Obama, Holder, Congressional Black Caucus address Ferguson
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama called for a "sustained conversation" surrounding the relationship between police and the communities they serve after a series of meetings with Cabinet members, law enforcement officials, young activists and others on Monday.
The meetings follow a week of sometimes violent protests that swept the nation following the decision by a grand jury last Monday not to indict a white police officer in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.
Later on Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder, speaking in Atlanta, said the federal investigation of the incident is ongoing.
"The Justice Department's investigation into the shooting death of Michael Brown, as well as our investigation into allegations of unconstitutional policing patterns or practices by the Ferguson Police Department, remain ongoing and active," he said. "They have been rigorous and independent from the very beginning."
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus also spoke out on Ferguson and broader racial tensions in the United States.
"The Ferguson grand jury's decision not to indict former officer Darren Wilson was yet another slap in our face. It was a painful reminder that just like with Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice and so many others that law enforcement officers killed - black and brown men and boys - without repercussions," said Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the House floor.
"The fact that our country - the greatest country in the world - remains mired in race relations issues in the year 2014 is an embarrassment," she said. "If we are to learn anything from the tragic death of Michael Brown, we must first acknowledge that we have a race issue that we are not addressing."
The incident, and subsequent months of unrest in Ferguson, set off a national debate over the tactics and tools used by law enforcement to keep the peace, which critics said were at times too aggressive.
According to the White House press pool report, Obama told a crowd of about 50 activists, law enforcement and elected officials that the problem is "solvable," but that there needs to be an ongoing discussion of the issues uncovered by Ferguson.
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Obama, Holder, Congressional Black Caucus address Ferguson