President Obama did not rush to the defense of Black Lives Matter protesters who are angry about the shooting death of an African-American man by a black police officer earlier this week. Instead, the Democratic president, who has often voiced concern for the civil rights of minority groups, offered a different perspective in an interview Thursday.
“I think it’s important to separate out the pervasive sense of frustration among a lot of African-Americans over the shootings of people and a sense that justice is not always colorblind,” Obama told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in a pre-taped interview set to air Friday.
Obama, the first black president in the country’s 240-year history, spoke to Robin Roberts from the Smithsonian Museum’s brand new African-American museum in Washington, D.C. With historic artifacts covering the four walls around them, Obama said America can move forward if those who seek to make change involve all of the citizens.
It “requires being peaceful – that requires being thoughtful about what are the specific reforms looking for,” Obama said.
The majority of people concerned about reforming how law enforcement officers police community have gone about reforming the system in “the right way.” But he admitted “every once in a while, you see folks doing it the wrong way.”
Despite the rebuke of those who have gone about it the improper way, Obama did not specifically condemn rioters who vandalized, set on fire and burglarized stores in downtown Charlotte Wednesday night. He also did not offer recommendations for the type of reforms that would further unify the country and improve police-community relations.
