President Obama on Monday night pleaded for calm in Ferguson, Mo., and across the nation in the wake of grand jury’s decision not to charge police officer Darren Wilson in connection with the August shooting death of teenager Michael Brown.
But the president also cautioned against those who would dismiss anger and frustration in the wake of the decision, saying Brown’s death underscores the very real problems of race relations that are still a part of American society.
“Those of you who are watching tonight, understand there is never an excuse for violence, particularly when there are a lot of people in good will out there who are willing to work on these issues. On the other hand, those who are only interested in focusing on the violence and just want the problem to go away need to realize that we do have work to do here, and we shouldn’t try to paper it over,” the president said in hastily arranged remarks in the White House. “Whenever we do that, the anger may momentarily subside. But over time, it builds up and America isn’t everything that it could be.”
Mr. Obama’s comments come just hours after the grand jury gave its decision.
The grand jury decided that “no probable cause exists” to bring a case against Mr. Wilson
Mr. Obama, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and others have appealed for restraint in the wake of the grand jury’s decision. Large crowds of protesters have assembled in Ferguson, and there remain concerns that widespread riots and violence may break out following the grand jury’s decision.
CNN reported Monday night that at least one police car already had been vandalized in Ferguson.
Mr. Obama seemed to leave open the possibility of traveling to Ferguson, as his attorney general, Eric Holder, already has done.
The president also echoed the appeals of Brown’s parents, who have admonished protesters to remain peaceful and not allow the situation in Ferguson to spiral out of control.
While the president said he believes the “vast majority” of police officers and departments do not discriminate, he said such actions do remain a problem in some communities and only add to racial tensions.
“Communities of color aren’t just making these problems up,” he said.
“Separating that from this particular decision, there are issues in which the law too often feels as if it is being applied in discriminatory fashion. I don’t think that’s the norm. I don’t think that’s true a majority of communities or for the vast majority of law enforcement. But these are real issues. We have to lift them up and not deny them or tamp them down. What we need to do is understand them and figure out how we make more progress. That won’t be done by throwing bottles. That won’t be done by smashing car windows. That won’t be done by using this as an excuse to vandalize property. And it certainly won’t be done by hurting anyone.”
Mr. Obama also encouraged the media to focus on the positive efforts of community leaders, not just incidents of violence, looting and unrest.
“I think we have to make sure that we focus at least as much attention on all those positive activities that are taking place as we do on a handful of folks who end up using this as an excuse to misbehave or break the law or engage in violence,” he said. “I think it’s going to be very important — and I think the media is going to have a responsibility as well — as we focus on Michael Brown’s parents, and the clergy, and the community leaders, and the civil rights leaders and activists, and law enforcement officials who have been working very hard to find solutions, long-term solutions to this issue. There is inevitably going to be some negative reaction, and it’ll make for good TV. But what we want to do is to make sure that we’re also focusing on those who can offer real progress that we know is possible.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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