This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/president-obama-reacts-to-the-deaths-of-alton-sterling-and-philando-castile-a7125961.html

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
President Obama reacts to the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile Obama says the recent police killings of black men are ‘symptomatic of racial disparities'
(about 5 hours later)
President Barack Obama has reacted to the fatal shootings of both Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two recent police killings that have caused national outrage over the use of force against people of color across the country. Within two days, two black men were fatally shot by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota, and broadcast across a nation historically divided by racial lines. President Barack Obama addressed the incidents on Thursday saying that all Americans should be troubled by the shootings.
President Obama began by saying all Americans should be troubled by the fatal shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights. “We've seen such tragedies far too many times, and our hearts go out to the families and communities who've suffered such a painful loss,” he wrote on Facebook. “These are not isolated incidents,” President Obama said. “They’re symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities that exist in our criminal justice system. And I just want to give people a few statistics to try to put in context why emotions are so raw around these issues.”
The president said he’s restricted on what he can say about the fatal shooting of Sterling since the Department of Justice has opened. He was restricted on what he could say about the first killing, which took place on Tuesday morning in Baton Rouge, because the Justice Department’s civil rights division has taken the lead on the investigation. But he continued on, citing statistics that are heavily relied upon by activists groups against police violence. 
Read his full statement below. “African Americans are 30 percent more likely than whites to be pulled over,” he continued.” After being pulled over, African Americans and Hispanics are three times more likely to be searched. Last year, African Americans were shot by police at more than twice the rate of whites.”
All Americans should be deeply troubled by the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. We've seen such tragedies far too many times, and our hearts go out to the families and communities who've suffered such a painful loss. “African Americans are arrested at twice the rate of whites; African Americans defendants are 75 percent more likely to be charged with offenses carrying mandatory minimums. They receive sentences that are almost ten percent longer than comparable whites arrested for the same crime.”
Although I am constrained in commenting on the particular facts of these cases, I am encouraged that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation in Baton Rouge, and I have full confidence in their professionalism and their ability to conduct a thoughtful, thorough, and fair inquiry. Adding these numbers up, he said, are exactly why the African-American and Hispanic population, who make up 30 percent of the general population, “make up more than half of the incarcerated population.”
But regardless of the outcome of such investigations, what's clear is that these fatal shootings are not isolated incidents. They are symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system, the racial disparities that appear across the system year after year, and the resulting lack of trust that exists between law enforcement and too many of the communities they serve. While speaking in Poland, he asked Americans to try and consider this perspective, because this is exactly why people of color believe they are not being treated the same as the white population.
To admit we've got a serious problem in no way contradicts our respect and appreciation for the vast majority of police officers who put their lives on the line to protect us every single day. It is to say that, as a nation, we can and must do better to institute the best practices that reduce the appearance or reality of racial bias in law enforcement. “To be concerned about these issues is not political correctness. It’s just being an American,” President Obama said. “And to recognize the reality that we got some tough history and we haven’t gotten through that history yet.”
That's why, two years ago, I set up a Task Force on 21st Century Policing that convened police officers, community leaders, and activists. Together, they came up with detailed recommendations on how to improve community policing. So even as officials continue to look into this week's tragic shootings, we also need communities to address the underlying fissures that lead to these incidents, and to implement those ideas that can make a difference. That's how we'll keep our communities safe. And that's how we can start restoring confidence that all people in this great nation are equal before the law. The address came one day after Philando Castile was killed in Minnesota as his girlfriend live streamed the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook. Governor Mark Dayton requested that the Justice Deparment take over the investigation but the department said that it would only monitor the shooting instead of conducting its own probe.
In the meantime, all Americans should recognize the anger, frustration, and grief that so many Americans are feeling — feelings that are being expressed in peaceful protests and vigils. Michelle and I share those feelings. Rather than fall into a predictable pattern of division and political posturing, let's reflect on what we can do better. Let's come together as a nation, and keep faith with one another, in order to ensure a future where all of our children know that their lives matter. “Would this have happened if the driver were white, if the passengers were white?” Governor  Dayton asked reporters on Thursday. “I don’t think it would have.” Police departments across the country have been heavily condemned by critics if they refused to work the Justice Department. 
President Obama also addressed the protests following the incidents, which grew in Baton Rouge, New York City and several others cities across the country as he gave his speech.
“I would just ask those who question the sincerity or the legitimacy of protests and vigils and expressions of outrage, who somehow label those expressions of outrage as ‘political correctness,’ I just ask folks to step back and think,” he said. “What if this happened to somebody in your family? How would you feel?”
“We can do better,” he said, "and I believe we will do better."
Hillary Clinton, who recently received the president’s endorsement, also addressed the killings late Thursday night. “America woke up to yet another tragedy of a life cut down too soon,” the presumed Democratic frontrunner wrote on Twitter. “Black Lives Matter.”