Earlybird, you have a detail wrong that I think is pretty crucial. Crowley did not show up and explain who he was. He showed up and demanded that Gates step outside of his house. That is what set Gates off. Under the circumstances, I can see how Gates would have interpreted that demand as racist. He assumed that a cop who showed up on one of his white neighbor's porch would treat that white neighbors with a bit of deference. Was Crowley consciously acting in a racist or rogue manner at this point? I doubt it. But had Crowley begun by explaining who he was and why he was there, this would not have happened.