Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged every mayor in the country to review use-of-force policies by law enforcement and commit to report on…
Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged every mayor in the country to review use-of-force policies by law enforcement and commit to report on any needed changes.
“What are the specific steps you can take?” Obama asked in a livestreamed discussion of police reform sparked by the deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans that have triggered waves of protest around the country.
Most of the changes needed, he said, have to take place at the local level. Obama said his administration compiled a number of reforms from a task force his administration created after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. Many local officials supported the report, “but then there wasn’t enough policy.”
„Let’s go ahead and start implementing those,“ he said. „We need mayors, county executives, others who are in positions of power to say this is a priority.“
While urging action, Obama also sent a message of hope to Americans disturbed and disheartened by recent events, especially young people of color.
While recent events have been compared with the riots and protests of the 1960s, Obama said, there’s an important difference.
