NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK PRESIDENT REVEREND AL SHARPTON APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ACTIONS TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY POLICING

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May 19, 2015

Press Contact: Elizabeth Kenigsberg

626.930.0222

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Action Network

May 18, 2015

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK PRESIDENT REVEREND AL SHARPTON APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ACTIONS TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY POLICING

NEW YORK – Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network (NAN), released the following statement praising President Barack Obama’s remarks on community policing:

“I applaud the President for his remarks on community policing and more importantly, the actions he announced that will begin to repair the trust between communities of color and law enforcement. We saw in Ferguson the dangers of police looking more like a military occupying force, and I commend the President for taking steps to prohibit some types of military weapons that have no place in America’s neighborhoods. We can’t expect communities to flourish when its residents feel victimized, powerless and afraid.

“I also strongly support the recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and urge communities and law enforcement across the country to embrace it as a blueprint. The vast majority of law enforcement officers are brave and courageous public servants who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe; we honor their heroism and mourn those officers lost in the line of duty. But there are still systemic issues with policing in communities across America and we can and must do better. The President listened to our communities and recognized this reality, and his actions today are a productive first step in rebuilding relationships and restoring trust between our law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

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