BOSTON -- Hours after a "Beer Summit" meeting at the White House with the president and the police officer who arrested him, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote that he emerged with more understanding about police officers' jobs and said he "learned that we can have our differences without demonizing one another."

"We’ve learned that we can have our differences without demonizing one another." - Henry Louis Gates Jr.

"Let me say that I thank God that I live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day, and, more than ever, I’ve come to understand and appreciate their daily sacrifices on our behalf. I’m also grateful that we live in a country where freedom of speech is a sacrosanct value and I hope that one day we can get to know each other better," Gates wrote on his Web site "The Root" after the meeting.

Gates and Cambridge police Sgt. Joseph Crowley found themselves at the center of a national firestorm over race when Crowley arrested Gates for disorderly conduct two weeks ago after a caller reported seeing two men breaking into Gates' home.

Gates and a cab driver were trying to get into Gates' house after Gates returned from a trip to China and found the front door jammed. When officers responded to the call, police said Gates became belligerent, questioning why they were suspicious of him in his own home.

Gates' subsequent arrest ignited a national debate about race and police profiling and prompted President Barack Obama to criticize the police. Obama later backed off and invited the two men to talk about their differences over a beer at the White House.

For his part, Crowley said that no one apologized for their actions on the day of the arrest, but said Thursday's conversation was a "positive step in moving forward."

" I don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future." - Cambridge Police Sgt. Joseph Crowley

"We had a cordial and productive discussion today with the president, vice president and Professor Gates. We all agreed it is important to look forward, rather than backward," Crowley said. "Professor Gates and I bring different perspectives to these issues. We have agreed that both perspectives should be addressed in an effort to provide a constructive outcome to the events of the past month."

The officer said that he planned to have a meeting with Gates in the near future, but he would not disclose where or when.

Obama had said he hoped the incident and Rose Garden meeting would become a "teachable moment" for the nation.

"I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode," the president said in a statement.

Crowley said Obama did not monopolize the conversation but rather acted as a mediator.

"He provided the beer. He contributed in a small part," Crowley said. "He really wanted to bring two people together to try to solve not only a local issue in Cambridge but also what has become a national issue."

Political analyst Marianne Marsh said it's a little too early to determine whether the meeting would have a positive impact.

"Obviously, this was a photo op to get people to forget about a political problem that Barack Obama stepped in, not fix the problem. And I think when you look at that photo op last night, which was timed to hit the network news, not a lot of analysis. It's a picture that they wanted to America to see, which was three men who all wished they'd made a different decision. But when you look at that photo there was something for everybody in it. African Americans feel that Barack Obama did the right thing, that Professor Gates was vindicated. Supporters of Sergeant Crowley believe that he was vindicated ..." Marsh said.

During the meeting, the men drank beer from clear glass mugs and munched on peanuts and pretzels. Obama drank Bud Light, Biden had a Buckler, Gates chose to drink Sam Adams Light and Crowley opted for a Blue Moon.

Earlier, Gates and Crowley brought their families to the White House and toured the East Wing together before the sit-down. While the men were chatting, their family members were given a tour of the West Wing.