This is in response to the letter from Jenna Kotch in the Sunday, 8/2/09, Post-Dispatch.

How one can state with such certainty that race was behind the incident?  No one except Mr. Gates and the officer knows exactly what transpired that day.  How can one determine that the caller was racist without knowing a little more about the situation?  One can certainly understand why Mr. Gates was angry.  After all, it was his home.  One can also understand why the officer was angry with the reaction of someone he thought was breaking and entering.

Regarding the person who called the police to report the suspected break-in, who is to say this person wouldn’t have reported it if the person was white?  There is nothing to suggest that this person has a racial agenda.

In closing, Ms. Kotch, I sure hope if someone is trying to break into your home, they won’t stop to think “Would this be considered racist?”  Because by the time they decide, your living room would also be a reminder to you.

Donna Kimmel

Manchester