Obama on Ferguson: Police Should Not Be ‘Bullying and Arresting’ Reporters
Speaking live from Martha’s Vineyard Thursday afternoon, President Barack Obama made his first public statements about the ongoing situation in Ferguson, Missouri following the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer there. “I know that many Americans have been deeply disturbed by the images we’ve seen in the heardland of our country as police have clashed with people protesting,” Obama said. “Today, I would like us all to take a step back and think about how we’re going to be moving forward.”
As he said in his written statement earlier this week, both the Justice Department and the FBI are currently investigating the death of Michael Brown in order to “determine exactly what happened and to see that justice is done.”
President Obama then addressed the aftermath of the initial incident, including the arrest of two journalists last night by Ferguson police:
“When something like this happens, the local authorities, including the police, have a responsibility to be open and transparent about how they are investigating that death and how they are protecting the people in their communities. There is never an excuse for violence against police or for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or looting.
There’s also no excuse for police to use excessive force against peaceful protests or to throw protesters in jail for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights. And here in the United States of America police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs and report to the American people what they see on the ground. Put simply, we all need to hold ourselves to a high standard, particularly those of us in positions of authority.”
“Let’s remember that we’re all part of one American family, we are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, a basic respect for public order and the right to peaceful public protest, a reverence for the dignity of every single man, woman and child among us and the need for accountability when it comes to our government,” Obama said at the end of his remarks. “So now’s the time for healing, now’s the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson, and now’s the time for an open and transparent process to see that justice is done.”
Watch Obama’s full statement below, via Fox News:
[Photo via screengrab]
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