Obama targets Ferguson aftermath in Monday meetings
- President Barack Obama will meet with members of his Cabinet and civil rights leaders Monday
- Obama will discuss the "disintegration of trust" between police and the communities they serve
- Meetings come as Ferguson protests continue into their second week, closing streets in D.C.
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama called for a "sustained conversation" surrounding the relationship between police and the communities they serve after a series of meetings with Cabinet members, law enforcement officials, young activists and others on Monday.
The meetings follow a week of sometimes violent protests that swept the nation following the decision by a grand jury last Monday not to indict a white police officer in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.
Ferguson-inspired protests go national The incident, and subsequent months of unrest in Ferguson, set off a national debate over the tactics and tools used by law enforcement to keep the peace, which critics said were at times too aggressive.
According to the White House press pool report, Obama told a crowd of about 50 activists, law enforcement and elected officials that the problem is "solvable," but that there needs to be an ongoing discussion of the issues uncovered by Ferguson.
"[This is] not a problem simply of Ferguson, this is a problem that is national. It is a solvable problem, but it is one that unfortunately spikes but fades into background," he said. "What we need is a sustained conversation...to move forward in a constructive fashion."
Obama held his first meeting with members of his Cabinet -- Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attended, as well as deputy Defense Secretary Robert O. Work and Michael Botticelli, the acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy. They discussed a review Obama ordered in August of federal funding and programs that provide equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies, according to the White House.
During his remarks Monday afternoon, Obama admitted that past task forces have fallen short, but said that "this time will be different because the president of the United States is deeply vested in making it different."
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Following his Cabinet meeting, Obama hosted a group of young civil rights leaders — including representatives from the Ohio Students Association and the Howard University Student Association — in the Oval Office to discuss, per the White House, "the broader challenges we still face as a nation, including the mistrust between law enforcement and communities of color."
And he then sat down with elected officials, law enforcement officials and community, civil rights and faith leaders from around the nation to discuss ways to "build trust" between communities and law enforcement. That meeting included the mayors of Boston, Mass., Milwaukee, Wisc., New York, N.Y., Gary, Ind. and Philadelphia, Pa, as well as representatives from a number of police organizations and both the Baltimore and Philadelphia police departments.
The Rev. Al Sharpton was in attendance as well, along with representatives from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Council of La Raza, the American Civil Liberties Union and others.
Sharpton called it an "historic evening," and said he came away with the sense that the president and the administration are putting their weight behind their groups' recommendations. He did caution, however, that this meeting cannot be "an isolated incident" and needs to be followed by action.
National Urban League President Marc Morial said the meeting was unlike any other he's participated in and featured "candid, open, productive, substantive conversation." He called today's actions from the president "meaningful."
Holder is also set to address the events in Ferguson during a Monday night forum at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., a church where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. Civic leaders, students, community leaders and others have been invited to the forum, and Holder plans to give remarks afterward.
The day's events come as protests continue into their second week. On Monday, protesters snarled traffic throughout Washington, D.C. by blocking main roadways across the city, according to the D.C. Police Department.
from CNN.com - Top Stories http://ift.tt/1B75YDf
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