EDGARTOWN, Mass. — President Barack Obama says there is no excuse for the use of excessive force by police in the tense aftermath of the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., and no excuse for violence against the police.
In brief remarks Thursday near his vacation spot in Martha's Vineyard, Obama said he wants an open and transparent investigation of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, so that justice is done. He also appealed for "peace and calm" on the streets of the St. Louis suburb.
"I know emotions are raw right now in Ferguson and there are certainly passionate differences about what has happened," Obama said. "But let's remember that we're all part of one American family, we are united in common values and that includes the belief in equality under the law, respect for public order and the right to peaceful public protests."
He also said police shouldn't be arresting and bullying journalists who are doing their jobs. Two reporters covering the protests were taken into custody and briefly jailed Wednesday evening while working in a nearby McDonald's restaurant.
Read Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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