Simply reverse the situation, if two white guys would have been in that building when the police arrived would the situation have turned out the way it did ? If not then race was a factor, either on the part of the police or by mr. Gates himself.

Crowley seems dodgy and Gates seems a bit too eager to blow this up using it as a platform. I don't have much respect for either attitude.

After all the police was checking up to see if Gates wasn't about to lose a part of his property. Once you start asking police for their badge numbers you are effectively escalating the confrontation, which puts you in the drivers seat. You then also should take part responsibility for the consequences of that.

This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion.