Barack Obama Issues Statement Calling For ‘New Normal’ While Not Mentioning Riots

Former President Barack Obama has issued a “statement on the death of George Floyd” today where he called for a “new normal.” He did not, however, mention the destructive riots that have taken place in Minneapolis for the last three nights.

My statement on the death of George Floyd: pic.twitter.com/Hg1k9JHT6R

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 29, 2020

From CNN:

“It can’t be ‘normal.’ If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better,” Obama s

aid in a statement, as protests have erupted across the country.

Obama said it will mainly fall on officials in Minnesota to ensure Floyd’s death is fully investigated “and that justice is ultimately done.”

“But it falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station — including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in doing their tough job the right way, every day — to work together to create a ‘new normal’ in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts,” Obama continued.

The former president also put Floyd’s death in context of other recent events: “It’s natural to wish for life ‘to just get back to normal’ as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us. But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’ — whether it’s while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park.”

In his statement, Obama shared parts of conversations he has had over the past week about Floyd’s death. He quotes a middle-aged African-American businessman who says, “I cried when I saw that video. It broke me down. The ‘knee on the neck’ is a metaphor for how the system so cavalierly holds black folks down, ignoring the cries for help. People don’t care. Truly tragic.”

“Another friend of mine used the powerful song that went viral from 12-year-old Keedron Bryant to describe the frustrations he was feeling. The circumstances of my friend and Keedron may be different, but their anguish is the same. It’s shared by me and millions of others.”

It has just been announced that the ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin who was responsible for the death of George Floyd has been arrested with charges pending.

BREAKING: Ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin arrested in the death of George Floyd; charges pending – KARE

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 29, 2020