"Let me begin by acknowledging that although all of us
have been feeling pain, uncertainty disruption, some folks have been feeling it
more than others. Most of all, the pain that's been experienced by the families
of George and Breonna, Ahmaud, and Tony and Dreasjon, and too many others to
mention."
"In some ways as tragic as these past few weeks have
been, as difficult and scary and uncertain as they've been, they've also been
an incredible opportunity for people to be awakened to some of these underlying
trends," Mr. Obama said. "And they offer an opportunity for us to all
work together to tackle, to take them on, to change America and make it live up
to its highest ideals."
His remarks were part of a broader conversation about
proposed reforms to the nation's law enforcement agencies, and how to improve
trust between police and the communities they protect.
During his address, the former president offered a direct
message to young people of color who have "witnessed too much violence and
too much death," often at the hands of those tasked with protecting them.
"I want you to know that you matter, I want you to know
that your lives matter, that your dreams matter," he said. He added that
he hopes that they feel hopeful even as they feel angry, because they
"have the power to make things better and you have helped to make the
entire country feel as if this is something that's got to change."
Mr. Obama also urged local leaders to take immediate
action.
"Today, I'm urging every mayor in this country to
review your use of force policies with members of your community and commit to
report on planned reforms," he said.
The former president also acknowledged there are members of
law enforcement who "share the goals of reimagining policing" because
they "took their oath to serve" communities. He said they have a
tough job and he knows they're "just as outraged by the tragedies in
recent weeks" as the protesters. He expressed gratitude to what he
described as the "vast majority" that protect and serve.
The event, "Reimagining Policing in the Wake of
Continued Police Violence," was hosted by My Brother's Keeper Alliance, a
program established by the Obama Foundation. It also included Mr. Obama's
former attorney general Eric Holder Jr., executive director of Color of Change
Rashad Robinson, activist and educator Brittany Packnett Cunningham and
Minneapolis City Council member Phillips Cunningham.
While Wednesday's event marked the former president's first
statements on camera addressing the protests, Mr. Obama wrote in a Medium post on Monday that the ongoing
demonstrations "represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a
decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal
justice system" in the U.S. He also said the protests could "be a
real turning point" for those efforts.
"When we think about politics, a lot of us focus only
on the presidency and the federal government. And yes, we should be fighting to
make sure that we have a president, a Congress, a U.S. Justice Department, and
a federal judiciary that actually recognize the ongoing, corrosive role that
racism plays in our society and want to do something about it," Mr. Obama
wrote. "But the elected officials who matter most in reforming police
departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local
levels."
Earlier this week, former presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy
Carter and George W. Bush also addressed the death of George Floyd and
widespread protests.
"Rosalynn and I are pained by the tragic racial
injustices and consequent backlash across our nation in recent weeks. Our
hearts are with the victims' families and all who feel hopeless in the face of
pervasive racial discrimination and outright cruelty," Mr. Carter said in
a statement. "We all must shine a spotlight on the immorality of racial
discrimination. But violence, whether spontaneous or consciously incited, is
not a solution."
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