Chastising both protesters and law enforcement in addressing the chaos unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri, President Obama called for a peaceful way forward in the wake of demonstrations responding to the recent shooting of an unarmed black teenager.
Mr. Obama said it’s clear the vast majority of protesters responding to the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown are peaceful and he understands the passions and anger that exist, but that actions by a small minority are undermining the broader cause.
“Giving in to that anger by looting or carrying guns, and even attacking the police, only … serves to raise tensions and stir chaos,” he said. “It undermines, rather than advancing justice.”
Mr. Obama also said the public’s constitutional rights to speak freely, to assemble and to report in the press “must be vigilantly safeguarded, especially in moments like these.”
