Let's take it from the top: I fight like hell for black people. I fight against the egregious violations in the criminal justice system, and I believe in Henry Louis Gates, the Harvard University professor recently arrested for disorderly conduct. So, hearing the following words from me is not like hearing them from Juan Williams on Fox News.

But here's the deal: In last night's press conference, President Obama was incorrect to provide such strong and immediate support for the case of Dr. Gates. I'll quickly lay out the reasons why:

1) Obama admitted several times that he didn't know all the facts. If you don't know the facts, then you cannot accuse a police department of "acting stupidly." These words amount to a political nuclear warhead being launched by the most powerful man in the free world. Careers are going to be ruined because of this and people are going to suffer. Before making such a strong statement, our president should ensure that he fully understands the situation.

2) Obama started his statement by saying, "Skip Gates is a friend" and admitted that he might be a bit biased. Bad move. By making such a statement, the president doesn't sound like a man objectively evaluating a situation. He sounds like someone who is backing his Harvard crony. Welcome to class warfare, Mr. President. You've now alienated millions of working-class Americans and thousands of police officers by backing your friend without properly investigating the situation.

3) Dr. Gates has a distinguished record, but so does the officer. Sgt. James Crowley has received strong and unconditional support from the Cambridge Police Officers Union, and he has a stellar record with the police force. This support is significant since the union could have remained silent. Also, you must realize (as Dr. Wilmer Leon states) that the district attorney's office dropped the charges on Dr. Gates, not the police department. That is a very different thing, since the DA is affected by political pressure. To hear more of Dr. Leon's insightful comments, please click here.

4) Showing an ID and proving that you live in a home is not (and should not be) enough to get most officers to stop asking questions. One-third of all female murder victims are killed by an intimate. Many of the assailants are men who break into their own homes to kill their spouse. The officer has an obligation to investigate, to make sure the person is supposed to be in the house, not just that he is a resident.

5) I am not condemning anyone. I am not saying that Henry Louis Gates is a criminal, and I am not saying that the officer is corrupt. I am saying that I want more facts. I want to hear from witnesses. I want to see more evidence showing me that this cop was really being racist and that this was not just a battle of egos. Being a professor at Harvard does not give anyone the right to disrespect a law enforcement officer, but being an officer doesn't give you the right to mistreat a person of color.

The bottom line is this: I am not attacking the president, but he should not have attacked Sgt. Crowley. I am not attacking Henry Louis Gates, but I am not interested in being asked to make a full judgment with half of the necessary information. No one knows what happened in that house, and until there is an investigation, the president should be extremely careful with his words.

If you want to hear it "straight from the Boyce's mouth," please click on the video below:

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a distinguished scholar with the Barbara Jordan Institute for Policy Research at Texas Southern University. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered directly to your e-mail, please click here.