The cop knew Gates (the idiot) was p*ssed off and he knew Gates (the idiot) had some more to say, so he gave Gates (the idiot) the chance. Outside. If the cop was ready to leave, he would told Gates (the idiot) that and ended it right there. Period.
parsy.
He asked Gates to step outside, Gates refused and the cop left. Gates followed him out the door. Why didn’t Gates just stay there in the house? The cop was leaving. The confrontation was over. The cop chose to ignore the childish behavior of the esteemed intellectual. The cop had ended the encounter. It was Gates who insisted that it continue.
"As I stood in plain view of this man, later identified as Gates, I asked if he would step out onto the porch and speak with me.
He replied, "No, I will not."
Crowley asked Gates to step outside twice. Once when he (Crowley) arrived at the home & later, after Gates became confrontational inside the home.
Unless you assume that Crowley had planned on arresting Gates at the outset, the request to "step outside" has nothing to do with creating circumstances which would allow for an arrest.
It was Gates' demeanor, once outside the home, that led to his arrest. Not the request that he "step outside".