Ferguson Activist: It’s a Little Late for Obama to Come Here Now
President Obama met with some young Ferguson activists today to discuss issues important to them. But is Obama actually visiting Ferguson and speaking with people on the ground there atop that list? Not according to one of the activists, who said it’s a bit late for that now.
During a conference call with reporters earlier today, Yates said that Obama needs to “enact some real change” and it would be “too little, too late” for him to travel to Ferguson now, since he couldn’t really say much more from within the community. Here’s how Yates defined what she and others want to see from the president:
“We need the backing of our black president to say that this is a racial issue and that he stands behind us. We don’t need him to come and put boots to the ground. He should have done that 100 days ago.”
Yates also spoke out about the Oval Office meeting on Democracy Now! today. She said she and the other activists told the president “there is no reason that our local law enforcement should have military weapons” as if they’re fighting terrorists instead of protesters.
And while she said the White House supporting body cameras for police officers is a good step, Yates did say it doesn’t get to the true heart of the matter:
“Cameras didn’t save Tamir Rice. Cameras didn’t save John Crawford. They didn’t make sure that John Crawford saw justice. So, we know that while that is a step towards ending this real problem, the real root of it has to be addressed. And the real root of it is racism in America, the anti-black sentiments that exist.”
You can watch the video below (Yates comes in at the 15:20 mark), via Democracy Now!:
[image via screengrab]
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