by St. Louis Post-Dispatch (TNS)
ST. LOUIS — President Barack Obama called for peace in the wake of the grand jury’s decision not to charge Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
“We are a nation built on the rule of law, and so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make,” he said from the White House.
Anger, he said, is an understandable reaction. But he said violence is not the answer.
Speaking about an hour after the grand jury decision was announced, the president quoted Michael Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., who asked for protesters to avoid violence.
As the president spoke, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporters in Ferguson reported protesters trying to overturn a police car and tear gas being deployed.
Obama also called on law enforcement to use restraint.
“They’ve got a tough job to do,” he said. “As they do their jobs in the coming days, they need to work with the community, not against the community.”
The president called for more training for law enforcement to treat people fairly while fighting crime and noted that many Americans feel the law isn’t applied equally.
“We do have work to do here, and we shouldn’t try to paper it over,” he said.
AFP Photo/Jewel Samad
