Washington: Barack Obama’s election as the United States’ first black leader raised hopes that his presidency would serve as a platform for work to bridge the country’s still dangerous racial divides.
But, as his cautious response to clashes between protesters and police in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson shows, he still walks a fine line when the issue of race exacerbates a crisis.
Unrest was triggered when a grand jury declined to prosecute a white police officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager who he said had attacked him -- almost a test case for black distrust of the authorities versus a white fear of urban crime.
“We need to recognise that this is not just an issue for Ferguson, this is an issue for America,” Obama said, as he cautiously addressed a crisis that has triggered coast-to-coast protest marches.
He condemned the looting and arson that erupted after Monday’s decision, but said he understood those who believe law enforcement treats black suspects like 18-year-old Michael Brown harshly.
“Now, it may not be true everywhere, and it’s certainly not true for the vast majority of law enforcement officials, but that’s an impression that folks have and it's not just made up,” he said.
“It’s rooted in realities that have existed in this country for a long time,” he added, with a nod to the legacy of slavery, segregation and economic exclusion that has shaped African American life.
Distrust of Obama among white voters could have cost him the presidency had it not been for the surge in support among America’s black and brown minorities that carried him to office.
Today, many of those supporters are disappointed at his cautious stance on race, and many have demanded that he make the trip to Ferguson to hear for himself about the problems there.
The White House has been careful not to rule out such a visit, and his black attorney general, Eric Holder, has made the journey, but he will be reluctant to plunge in while temperatures are high.
“It’s a very fine line, but he is managing this line very astutely,” said long-time civil rights activist Julian Bond, president emeritus of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Ferguson is the second major racially charged issue to have challenged Obama’s balanced stance since his 2009 election.
