more than three-hour meeting Wednesday with community activists,
politicians and law enforcement officials, said America is “not even
close” to where it needs to be in terms of resolving issues between
police and the communities they serve.
Obama expressed optimism, however, and said the
participants who included members of the Black Lives Matter movement agreed such conversations need to continue despite emotions running
raw.
Obama has devoted his attention this week to the gun
violence directed at police officers as well as shootings by police. The
focus comes a few days after a black Army veteran killed five police
officers in revenge for police shooting black men in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana and the Minneapolis suburbs.
On Tuesday, Obama attended a memorial service for the
five slain Dallas officers and called the families of Alton Sterling in
Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota to offer condolences. He
said he wanted Americans to have an open heart so that they can learn to
look at the world through each other’s eyes, and Wednesday’s meeting
followed that theme.
He said Wednesday it was key to set up the “kind of respectful conversations we’ve had here” across the country.
“The conversation that took place around this table
is very different than the one that you see on a day-to-day or hourly
basis in the media,” Obama said.
But Obama also said the “bad news” was that making progress is hard.
“We’re not even close to being there yet, where we want to be,” he said, noting the “diversity of views around the table.”
The nearly three dozen people invited to the White
House included some police organizations that have little regard for
Black Lives Matter, a group they blame for inciting violence against
police officers. White House officials acknowledged that enhancing the
trust that has been frayed in so many communities will be a job for
future presidents, but they said Obama was determined to get all sides
to commit to steps they can take to improve relations.
Those attending the meeting included Gov. John Bel
Edwards of Louisiana and Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul, Minnesota, the
two locations where police shootings sparked protests around the
country. Mayors from Los Angeles, Newark, New Jersey, and Anaheim,
California, also attended. From the administration, Attorney General
Loretta Lynch joined the president.
Also on the list were Mica Grimm, with Black Lives
Matter Minnesota, and DeRay Mckesson, who was arrested Saturday in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, on a charge of obstructing a highway. Police said
Mckesson “intentionally” placed himself in the road after protesters
were repeatedly warned to remain on private property or the curb.
Mckesson was released from jail Sunday. The Rev. Al Sharpton also
attended.
“Going forward, I want to hear ideas from even more
Americans about how we can address these challenges together as one
nation. That means you,” Obama said earlier Wednesday on Facebook.