The U.S. President Barack Obama gave a speech from the press room in the White House to condemn the incidents that took place in Baton Rouge on Sunday morning.
For the second time this week, the president of the United States spoke in public about the violent acts taking place in the North American country. In fact, this month, it seems like every time Obama speaks in public he has to address the same situation, and yet, his rhetoric has changed in a not so subtle way.
The recent conflict between police officers and the African-American community in the land of the free started on July 5 when two white cops pinned down Alton Sterling, a black man, and then, shot him in the chest several times. The reports, a YouTube video, and the testimonies sparked the anger of the people who started protesting the controversial incident. During one of these riots, violence took the stage, and sadly, a group of black protestors were shot dead by police officers in Minnesota. The tension was just too much, and it only got worse when Micah Johnson, a veteran, ambushed and sniped 5 white police officers from Dallas. The last reported incident marks a cycle, as it comes from Baton Rouge where everything started. There, the police department reported that a black man, identified as Gavin Long, shot dead three police officers and injured 4 others before the authorities slew him.
The president stopped being neutral and got behind law enforcement during his last speech for a good reason
It was probably the ugliest week for Obama as a president, and he had to shorten a tour in Spain to come and address the situation. He chose to talk to the press in Dallas where the most recent incident, at the moment, took place, and with his words, he urged people to stop rioting and police officers to look for other tactics when dealing with the situation. He was very neutral supporting the two parties involved in the problem, and he was equally criticized for both of them, for different reasons, though.
However, during the last speech aired from the press room at the White House, Barack Obama condemned the attacks and put the Federal Forces at the full disposition of the Baton Rouge Major, Kip Holden, the Sheriff’s Office and the Baton Rouge Department. This time, the president gave 100% support to law enforcement, and there is a really good reason for it.
“We may not yet know the motives for this attack, but I want to be clear: there is no justification for violence against law enforcement. None. These attacks are the work of cowards who speak for no one. They right no wrongs. They advance no causes,” said the president during the broadcast.
As a matter of fact, the authorities still don’t know what the motivation behind the attack was. Some known facts make the Baton Rouge shooting similar to the sniper ambush in Dallas. The attacker was identified as Gavin Long, an African American veteran, and according to the information flooding the net, he also presented an erratic behavior with signs of radical thinking. All of which got clearer when the police officers that registered his body in the scene said they had found an ID card indicating Long was part of a Black Pride Movement. One of the three killed officers, Montrell Jackson, was a black man.
Police: Baton Rouge shooting believed to have been ambush https://t.co/chzqqjGZya
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 18, 2016
Moreover, the information coming from local sources is mixed, at best. According to some reports, Gavin Long was wearing a black coat, black mask, and body armor paired with an AR-15 minutes before the first shots were reported. Whether it was the civilian version of the rifle or the military one remains unknown. While other reports say, there was a group of men shooting at each other on the Airline Highway way before the police officers got involved. In fact, an earlier report by a CBS affiliate indicated said one of the three suspects had been shot dead in the scene, and the other two were still at large.
It is in this media mess that the president’s words make sense. He urged people to stop using inflammatory rhetoric and throwing “careless accusations” to “score political goals.” Major Holden joined Obama in this regard practically begin citizens to stop “spewing” anti-police consigns during protests and gatherings.
The president indicated that news feeds and the information spread on social media could further amplify the division between police officers and civilians. He called everyone to replace the divisor speech for one of union regardless of the personal agenda they might have.
Source: The White House