley a ring. Now that would be an interesting Commencement.