In the wake of the Justice Department's report on the discriminatory practices of the Ferguson Police Department, President Barack Obama has spoken up, nothing that it's not specific to police in the St. Louis suburb.
According to the Associated Press, President Obama appeared on Sirius XM's The Joe Madison Show yesterday. During his appearance he noted that, while the Ferguson Police Department's treatment of blacks isn't a nationwide standard, it definitely isn't uncommon:
I don't think that is typical of what happens across the country, but it's not an isolated incident. I think that there are circumstances in which trust between communities and law enforcement have broken down, and individuals or entire departments may not have the training or the accountability to make sure that they're protecting and serving all people and not just some.
President Obama also acknowledged that improving the relationship between civilians and police remains fractured, even years after the Civil Rights Movement. The Associated Press adds that the president will venture to Selma, Ala. tomorrow, which marks the 50th anniversary of what's been known as "Blood Sunday." On Mar. 7, 1965, a group of civil rights protesters were beaten by state troopers on Edmund Pettis Bridge.
[via Associated Press]
