President Barack Obama today took a few minutes to address today’s decision of a grand jury that refused to indict a white NYPD officer who killed a black man.
While speaking today at the Tribal Nations Conference, President Obama delivered several minutes of unscripted heartfelt remarks on today’s decision by a Staten Island, New York grand jury to not indict an NYPD officer who killed Eric Garner with an illegal chokehold. Upon completing an autopsy, the medical examiner had labeled the death a “homicide,” but the grand jury disagreed.
LOOK:Â Breaking: NYC Grand Jury Refuses To Indict Police In Choke Hold Death Of Eric Garner
The President promised Attorney General Eric Holder would comment on the issue later. But he also said that it’s “incumbent upon all of us as Americans – regardless of race, region, faith – that we recognize that this is an American problem.â€
“When anybody in this country is not being treated equally under the law, that’s a problem.”
“We are seeing too many instances” of people not being held to equal standards under the law, the President said. “Folks don’t have confidence that people aren’t being treated fairly” under the law.
“When anybody in this country is not being treated equally under the law, that’s a problem and it’s my job … to help solve it.”
“We are not going to let up until we see a strengthening of the trust” between communities of color and law enforcement.
“This is an issue that we’ve been dealing with for too long….I’m not interested in talk, I’m interested in action.”
Watch:
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Image: White House Screenshot