Of course, now people are complaining about the officer being a jerk. Flying off the handle against the officer impedes his ability to do his job because he would have to wonder if the situation is escalating. Since he, initially, was by himself, it becomes a matter of self-protection and that is why some officers may immediately handcuff a person that concerns them, even if the officer is not sure what is going on.

By all accounts, the officer was being respectful while Gates was not, yet this article complains about the officer and the police.

Of course, if Gates was white, this would never be brought up even if the exact same thing happened in the exact same way.