Friday, May 29, 2020

Barack Obama statement on passing of George Floyd

Former U.S. President Barack Obama released the following statement on the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police:

"It’s natural to wish for life ‘to just get back to normal’ as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us. But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’ - whether it’s while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park.

"This shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 in America. It can’t be ‘normal.' If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better.

“It will fall mainly on the officials of Minnesota to ensure that the circumstances surrounding George Floyd’s death are investigated thoroughly and that justice is ultimately done. But it falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station - including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in doing their tough job the right way, every day - to work together to create a ‘new normal’ in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.”

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