Obama says America is horrified over Dallas attack
WARSAW, Poland >> President Barack Obama said that America is “horrified” by a targeted shooting of police officers in Dallas, and he said there is no justification for the violence.
“We still don’t know all the facts. What we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement,” Obama said today in a brief statement to reporters.
The president called the shooters motives “twisted” and vowed that “justice will be done.”
“There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement,” Obama said.
Obama spoke with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings early Friday and offered his support and condolences. He said the FBI is also in contact with Dallas police.
Obama spoke from Warsaw, Poland, where he is meeting with NATO and European Union leaders. Obama arrived early Friday shortly before the snipers opened fire on police officers, killing five officers and injuring seven others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
Immediately after landing in Warsaw, and before the shootings, Obama made a point of expressing solidarity with protesters. In a hastily arranged statement to reporters Obama called on Americans to do more to fight injustice and racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
The remarks appeared aimed at ensuring Obama did not appear to be withdrawn from the roiling public debate over police brutality. The president has acknowledged becoming out of touch with the public mood during past foreign travels and seemed determined not to let that happen this week.
In this case, Obama also proved to be grimly attuned to the potential for violence directed at police and criticism that the protesters were hostile toward law enforcement.
There’s no contradiction between supporting law enforcement and working to see that biases in the justice system are rooted out, Obama said.
“So when people say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ that doesn’t mean blue lives don’t matter,” he said, referring to police. “It just means all lives matter — but right now the big concern is the fact that the data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents.”
Obama expressed his gratitude to police officers and noted he had grieved with families of fallen officers. He reiterated that message Friday morning.
“Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us,” Obama said. “Today our focus is on the victims and their families. They are heartbroken. The entire city of Dallas is grieving. Police across America, which is a tight-knit family, feels this loss to their core.”
59 responses to “Obama says America is horrified over Dallas attack”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Unfortunately, just more nice words that belie the hatred and divisiveness regularly sewn by this man.
Immediately after landing in Warsaw, and before the shootings, Obama made a point of expressing solidarity with protesters.
His words have long been a great recruiting tool for racists.
IMHO O is a racist.
Most people are horrified to go into Black city neighborhoods – but our poor cops have to.
Most people? What, exactly, is wrong with you?
they not, look at Chicago…. Let them kill one another, come in and sweep up the mess after. Welcome to the real world. They no different then Sunni and Shia, or Catholics and protestants, all hate one another….. lots of IRA guys getting out jail now, will continue to fight and we let all the Gitmo guys out. Probably hate even more…. like Micah Xavier Johnson. Cleaning my guns now klastri.
What, exactly, is wrong with you?
Klastri, OMG, what, exactly, is wrong with you? Our poor cops must go into Black city neighborhoods.
That’s why you have black officers hired. They patrol the black neighborhoods with compassion and understanding. A lot of police force only hire a certain race, thus causing these frictions. A police department should reflect on its population.
well many do. I really like the Dallas police chief. What a gem. And, African-American. I weep when I think of poor old inept Kealoha. We could have had better. And we will…
That’s why they lowered the score too….so more stupid people can put on a gun. HPD lowered to 61% passing. Son got his score was flustered when he saw passing percentage. When I took it back in 70s, had to have 70% or better. He is with Maui, they still are at 70%. Miami-Dade lowered their %’s in the late 80’s to recruit more Hispanic officers. They got “murder for hire” group. Cops killing rival drugs dealers, protecting drug trade. Had a conversation once with a former Chief of Police from the outer Islands. They were worried because most local kids could not pass the reading comprehension portion of the written exam, to include putting things in a logical order after reading a paragraph. The fix was to bring back cadet program, which SHOPO has an issue with. Maui PD created Public Safety Aides, hired to do non-police functions that prepared them to be come police officers. Lots of reading comprehension, reading court papers, arrest booking etc. By the time they took police test, they could read and pass basic written civil service exam.
Remember, he also went off on the Baltimore Police for the death of Freddie Grey and now the cops are being acquitted at trials. His problem is he declares guilt before all of the facts are in and revs up the racial tension. He took office with a nation hopeful of improved racial relations then proceeded to make it worse.
Exactly, and it started in his first few days in office with the racist Harvard professor. I would like to see a picture of him, just one time, where he has his mouth shut and listens. He has a staff, a cabinet, directors of agencies to make informed statements–he’s pulling a Jimmie Carter on micro managing.
Is this what O meant when he said….”the fundamentally changing of America”?
Obama is the problem!
He’s taken sides in the past which led to racial divide even against the police departments. And now we see Obama condemning this person(s) attack on the police force that was protecting the rights of the protectors. Obama ain’t gonna admit it but he fueled the anti-police FIEYA!
I’d like to tell O…words have consequences.
obama does not get it.
Agree.
I see no black or white in Death!
Obama does.
Agree.
Obama is not handling this properly. Thus, it has gotten worse each day.
What did you expect from a Democrat like him? Same goes for all the Democrats in office here on Gilligan’s Island. None of them know how to handle anything which includes everything from the rail to the homeless situation. For those that will vote for Hilary, they’ll soon enough get what they deserve coming to them!
I’m hoping President Obama is being totally honest on his view of this shooting spree. His prior comments have not all been supportive of Police Officers! Maybe he should let jurisdictions handle these things and not comment!
“Obama called on Americans to do more to fight injustice and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. . . . but right now the big concern is the fact that the data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents.”
obama first says attacks on law enforcement has no justification, and then proceeds to offer justifications based on race.
yet, hiliar considers inner city black youths “super predators” who have “no conscience, no empathy” and believes “we have to bring them to heel.”
and don’t forget bill clinton referring to obama while meeting with ted kennedy, “a few years ago this guy would be bringing us coffee.”
Your Hope is dimming since he has a few months left in his 8 year tenure. IMHO he made it worse…the racial divide because of his divisivness.
He SAID the shootings were “unjustified”, what more could you ask for? Also, “black folks are more vulnerable” – really?
How about we comment on things like guns. In Texas, guns rule. Republican red states cherish that. It’s so sad. Thing is I bet the police officers in these states would like to see changes. Imagine watching a protest March with participants packing! Spooky. This is very sad. Oh well, anything to protect the so call 2nd.
You’d lose your bet. Most cops are fine with trained,, law abiding people with firearms. What they don’t like are untrained criminals who spray and pray and basically act the way libs project law abiding gun owners acting.
PS. It was a BLM democrat who did this ambush, not a tea partier or any republican. As is usual in a mass shooting, it’s an unhinged liberal pulling the trigger.
“How about we comment on things like guns.”
You can comment about guns until your face turns blue but it doesn’t matter or get to the heart of the matter because tragically we have a President and a Justice Dept. that has fomented divisiveness and escalated violence by their remarks and actions. I have a suggestion…how about Obama CONTROL HIS WORDS and not create further animosity. He doesn’t need further legislation to do that does he??
Innocent people are killed and some hateful individuals here does nothing but blame one person and political party? Sick, you’re sick!
Resorting to ad hominem argument are you? If the President were a Republican and had said and done the same things that Obama has done in reaction to these incidents thereby increasing racial tensions, I would have no problem blaming a Republican.
Bingo, you just proved you’re sick! Blaming a political party? That’s so convenient for sickos like you, isn’t it?
May I remind you that YOU are the one who brought up the issue of “party.” I specifically blamed Obama and the Justice Dept. If Obama were a Republican, I would still have no problem blaming him. Clinging to your ad hominem attack only serves to show how feeble and desperate your argument is. Any more questions?
Hey, d-sicko, you really should learn how to read. But you still get to keep your sicko award.
I’ll decline your award as it is basically worthless since you can’t even manage to form a cogent argument.
No blame on one person or political association. This is a ll about the view of “our” President, nothing else!
Bingo, congratulations, you just won the sicko award, along with the other guy.
Go home cook rice!
Leadership matters. Obama has failed in that regard as it relates to race relations, publicly taking sides and reaching conclusions before the facts were in, such as he did with Ferguson MO. His and the justice departments actions inflamed that situation. Same thing with Trayvon Martin and Baltimore.
Blame him for the Dallas killings? No. Condemn him for his failed, biased, inept leadership? Yes. He could have tamped down passions. He didn’t. He could have called for rational, quantifiable problem solving to address black concerns about policing. He didn’t.
Hs legacy is one of missed, blown opportunities and we’re all worse off for it.
Winston, you get to share the sicko award with papa and the other guy. Who in the right mind justifies death of innocent people on ONE person or political party? Oh, wait, isn’t that what the killer kind of did? Blame someone else for his sicko behavior? Isn’t that what ISIS does? Blame the western culture to justify their sicko behavior? So, doesn’t that put you, papa, and d in the sicko camp? Hey, enjoy your campfire chat blaming everyone else, have a nice sicko day.
Read and think, Ox. I do not blame Obama for the Dallas killings. I do blame him for poor leadership and bad handling of prior incidents. If he tries to twist this racial problem into an argument for gun control, I’ll blame him again.
Killing of innocent people is because of the view of “our” president? You’re SICK to the max.
No, my comment is about President Obama’s message. He has softened his tone but is as fervrent about killings of Police and other races. I believe he is a good person but he seems to be torn. I’d still have him over a beer. I think he would be fun to talk to. He seems kinda like a nerd! 🙂
We don’t have to worry about ISIS we have our own.
We are in a race war and it’s getting worse. Ferguson, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, to name a few locations. Where next?
color too, throw blue in.
American Lives Matter. Make America Great Again.
Hilliary puts African Americans in prison but panders their vote. She’ll say and do anything to get elected.
Memories of JFK.
No, it specifically says “Black lives Matter”, if it meant “All Lives Matter”, it would say so. Obama needs to keep his mouth shut. He just inflames the situation. But we all know, Obama can’t keep the spotlight off himself.
“He saw a political opportunity to bring up the gun control issue and, regardless of the fact that there are still officers wounded (and) that we don’t even know if gun laws had anything to do with this at all, none of those facts are even out yet, he just senses political opportunities,” Bongino told “Fox & Friends” on Friday.
“His skin is very thick on this, he doesn’t seem to care and he does it and is really not interested in any backlash at all. It was totally inappropriate but that’s what he does.”
IMHO O also has the thinnest skin I have ever seen in a narcissist.
POTUS should apologize to all law enforcement for being partially responsible for inciting the violence. You clearly took sides and now you want to bail out and say “blue and all lives matter”? He has sown the seeds for race wars, a gender war, and international conflicts of which may produce WWIII. What will be his greatest legacy?
He exposed his racist facade when he said “the cops acted stupidly”…then the beer summit…the rest is history.
Hurry up and show the faces of the dead and arrested perps. What races were they?
Obama is quilty of inciting racial hatred and has the blood of all victims of all colors on his vile hands.
As I see it Kids, a good vacation with plenty of rest like reading a book, relaxing by the pool and naps are what the President need to help rejuvenate his mind and body! Not golfing, basketball, and all those physical activities he has included in his vacations. These physical activities are good to some sensible degree but an overload will deprived much needed rest and hinders one’s ability toward healthy decision making!