Americans must tackle racial bias and build a society that works for all, says former president
Former president Barack Obama said his and wife Michelle’s ‘hearts are heavy’ following the ‘senseless tragedy’ of Daunte Wright’s death. Getty Images/AFP
Former US president Barack Obama on Tuesday called for the country to “reimagine policing” amid protests and a trial in Minnesota over police using excessive force that led to the deaths of unarmed black men.
Mr Obama said he and his wife Michelle’s “hearts are heavy” following the “senseless tragedy” that saw Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, fatally shot by a Minneapolis officer at the weekend.
Their statement followed a second night of violent protests over the killing of Wright in Minneapolis, where former police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man.
“The fact that this could happen even as the city of Minneapolis is going through the trial of Derek Chauvin and reliving the heart-rending murder of George Floyd indicates not just how important it is to conduct a full and transparent investigation, but also just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safety in this country,” said Mr Obama.
Wright’s death ignited two consecutive nights of unrest in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, with hundreds of protesters clashing with officers outside the city’s police headquarters on Monday, despite a curfew.
Our hearts are heavy over yet another shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, at the hands of police. It’s important to conduct a full and transparent investigation, but this is also a reminder of just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safety in this country.
Wright was shot on Sunday during a traffic stop after scuffling with an officer.
The officer mistakenly used her pistol instead of her Taser during a struggle with Wright, a local police chief said on Monday.
“Michelle and I grieve alongside the Wright family for their loss,” added Mr Obama.
“We empathise with the pain that black mothers, fathers and children are feeling after yet another senseless tragedy. And we will continue to work with all fair-minded Americans to confront historical inequities and bring about nationwide changes that are so long overdue.”
Our hearts are heavy over yet another shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, at the hands of police. It’s important to conduct a full and transparent investigation, but this is also a reminder of just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safety in this country. pic.twitter.com/sgcbRjlApr
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 13, 2021
You can find resources and ways to help here Obama said.
GOPUSA Editor’s Note: Please keep in mind that this is a mainstream media story. The source of the story is in the dateline. We publish it for the purpose of informing our readers and providing an opportunity to discuss it. What is GOPUSA? Read our About Us page to find out.
The site of Wright’s death is near to where Mr Chauvin’s trial is being heard.
Prosecutors rested their case Tuesday at the murder trial after 11 days of presenting evidence as well as a mountain of video footage depicting Mr Floyd’s final moments.
During the prosecution, the wrenching clips of Mr Floyd gasping for air were played for the jury along with other bystander footage and police body-camera video of the man’s slow death.
Mr Chauvin’s lawyer has argued that the white former officer did what he had been trained to do and that Floyd died because of his illegal drug use and a heart condition.
(c) 2021 International Media Investments FZ LLC. All rights reserved Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
—-
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
I.A.W. U.S. Census & FBI (Table 43a)
Black males make up about 6% of the U.S. population but every year commit 53% of all the murders and 55% of all robberies in the U.S…
Every year in the U.S. there are ~5,000 African-Americans men, women and children killed and 96% of them were killed by fellow African-Americans.
Where is the outrage from “Black Lives Matter” and prominent members of the African-American community? Where are the words of condemnation and sorrow from “Black Lives Matter”, Obama, Al Sharpton, or Jesse Jackson over the fact that members of their own race are summarily executing each other?
How many bodies do you have to step over to get to the one that you think is important only because a White police officer was involved?
How is the chance of reimagining the black man understanding it might be in his best interests to comply with instructions. Especially when you are already a fugitive from the law. Had he complied,he would still be alive. But no, I am black, therefore, you can not touch me.
Exactly.. HOW’s about we re-imagine the black family, BACK TO WHERE IT WAS pre 1950s, where men and women raised their kids, and there wasn’t so much CRIME IN BLACK HOODS….
Let us reimagine him shutting his useless racist mouth. Him and the big mouth other racists that use the the racist notion every chance they get to divide us and stir controversy. Ask what did he do to help to eliminate it and help Americans get together and get along? Nothing!!
Brilliant as always, Scruffy
What must be reimagined is a society where black youth live a moral, law abiding life. One where they become dedicated fathers and responsible husbands, not the thugs they apparently idolize. We need more white youths doing the same as well.
I’d love a society where ALL, not just youth, live a moral, respectable law abiding life…
Black men “need to reimagine” themselves not committing crimes and not resisting arrest and the death rate would plummet. They are 18X more likely to kill police than the other way around. What cop wants to work when those odds are increased even more against them?
That’s why i feel ALL cretins PUSHING this nonsense, should see EVERY ONE OF THEIR security details, just simply go on STRIKE.
Absolutely… BLM ONLY protest the killings of black Criminals… they NEVER protest for the black babies killed by blacks, they NEVER protest the killing black cops…
And our lunatic democRAT politicians honor the black criminal who died as if they were some kind of hero… disgraceful
NOR have you ever seen them even say “sympathies” to the families of BLACK COPS killed BY BLACK THUGS (Or even white ones from antifa)..
The problem in this Country is not the police it’s the black culture of violence and victimization.
And disrespect…
I get your point but I believe that’s a Leftist culture, not a black culture. The Left set out to destroy the black family and the fabric of America with L.B.Johnson’s “Great Society”.
IT mostly affects the black culture though.. I don’t see it really permeating leftist asian culture. Leftists latino culture… BUT WE SEE IT in spades in black culture. From their rap songs, to their tv/films… THEY GLORIFY the gang culture. They glorify cops as being the enemy. They celebrate thugism.
Actually, the percentage of population is 12.2% but the rest of your comment is true and if Obozo really wanted to help instead of creating chaos, he’d be calling for black to stop killing other blacks which is a far higher percentage AND stop being punk and thugs when confronted by police.
Obama a racist ? Wow that is something else! The first racist President on record !
And Beijing Biden is the 2nd one… working hard to racially divide the country
He’s just continuing what obozo started.
Obama hates his white half, how more racist can he get? He’s stuck with what he is, can’t change his genetics.
There is no such thing as an all black First World Nation. ALL all black countries are Third World Nations, (sub-saharan) ‘Haiti’. Any advanced technologies that all black nations possess are what white nations introduced to them.
There is no such thing as an all white Third World Nation; All ‘all white’ nations are First World Nations.
If you take Whites and put them on an island, you get England.
If you take Asians and put them on an island, you get Japan.
But if you take Blacks and put them on an island, you get Haiti.
Well said PG. FOR decade, we’ve seen blacks come into power in nation after nation in Africa, and take it into ruin…
Obama was the person that started all this racist garbage.
Actually, no. After 1960 we had Lyndon B. Johnson who was.
It was LBJ that allegedly said
“I’ll have those ni**ers votin’ democrat for the next 200 years!”
One of the few things, he was correct about.
Yep, Barack, it was a “senseless tragedy”. Had Daunte Wright listened to the officers and not tried to flee, this criminal and that is what Daunte is, would be alive and in a prison cell, where he belongs. Oh, Barack, you and Michelle are racist and you two back the criminals in society. That says it all about you, Barack and Michelle.
Yes…. the two biggest racist in the country they are not proud of…the dictionary has many words to describe the obama’s….non of them a complement…..we can only imagine how it might have been if the two trouble makers had not soiled our house
“Reimagine policing” … to what? … call them bobbies and take their guns? These jackasses aren’t fooling anyone… Racist like Hussein here… and his whole regime including the current commander in racism want black lies matter along with antifa to do the policing. Just come out and say it… instead of lies, deception and covert cappers.
Maybe a sizable chunk of America’s black men should reimagine their approach to being good citizens? It’s not everyone else’s fault they’re criminals.
According to them, it is ALL OUR Fault that they are crooks..
Communists seem to have a preoccupation with the word “reimagine”. Every time I have heard it used, it is generally in promotion of some deleterious idea.
I agree O bam A, you need to teach these thugs how not to be street towards cops and a take a few moments to eat dog doo and get the cop out of your face. Otherwise suffer the consequences.
Well Fuehrer Obama, why don’t you and the rest of your Communist cronies try imagining this?
How about imagining a world where young black men don’t think that they have to run around being in gangs and killing everyone that they have an issue with? How about imagining a world where young black men don’t think that they have to impregnate every girl that they know and then refuse to take responsibility for raising their own children? How about imagining a world where young black men actually try to work for a living instead of expecting the government to hand them everything and not do squat to get it? How about imagining a world where people are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin? I seem to me that I remember a very famous black man asking to have just exactly that kind of world for his own children. But instead you and the rest of your liberal idiot buddies can’t do squat except stir up hatred and racism because that’s how you make your living. You make it off the backs of honest people. People who just want to get along in life and don’t really care about the color of someone else’s skin. But that would be too much for a hypocrite like you to even consider.
great post.. agree
Word!
How many whites, asians, latinos had to suffer the ‘knock out game’, 99% of the time PERPETRATED BY YOUNG BLACK men (usually mid to late teens)?
Great! Let’s all IMAGINE a world in which CRIMINALS don’t resist arrest.
Hell, let’s imagine a world in which there is NO CRIME (because everyone obey the LAW)!
No need to BAN firearms, because NO CRIMINAL exists, no one gets murdered!
Ah, that would be wonderful.
BUT, since that world doesn’t exist (except, maybe, in Democrats’ delusional minds), I want a police force who is willing to put THEIR lives on the line, to PROTECT and to SERVE (the LAW ABIDING)!
THe dems idea is to imagine a world where CRIMINALS Never get arrested, charged or incarcerated.. ONLY THOSE who step up and try to defend themselves do..
Pipe dream. Unless you Imagine where they all go back to africa. But africa doesn’t have welfare and food stamps, so you know they wont.
MORE proof WE need to end our entire bloody welfare system!
I’m going to have to slightly differ in regard to police. Nowadays it is seeming as though “Protect and Serve” does not apply to ‘law abiders’, especially WHITE law abiders. It feels as though cops are more in place to protect not only all the corrupt government bureaucracies that harm law abiders, but they protect the criminals from us as well. After all, criminals have more rights than law abiders do.
Face facts; White People nowadays are as Jews in Nazi Germany. We are literally fighting for survival now. I don’t have much incentive to believe any police are on our side, especially since most of them now have become corrupt, dirty cops. I know you don’t like reading this, but there it is, and I know enough cops to know what I am talking about, so my apologies in advance.
Hence why i have not really cried, over the cops who recently got shot… TOO MANY times we’ve seen the cops do NOTHING about the riots, arson etc, but WOE BETIDE someone try to stand UP TO THE rioters…
.
you know barry, everyday I hear about both black men and white men getting arrested.
.
funny thing is, I never hear about white men fleeing when under arrest. and the only time I hear about black men getting arrested is when they flee and get shot
.
what can we learn from this??
.
I’ve seen plenty of whites flee.. OR TRY TO resist.. AND YES Many of them have been shot (MORE whites by the #s get killed by cops than blacks do), BUT THOSE killings by the police, rarely make news and NOT ONCE Have we ever seen a mass protest cause of it.
If Obama encouraged young black men to STOP COMMITTING CRIMES, it would go much farther to saving their lives than making police jump through more and more hoops. Blacks including Obama the supposed “law professor” are demanding that they be free to commit crime AND RESIST ARREST without any risk of harm! And they’ll commit mob violence and burn down city centers to get their childish way.
Obama, O’Biden, Peliszzi, Schumer and all the other Deep Dark State Radicalized Far Left Demoncrat Socialist Anti-American Party along with All the Evil Bad Actors are all about “Defunding” and Changing Our Well Established Law Enforcement Communities Across America !!!! With few exceptions our Law Enforcement Police Departments Have Always Accomplished a Difficult and Dangerous Task In Maintaining Law and Order, Protecting and Serving Our Communities across America !!!!! This is also the Reason they Are Coming After The Second Amendment and Our Right To Bear Arms !!! They Must Bring Us Into A Total Subservient State !!!! Sadly today We Have The Evil “Cancel Culture” Movement Sweeping Across America !!! The “Cancel Culture” is being propagated by the by the Deep Dark State to Remove All Sense Of Proper Decorum and Behavior from the True American Sense Of Proper Behavior and Values !!! This is all being Contrived to Further Their Evil Socialistic Power and Greed Driven Agenda Against “We The People” and Our True America !!! They still Have 3 1/2 Years Left to Finish They Evil Agenda Of Insurrection From Within !!!!! Look What They Have Already Done With Illegal Immigration !!!!
Wake Up America, We Are In Very, Very Serious and Dire Danger “From Within” as-well-as From Washington, DC (District of Monumental Corruption)
the city of Minneapolis
Has been run by Democrats for decades. Barrack Obama had eight years as POTUS.
If Democrats are the gurus of social justice, why haven’t they already fixed Minneapolis. And Portland and Seattle and Chicago and Washington D.C.
You want “Hope and Change?” Quit voting for the party that’s long on “hope” but keeps short-changing you.
They’re too BRAINWASHED to ever make that connection.
I have NEVER met a policeman who wanted to “kill” a suspect. Personally, I feel it a tragedy when a life is lost during an arrest. However, I have NEVER seen a life lost during an arrest UNLESS the suspect ACTIVELY resisted. Perhaps a little more attention should be devoted to the “suspects’ actions” rather than simply blame the police for all deadly encounters.
To the gay blaCK MUSLIM—YEAH, WHEN BLASCK MEN STOP KOILLING EACHOTHER.
What obummer and moochele need to understand is that it is hard to get excited about a thug getting themself killed by police by acting stupid. After all his response to his friend Professor Gates getting arrested is that the cops “acted stupidly”. I for one am sick and tired of the crimes that are allowed and being ignored that are being committed by ANTIFA and BLM. I live in Arizona and last summer when the so called protesters threatened to come to the suburbs, our sheriff said he didn’t have the man power to cover every neighborhood and his recommendation was to be armed and prepared to protect yourself, family and neighborhood. AZ is a Constitutional carry state.
Oh brother,….more words of wisdom from Barrack Osama,….hey Barrack, when are blacks going to “end” murdering each other by the tens of thousands??
They have been doing that to one another in Africa, since the dawn of time. MOST ceased when whites were in control of their nations, but as soon as they kicked the whites out, they went RIGHT BACK TO IT..
I honestly think its INHERENT IN THEIR Genes, to want to kill one another.
What really needs to be reimagined is how the Black Population defends black violent criminals and drug addicts! The vast majority of black criminals that have been shot have been committing crimes, resisting arrest or, threatening the police. Although, there are been incidents when officers could have/should have used better judgement , those cases are few and far between. If someone were to come at me with a knife, gun, club or some other lethal weapon, black or white, I wouldn’t hesitate to respond with lethal force. No matter what, there is no crime that justifies burning, robbing, looting, assaulting, raping and even murdering innocent citizens black or white!
Not just defends, but glorifies and holds them up as paragons of virtue..
All the comments here today remind me of an incident that occurred at one of my client locations, years ago. I responded to a burglary in progress call and met up with a Police Officer at the scene. We took up positions nearby where the individual(s) had broken into the building. A short time later, the suspect exited through the hole that he had chopped into the wall of the building. The officer immediately ordered the suspect to hit the ground but, instead of complying, the suspect dove behind a dumpster. The suspect made several more moves and, each time the officer told him to stop. Finally, the suspect surrendered without violence. Afterwards, I told the officer that I would have used my service weapon the first time the suspect refused my orders. He just looked at me an shrugged his shoulders!
I do not want to hear anything obama has to say. I want him to Africa and stay there and take it with him.
Maybe Black men should reimagine acting like thugs and gangsta’s, pull their pants up, give up Ebonics for English, get jobs, stop emulating rappers, quit resisting arrest and act like adult citizens.
There’s plenty of whites, asians and latinos who also do the ‘gangsta’ look..
Cultural appropriation.
“White Privelege” def:
White people working themselves to death in order to surrender their taxes and hard earned material needs to Blacks that do not contribute anything but welfare burdens and high crime.
“Black Privelege” def:
Blacks having the latitude to break virtually EVERY law on the books, and STILL play the victim.
These days, i wouldnt be surprised to SEE those definitions USED BY the major dictionary corps..
It’s time for black culture to reimagine itself, no more guns, drugs, baby mamas, resisting arrest, trash rap music, etc. Then we can all live in peace. I’m sorry this kid died for his stupidity, but I feel worse for the cop who’s life is ruined now too, because of his stupidity.
Obama is a big reason for all of the black crime as he glorifies black criminals and was the absolute most divisive POTUS ever…..He’s like a can of gas to a fire already out of control….
What part of “ could you do as I ask” don’t the criminals understand? The dems should understand that as they are always telling us to do something that they don’t.
The police knew who he was, but he still tried to escape? Was the man an idiot?