Gates Sends Flowers, Note to Woman Who Called 911

Source: ABC News

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. has sent flowers and a note to the woman who unwittingly sparked a national debate on race by calling police to report what she thought might be a break-in at Gates' home.

Wendy Murphy, the lawyer for Lucia Whalen, called the flowers a "gesture of gratitude." She declined to say what was in the accompanying note.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=8226701

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Very nice gesture.

A scholar and a gentleman

the woman who saw them there, and got Ms. Whalen to place the 911 call.

THAT would be an interesting conversation.....................

a neighbor. She lives about 6 blocks away and was out for her daily walk.

I had read that she was a neighbor, having just moved into the neighborhood only a few months ago, and wasn't comfortable making the call herself. That was the explanation given for why she didn't know her neighbors.

Just goes to show you that news coverage can be all over the place.

I wonder what's the truth. I do know that Ms. Whalen was on her lunch break, taking a walk. I wonder if the stories got mixed up...............................

circle of family and friends..we give thank yous and flowers to show our appreciation..it makes us feel good too.

it's a lovely thing, but unless it's expressed, in words, in song, in flowers, in something concrete, the recipient never knows.

I have gotten some wonderful gifts from clients, above and beyond my fees, because they were so relieved. Sometimes just doing the right thing makes a huge difference in someone else's life, and those acts deserve to be noted with flowers, or food, or song, or chocolates, or skywriting, or a nice apple tree planted in someone's honor....................

This is the same guy that kicked their asses in the election. Mr Gates has played his part well too.
:applause::applause:

comments like yours.

And Obama didn't completely shut down anything. Believe me, it made a lasting impression that he'd better keep in mind henceforth.

So stop it.

I probably need therapy, but I can't afford it because I have no insurance.

wisdom.

I appreciate your good wishes, and would like to offer you the same. At 64 I reckon I'm "mature" enough, but you can never get enough wisdom.

Caucasians collectively benefit from racism in the system and comments like yours perpetuate it.

Is that what Glenn Beck says?

lol

Wow. I like Obama too, but to give him credit for something that never happened is a bit much, don't you think?

Using the most simple argument against your "how quickly and completely Obama shut down the reverse bigotry 'attack,' why am I still hearing about it? Please, if you can quantify how much we both like Obama and how much you apparently like him more than I do, too, would you please demonstrate how he completely shut it down?

The credit you give Obama for this incident is no different than claiming that his passage of the stimulus has quickly and completely restored the economy. The fact is that he put his foot in his mouth by stating his opinion after he admitted he didn't have all the facts, a whole lot of people (and not just police unions which supported him) took umbrage, he set up a transparent little photo op with the two guys and made Biden sit in to make it two blacks and two whites, and that's that. He didn't "quickly and completely" shut down anything and I defy you to prove otherwise.

Edited, typo in subject line

If you want to demand quantitative measures, it seems to me you ought to be able to produce some that support your own view. It is always so much easier to demand that your interlocutors provide proof than to do it yourself. If you are pissed off with Obama, that's your right, but it is not a "fact" except in the narrowest sense. You don't know what the eventual result of the Gates fandango is, and neither do I, nor does anyone else at all, and I can speculate about his motives and intentions quite as well as you or anyone else.

and then said you like Obama more than I do. The second was obviously opinion but I was going to take you to task for it because I don't think liking Obama means having to approve of anything and everything he does (as so many on DU do), but the first didn't look like you thought it was opinion. Sorry, but when I saw it I was a bit shocked. I've seen people credit Obama for a lot of things he doesn't deserve, but yours was pretty near the top of the list.

You think this is physics or something? You are free to disagree with me. The issues may never be truly resolved.

I compare Obama with those who went before him. It's true that it's been a sorry story for the most part since WWII, so it's easy for him to look good by comparison. It's true that it is much too early to try to reach some sort of definitive opinion about him.

And it is true that I am speculating, trying to make sense of what I see, same as you.

I cannot, to be frank, imagine any previous President that I have observed doing what he did in this case. I notice that Mr Gates immediately and wholeheartedly went along with President Obama's initiatives. I am inclined to accept their judgement, pending further events.

Anyway, since we're on this, could you explain "I notice that Mr Gates immediately and wholeheartedly went along with President Obama's initiatives?" I don't know what was said at the table, or if you're even referring to that. Are you referring to his willingness to meet Crowley?

Also, I'm not even sure what judgment you refer to with your last sentence.

This is not me being a smartass or anything, I simply and honestly don't know what you're referring to.

"Are you referring to his willingness to meet Crowley?" Yes, willingness to do that, apparently to give up an appetizing and lucrative lawsuit, that sort of thing. Mr Gates is not someone I would ordinarily expect to be Mary Poppins when it comes to race issues.

Their judgement that it was better to take a non-confrontational approach is what I meant. That appears to me to be characteristic of Obama, it might be a possible weakness even, time will tell.

Let's agree to keep a sharp eye on it. I don't really want to fight with you either, I'm pretty sure we are on the same side.

I just don't think anything has been really accomplished yet. I hope your optimism turns out to be justified.

:sarcasm:

Officer Barrett may sound like a racist but that is the furthest thing from the truth. He was commenting on the INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR of a professional who publicly said he got in a cops face and he would do it again! If Gates was white and Officer Barrett said he acted like a monkey would anyone care??? As far as I know Yvonne Abraham is a white woman and Officer Barrett also refrenced her writing as monkey jibberish...Officer Barrett expressed himself in an inappropriate way but has never acted in a racist way. This has more to do with politics and elitism than race or freedom of speach. Everyone makes mistakes and says things they don't mean...give Officer Barrett a break..if you knew him you'd be ashamed of yourself for judging him!!

I know it's gross, I'm just saying.