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Just when you may have thought that the "Gates-Gate" controversy could be coming to a close, a new chapter begins.
Police Sergeant Leon Lashley was the African-American officer on scene when white Sgt. James Crowley arrested black Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. back on July 16, 2009.
Lashley publicly came out in support of his fellow officer and defended Crowley's decision to arrest what Lashley felt was a boisterous, irrational Gates.
Because of this strong backing for his brother in blue, Lashley has, he says, been labeled by some as an "Uncle Tom" African-American. That is, some believe Lashley is selling-out another black person — Gates — in order to ingratiate himself with a white man (Crowley) or the supposed white institutional power structure. So the argument goes.
As you might imagine, such slights to his personal reputation aren't being well-received by the Cambridge cop.
So when his partner Crowley got an invitation to the White House, Lashley decided to take action. He wrote a letter to Crowley and asked the white cop to give the letter to President Barack Obama.
The YouTube video here contains the contents of that letter. CNN anchor Don Lemon reads Lashley's powerful and thoughtful words.