“You know, I love John, I didn’t see the quote, so I don’t want to comment on what John specifically said,” Obama said. “But I will say this – that the kinds of ongoing problems we have with police and communities of color around the country are not of the sort that we saw in Selma. We’re not talking about systematic segregation or discrimination. They are solvable problems if in fact law enforcement officials are open to the kind of training and best practices that we’ve seen instituted in lot of parts of the country.”
Selma was
“What I have confidence in is that if we do a better job of training our law enforcement to be sensitive to the concerns of minority communities…so they can distinguish between a gangbanger and a kid who just happens to be wearing a hoodie but just otherwise is a good kid and not doing anything wrong,” Obama said.
The president disputed the notion that race relations had gotten worse in recent years, saying the ability to videotape and instantly upload clashes between police and minorities had heightened awareness of the friction, sometimes for the better.
“I think that folks on the other side of it might not understand why there are concerns or mistrust,” Obama said. “Not because they’re in denial, just they haven’t experienced it. And so when people start seeing these instances, then they start saying ‘okay, maybe we understand what we’re talking about.'”
Watch the clip below, via ABC News:
[Image via screengrab]
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