president obama" Here I’d get shot.” the Cambridge police acted stupidly " arrest of Henry Louis Gates, the Harvard professor,

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times The news conference on Wednesday night is the president’s fifth in total and fourth held in prime-time.

It’s Over | 9:03 p.m. We’ll be back shortly with a wrap.

The Gates Incident | 9:02 p.m. From Peter Baker: This one from Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times on the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, the Harvard professor, for disorderly conduct at his own home. Rather than ducking, Mr. Obama took it head on, noting that “I may be a little biased” because he is friends with Mr. Gates but condemning the police in Cambridge, Mass.

He said: “I think it’s fair to say, No. 1, any of us would be pretty angry. No. 2, the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. And No. 3, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by police disproportionately. That’s just a fact.”

He also employed the only humor of the night when he tried to picture himself in the same position. What if he were seen trying to force the door of his own home? “I guess this is my house now,” he said, “so it probably wouldn’t happen.” Then after a beat, he added jokingly: “Here I’d get shot.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/live-blogging-obamas-news-conference/?hp [1]

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