The White House says President Obama stayed up all night working on his speech.
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The president asked Americans to try to find common ground as he works to unite a nation deeply divided on the question of race relations between law enforcement and the minority communities they serve. “I think he understands the hard task of law enforcement”.
The president, who has tried to implement changes to the laws on gun control, said: “I’ve been to too many of these things”, in reference to memorials for people across America who have died in gun attacks.
He insisted: “We are not as divided as we seem”.
“I see what’s possible when we recognize that we are one American family, all deserving of equal treatment”.
Former president George W. Bush, who lives in Dallas, is also scheduled to speak.
Led by President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W Bush, they honoured the five Dallas policemen slain last week and urged Americans to rise above racial divides and reject despair. After former President Bush and Dallas Police Chief Brown gave comments, Obama began his talk with a poignant tribute to the fallen officers. But until Tuesday, they said, the president had not shown that same outpouring whenever an officer has died in the line of duty.
“We have all seen bigotry in our own lives at some point”.
“These men and women are here because we have a common disease – the absurd violence on our streets”, he said.
“Most of us imagine that if the moment called for it, we would risk our lives to protect a spouse or a child”.
Several area police departments have come to Dallas to help DPD manage the security detail for the president.
“Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action”, Obama said.
“And as for those who use rhetoric suggesting harm to police, even if they don’t act on it themselves, well, they not only make the jobs of police officers even more risky, but they do a disservice to the very cause of justice that they claim to promote”, he said.
He said to the applause of those attending the event that an overwhelming majority of police officers deserve the public’s respect and not its disdain.
Five people were arrested on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., after firing at police officers responding to reports of gunshots.
“At times it feels like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together”, he said.
“Today the nation grieves”, Bush said during his remarks.
“Too often we judge others by their worst example”, Bush said, “and ourselves by our best intentions”.
The politicians and police chiefs were gathered for a memorial service for the five Dallas police officers who were killed and seven who were injured when 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson opened fire during a peaceful protest.
“And as for those who use rhetoric suggesting harm to police, even if they don’t act on it themselves, well they not only make the jobs of police officers even more unsafe, but they do a disservice to the very cause of justice that they claim to promote”, Obama added.
Obama spent a majority of his time talking about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans, admitting that racism does exist in our country.
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One of the numbers appears to belong to Johnson and the other two belong to family members.
