Obama on Ferguson: 'No excuse' for excessive police force against protesters

Obama on Ferguson: 'No excuse' for excessive police force against protesters
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In his first remarks on the escalating situation in Ferguson, Missouri, President Obama on Thursday pleaded for calm and reflection to replace the chaos that has engulfed the town since police last weekend shot and killed Michael Brown.

"Now's the time for healing," he said. "Now's the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson."

Lamenting the "violent turn" the situation has taken, Obama said he had ordered the Justice Department and FBI to investigate the shooting. And while he condemned reports of looting and violence by protesters, he also assailed the stern police response, saying there was "no excuse for police to use excessive force against peaceful protesters."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Here in the United States, police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs," he added.

Notably, Obama's brief remarks were far less pointed than those made by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who in a Time op-ed claimed Washington had "incentivized the militarization of local police precincts" and created a "systemic" problem in law enforcement.

Explore More
Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.