Former President Barack Obama addressed the death of George Floyd, policing, and protests during an online town hall.
The event, part of a town hall series for Obama’s nonprofit group, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, was set to begin at 5 p.m. EDT. Obama appeared with his former attorney general, Eric Holder, from Washington, along with others.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked protests calling attention to police brutality and racial inequality. In some cases, those protests have become violent, resulting in property damage, looting, and clashes with law enforcement.
All four officers involved in his detainment last week are now facing charges.
In a post to Medium on Monday, Obama denounced demonstrators who have resorted to violence.
“The small minority of folks who’ve resorted to violence in various forms, whether out of genuine anger or mere opportunism, are putting innocent people at risk, compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause,” he said.
President Trump has blamed the left-wing antifa movement for the violent demonstrations in several cities. The president said Sunday that the United States would designate antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
He has faced widespread condemnation after law enforcement cleared protesters in front of the White House earlier this week, after which he walked to a nearby church for a photo opportunity as he held a Bible.
Joe Biden, who was Obama’s vice president, is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. He said the death of Floyd was a “wake-up call for our nation” and accused Trump of fostering division across the country.
