Obama On Ferguson And Police Brutality: If America Is So Racist, ‘Why Bother Even Working On It?’

President Obama acknowledged the anger over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and indicated they were hardly isolated cases, merely the ones that had gotten attention. In response to critics on racial discontent in America, Obama’s response was if America is so racist, “Why bother even working on it?’

In a related report by the Inquisitr,“Cop lives don’t matter” is the chant of some protesters in West Philadelphia in a seeming twist on the new slogan, “black lives matter.”

In an interview with CNN’s Candy Crowley, President Obama empathized with those outraged over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

“There’s no reason for folks to be patient [on improving racial issues],” Obama said. “I’m impatient.”

But according to Obama, critics and protesters are ignoring the real progress that has been made in the U.S. In the interview, Obama pointed out how far the U.S. has come and that progress hinges on honesty.

“On the other hand, I think an unwillingness to acknowledge that progress has been made cuts off the possibility of further progress. If critics want to suggest that America is inherently and irreducibly racist, then why bother even working on it? I’ve seen change in my own life, so has this country. And those who will deny that I think actually foreclose the possibility of further progress rather than advancing it.”

President Obama also addressed American policing, saying that the issue of police brutality has always been there but only now surfacing.

When you look at what’s happened in law enforcement across the country over the last several years, that’s not news to African-Americans. What’s different is simply that some of it is now videotaped and people see it. And the question then becomes, you know, what practical steps can we take to solve this problem. I believe that the overwhelming majority of white americans, as well as African-Americans, want to see this problem solved. So I have confidence that by surfacing these issues, we’re going to be able to make progress on them.

The interview was recorded Friday, before Saturday night’s killing of two NYPD officers. The weekend also saw an cop killing in Florida.