On Thursday, US President Barack Obama, said the recent deaths of two black men by American police reflect a serious social problem in the country. And therefore, he argued that the American police is reformed. On Tuesday, two agents shot and killed Alton Sterling, Louisiana. The next day, Philando Castile was also killed by US security forces in Minnesota. Both episodes were recorded in strong images videos, causing commotion and outrage in the streets and on social networks.
Arriving in Warsaw, Poland, where he will attend a NATO summit, Obama offered condolences to the family of Castile. Then the president lamented that his country has experienced tragedies like this too many times.
- The change has been very slow, and we must have a greater sense of urgency about it - Obama said. - When we see data indicating differences in the way african-Americans and Latinos are treated, it behooves us all say, "We can do better than that we're better than that.".
He also urged Americans urge local police departments to implement the reforms suggested by a commissioned task force last year.
- If these tragedies can leave something good, my hope is that communities across the country are interested and say: "Applying these recommendations?" - said. - Some jurisdictions have adopted these recommendations. Many did not.
'SERIOUS SOCIAL PROBLEM'
In his Facebook, the President stressed that the episodes that afflict communities in the US are not isolated cases - but rather a symptom of the challenges of the American criminal justice system. The President, however, cautioned that admit a serious problem does not contradict respect and admiration for the majority of police officers in the country.
"What is clear is that these fatal shootings are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of the biggest challenges within our criminal justice system, racial disparities that appear in the system year after year and the resulting lack of trust between law enforcement and many of the communities that it serves, "Obama wrote.
Earlier, the White House issued a statement saying Obama was deeply disturbed by the deaths of Americans. According to government spokesman John Earnest, the president follows the situation closely.
In the case of Louisiana, the Justice Department conducts an investigation of civil rights on the death of Sterling by two police officers. On Thursday, the governor of Minnesota asked to open a federal investigation into the case in the state.
"The Department is prepared, as necessary, to conduct further investigation and considers this matter under federal law," the Justice Department said in a statement.
Dozens of people demonstrated in the streets of Falcon Heights, Minnesota, to protest the death of Castile, who was 32 years old. In Louisiana, they were also reported protests after the murder of Sterling, at age 37.
"All Americans should recognize the revolt, frustration and grief that so many Americans are feeling ... Michelle and I share these feelings," said the president.
Police procedures have been targets of criticism in the United States in the past after the death of young black Michael Brown, shot down by a shot of a white agent in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Similar cases occurred in Chicago (Illinois) and Baltimore (Maryland).
