Almost 1000 citizens and police officers marched together yesterday from Central Square to the Cambridge Common in a parade celebrating Police Appreciation Day.

The parade included citizen's groups from a number of ethnic communities, a children's dance troupe and police officers from such neighboring towns as Falmouth and Medford, according to police officials.

"This shows the diversity of the city, and it's great to see," said Cambridge Police Department Spokesperson Gloria Pimentel.

At the Common, a panel of city dignitaries, including Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72, Vice Mayor Edward N. Cyr and City Manager Robert A. Healy, expressed appreciation for law LEEpers for the course himself, and taught threeextra classes.

"I was quite impressed with the seriousness ofhis commitment," Gates said.

Thomas Cripps will return as a visitingprofessor to teach a survey of Afro-American film,according to Professor of Afro-American Studies K.Anthony Appiah, the Afro-Am head tutor. Crippstaught "The Social History of African-Americans inAmerican Film" last fall.

Damon K. Roberts '93, who took both Lee's andCripps' courses, said that he wished Lee's classdealt as well with theory as Cripps' did.

"I didn't like the lack of theoreticalstructure [in Lee's class]," Roberts said. "Wewere not equipped with cinematic language."

What Thomas Cripps didn't have was the fun andthe excitement and the melodrama of each class,"Roberts added.

Roberts said it was valuable to be able tospeak with Lee, "hold him almost as a peer andhave him shout at people in class and rebut andget defensive."

Appiah said he hopes to formalize Lee'sappointment in time to list the class in the1992-93 course catalog.

Lee and Gates will be featured on the New YorkTimes Arts and Leisure page on May 31. Gates saidthe article, which will appear in interviewformat, is a discussion of Lee's upcoming film onMalcolm X, the new wave of Black filmmakers andthe Los Angles riots