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Obama Says Police Acted 'Stupidly' In Gates Arrest

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Jul 22, 2009 11:30 pm US/Eastern

Obama Says Police Acted 'Stupidly' In Gates Arrest

BOSTON (CBS) ― President Barack Obama says police acted "stupidly" in the arrest of prominent black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Obama says he doesn't know all the facts about the arrest last week in Boston, "But, I think it's fair to say No. 1 -- any of us would be angry -- and two -- that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof they were in their own home."

"And No. 3…there's a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. And that's just a fact," Obama said.

Watch: : Obama's full response to Gates' arrest

Gates claims he was arrested in his own home, after showing ID to police who responded to a report of a possible burglary.

But during a prime-time news conference on Wednesday, Obama says blacks and Hispanics are still singled out for arrest disproportionately. The president, the first black man to hold the nation's highest office, says he's a testament to the progress minorities have made.

But he says Gates' arrest in his own home is a reminder that racism "still haunts us," CBS station WBZ-TV reported.

"The President made it clear that this is a situation any homeowner would be troubled by," Gates' attorney, Charles Ogletree Jr., said. "I think what he called for is exactly what I'm calling for -– a dialog between Cambridge police, the community and Professor Gates to address these issues. It's a very uplifting comment in the hour-long press conference tonight."

"I think this is a great time for all of us to sit down, put aside our differences and make a big difference in making Cambridge, Massachusetts and the country more willing to talk about these issues," he added.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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