While much of the country was watching Hillary Clinton testify before the Select Committee on Benghazi, leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement were keeping an eye on President Obama as he hosted a meeting on criminal justice reform with representatives of the Marshall Project, “a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom covering America’s criminal justice system.”
Starting now: Join @POTUS & the @MarshallProj for a conversation on #CriminalJusticeReform: https://t.co/uoaQd9F4Zs pic.twitter.com/KGh9eMIN1A
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) October 22, 2015
The president managed to have it both ways today, both declaring that all lives matter (three little words that forced presidential candidate Martin O’Malley to apologize for his “mistake” in uttering them) and insisting that the #BlackLivesMatters movement has to be taken seriously, particularly given America’s past.
"Everybody understands that all lives matter," says Pres Obama, discussing the Black Lives Matter movement. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/0GESSFO8La
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 22, 2015
Pres Obama also said Black Lives Matter points to a specific policing problem "and that is a legitimate issue we’ve got to address.” (2/2)
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 22, 2015
How about a nationwide beer summit to politely ask law enforcement to stop “acting stupidly”?
.@POTUS is now talking about the movement and pushed back against "All Lives Matter" & highlighted racial inequity re: crime enforcement.
— deray (@deray) October 22, 2015
"We as a society, particularly given our history, have to take this seriously." —@POTUS on #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/yC1T1q9GYm
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) October 22, 2015
If the president did provide one service, it was distinguishing between #BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter.
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https://twitter.com/WesleyLowery/status/657279659567116288
At start of forum on criminal justice reform, Pres Obama urges it be made "smart, effective, just and fair." pic.twitter.com/AaZOgjZwyo
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 22, 2015
He’ll be out of office relatively soon, so maybe there’s a realistic chance of that happening under different leadership.
Pres Obama also urges that prison sentences be proportional and that lawmakers and judges realize that "incarceration is just one tool."
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 22, 2015
@markknoller Incarceration is not a tool. It is law that holds criminal behavior accountable & to protect the public. #incarceration #law
— Carol Parker (@caparkertexas) October 22, 2015
The president should be well aware that judges realize “incarceration is just one tool.” For example, there’s New York’s feel-good diversion program, which allowed life-long criminal Tyrone Howard to walk the streets freely and fatally shoot Officer Randolf Holder in the face.
Pres Obama calls for police to be trained so they don't immediately suspect wrongdoing "just because some kid's wearing a hoodie."
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 22, 2015
That sounds awfully like a reference to George Zimmerman, who wasn’t a police officer. However, “Campaign Zero,” which has been successfully shopped around a receptive Washington by #BlackLivesMatter’s DeRay Mckesson and associates, would “require current and prospective police officers to undergo mandatory implicit racial bias testing” and tie the results to hiring, deployment, and performance evaluations.
https://twitter.com/JonMcPhalen/status/657275689364619264
@markknoller That is 1 of the dumbest things that i have ever heard of. Obama should go thru Police training and ride with a police officer.
— ○ツ° (@iMaGiNeprints) October 22, 2015
@markknoller How about if that kid wearing the hoodie matches the description of the perpetrator? What a moron.
— Lt. Col. CornpopDelecto (@LDreeniatnuom) October 22, 2015
@markknoller He intentionally is not standing up publicly for officers. He's a disgrace.
— Sandra Andresen (@fmfa94) October 22, 2015
We’d like to say that it’s safe to relax now, as the president will never actually do anything about what he mentioned in today’s forum. However, it wasn’t long ago that he toured the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in Oklahoma and granted clemency to dozens of nonviolent inmates. What better way to solve the problem of mass incarceration than to set prisoners free?
https://twitter.com/YahooPolitics/status/657270262010880000
The moderator of the current convo w/ @POTUS just asked the perfect question: Why should we trust the police to end mass incarceration?
— deray (@deray) October 22, 2015
.@POTUS is essentially saying that the community is responsible for ending mass incarceration, along with the police.
— deray (@deray) October 22, 2015
It seems our corrupt, racist society is left to clean up the mess it created.
.@POTUS says criminal justice is a reflection of us as a society. “All of us” have to own biases for #CriminalJusticeReform to work.
— The Marshall Project (@MarshallProj) October 22, 2015
President Obama then handed the reins to Valerie Jarrett, who answered questions online.
Hope all tuned in for @POTUS's discussion with law enforcement officials on #CriminalJusticeReform. Let's chat! pic.twitter.com/zSDu1SktJh
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) October 22, 2015
Apparently someone had tried to impose a time limit on today’s forum, which addressed a subject close to the president’s heart.
"This is my house."
–@POTUS, on having his speaking time cut short at @MarshallProj's #CriminalJusticeReform panel. pic.twitter.com/1pY7YCtVt2
— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 22, 2015
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