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Obama Calls for Unity Among Americans

Obama Calls for Unity Among Americans
Obama Calls for Unity Among Americans

US President Barack Obama has implored Americans of all races to show more unity and understanding as he addressed a memorial ceremony for five police officers shot dead in Dallas last week.

“I know that Americans are struggling right now with what we’ve witnessed over the past week,” Al Jazeera quoted Obama as saying on Tuesday

“I’m here to say we must reject such despair. I’m here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem.”

Obama said it was time for the country to start having “uncomfortable conversations about race”, as well as inequality and gun control, Culhane added.

Micah Johnson, 25, a US military veteran, was killed on July 7 by police using an explosive device after he fatally shot five police officer in the streets of Dallas following a demonstration over police killings of African-Americans. Nine other officers and two civilians were wounded by Johnson.

Obama also made a call for Republicans to realize the cost of their opposition to gun control and spending on mental health and drug treatment.

“We allow poverty to fester so that entire neighborhoods offer no prospect for gainful employment,” Obama said, pointing to a string of causes for violence.

“We refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs. We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book.”

 

Financialtribune.com