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Obama Rebukes Violent Protesters

No Excuse

Urges rebuilding trust in law enforcement.

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Alex Wong/Getty

President Obama scolded protesters Tuesday night for racially charged violence in Missouri, saying there was no excuse for burning buildings, torching cars and destroying other property after a grand jury declined to indict the white police Officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot black teenager Michael Brown. The president said destructive actions are criminal acts and those who responsible should be prosecuted. "To those who think that what happened in Ferguson is an excuse for violence, I do not have any sympathy for that. I have no sympathy at all for destroying your own communities," he said. Speaking in Chicago on Tuesday, Obama said, “The problem is not just a Ferguson problem. It’s an American problem.” He asked Attorney General Eric Holder to begin organizing regional meetings across the country to devise plans to build trust between law enforcement forces and their communities and reduce the tensions that have built throughout the case against Wilson. “Those who are prepared to work constructively, your president will work with you,” Obama said.

Read it at AP