U.S. President Barack Obama addressed an international and a domestic crisis on Monday – the ongoing violence in Iraq and the escalating tensions in Ferguson, Mo., over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager.
Obama spoke at length about the death of Michael Brown and the unrest it sparked in Ferguson, a predominately African-American community where the majority of police officers and local politicians are white. Here are some of the highlights of Obama’s statement:
On the protests
“We have all seen images of protestors and law enforcement in the streets. It’s clear that the vast majority of people are peacefully protesting. What’s also clear is that a small minority of individuals are not. While I understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of Michael Brown, giving into that anger by looting or carrying guns and even attacking the police only deserves to raise tensions and stir chaos. It undermines, rather than advancing, justice.”
Message to Ferguson residents
“Ours is a nation of laws, for the citizens who live under them and for the citizens who enforce them. So, to a community in Ferguson that is rightly hurting and looking for answers, let me call once again for us to seek some understanding rather than simply holler at each other. Let’s seek to heal, rather than to wound each other. As Americans, we’ve got to use this moment to seek out our shared humanity that’s been laid bare by this moment.”
On racial inequality
“I’ve said this before: in too many communities around the country, a gulf of mistrust exists between local residents and law enforcement. In too many communities, too many young men of colour are left behind and seen only as objects of fear.”
True unity, Obama said, “requires that we build and not tear down. That requires we listen and not just shout. That’s how we’re going to move forward together – by trying to unite each other and understand each other and not simply divide ourselves from one another.”
In response to a reporter’s question about what Obama himself can do to address the issue
“Part of the ongoing challenge of perfecting our union has involved dealing with communities that feel left behind, who as a consequence of tragic histories often find themselves isolated, often find themselves without hope without economic prospects. You have young men of colour in many communities who are more likely to end up in jail or in the criminal justice system than they are in good job or in college.
“And part of my job that I can do, I think, without any potential conflicts, is to get at those root causes. Now, that’s a big project. It’s one that we’ve been trying to carry out now for a couple of centuries and we’ve made extraordinary progress but we have not made enough progress.”
