The President and the People: A National Conversation

In the wake of recent violent events in the USA, Disney Media has produced a Town Hall event featuring President Obama and the families of victims of said violence and officials from law enforcement to discuss equality, race-relations, and justice. The goal is an effort to find answers to stop the mistrust and the violence from both sides of the issue.

The President and the People: A National Conversation. Disney Media Networks is hosting a landmark town hall discussion with President Barack Obama and Americans who have been directly affected by recent events in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas. “World News Tonight” Anchor David Muir will moderate a frank and intimate conversation about race relations, justice, policing and equality, produced by ABC News. It will include many of the people whose lives have been changed forever in the last week as the nation sees these issues play out through their eyes. “The President and The People: A National Conversation,” can be seen embedded in its entirety below. ESPN Commentator and co-host of ESPN2’s “His and Hers” Jemele Hill will join Muir as President Obama hears from officers, parents, students, community leaders and families asking what it will take to stop the violence. On Thursday “Nightline” will air a special edition anchored by Byron Pitts from Washington.

Something needs to be done to quell the violence between Police and poor communities; I agree with that. This town-hall wasn't perfect but at least it's a start. Did anyone else catch this? I tried to post the video however, it is a Livestream so I'm not sure how to upload it.

I missed most of it but I'm glad to see that the issue is being discussed because there is a lingering energy of distrust between police and poor communities. What says ATS?

www.wzzm13.com...

a reply to: lostbook

They pre-empted battlebots to show it. It made my 6-year-old cry. We did not watch it.

lose the term black and white as a means of distinguishing a person
there's a start.

a reply to: lostbook

Disney . Obama , the Liberal Propaganda Agenda , Check . More Crapola from the Pretender in Chief and his Minions of Lost Souls , Check .

And Nice preempted Obama.

Funny how that works.

A vicious terrorist attack.

originally posted by: Zanti Misfit
a reply to: lostbook

Disney . Obama , the Liberal Propaganda Agenda , Check . More Crapola from the Pretender in Chief and his Minions of Lost Souls , Check .

The issue shouldn't be about Obama and it isn't. The issue of mistrust and violence between police and minority communities has been going on for way too long. The purpose of this thread is to discuss the town hall which covers the issue; not how good/bad a President Obama is.

originally posted by: all2human
lose the term black and white as a means of distinguishing a person
there's a start.

I only wish it were that simple.

originally posted by: neo96
And Nice preempted Obama.

Funny how that works.

A vicious terrorist attack.

Boy did they screw-up the timing.

I wonder how many people watched Obama vs. the news with the France attack.

a reply to: lostbook

" The purpose of this thread is to discuss the town hall which covers the issue; not how good/bad a President Obama is. "

The Town Hall Discussion was a Total Failure , it Did Not Solve , or Bring People Together for the Common Good . It did though have something in Common with President Obama , the Definition of Failure........

I remember the article I read about it on MSN this morning. They talked all about the focus on changing law enforcement practices, and I was fine with that. However, nothing, NOTHING was discussed about how the communities themselves needed to step up and change too.

IMO, if you want change, it has to come from both sides. It is not a one-sided deal, so this will be doomed to fail.

originally posted by: Zanti Misfit
a reply to: lostbook

" The purpose of this thread is to discuss the town hall which covers the issue; not how good/bad a President Obama is. "

The Town Hall Discussion was a Total Failure , it Did Not Solve , or Bring People Together for the Common Good . It did though have something in Common with President Obama , the Definition of Failure........

Whether it was a failure or not is your opinion and I respect that. I thought it could've been better; of course I didn't see the whole thing so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

It didn't solve ALL problems of the issue but at least it is a start.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I remember the article I read about it on MSN this morning. They talked all about the focus on changing law enforcement practices, and I was fine with that. However, nothing, NOTHING was discussed about how the communities themselves needed to step up and change too.

IMO, if you want change, it has to come from both sides. It is not a one-sided deal, so this will be doomed to fail.

Obama did say that the people of impoverished communities are just as responsible. He said that most violence committed against Blacks is by other Blacks; namely young Black boys. I'm glad he said that because it needs to be said. He also said that Police have families to go home to just like the rest of us. Just because he's trying to show empathy to people who feel abused doesn't mean that he doesn't care about the other side of the issue; namely, the police.

originally posted by: neo96
And Nice preempted Obama.

Funny how that works.

A vicious terrorist attack.

What dots are you connecting, NEO?

a reply to: lostbook

Obama cannot be taken seriously when it comes to race. Too many times during his Presidency he has shown himself to be a bigot in his own right.

How are police supposed to trust him after he threw them under the bus in Dallas? Obama has done more to foment race problems than any President in modern history.

If you want to have a real dialog or mediation then you need to have an impartial mediator. Obama is not that person.

The only true stereotypes are found in ones local store or sitting on their shelf. Unfortunately, inequality is a discrimination via this branding of people no different. Of course sales people under whatever banner always want to believe one brand gets better reception than another ignoring that one has their own ears to know the difference... reception of how someone else hears or sees things regardless of the stereotypical does not have to be discriminatory in nature but respect the music ones voice aside from their own has... putting ones voice in their own ears is just feedback like when a microphone is placed next to a speaker...

One can either listen to themselves screech or tune into what some else has to say about what they've experienced that the other hasn't, if one discriminates a lot one isn't likely aware they discriminate a lot, because they likely haven't faced any of that music themselves... and when there is a taste of such discrimination? They don't like it and wish to push back just as hard as those that have had systematic discrimination their entire lives.

In such is where one should see what they are seeing as an attack they are not familiar with is no different than the discrimination ones self serves up without even the consideration that what they are feeling and complaining about has been in effect on others for much much longer.

Awareness of this should stop someone in their tracks, and say wow this is what I've been unconsciously doing to others, and all my complaining about it is simply justification for the very thing I dont like to continue happening to others?

If someone where to have such a realization, then it's likely they would lay down those discriminatory tendencies... if it hasnt felt good or brought happiness in days, weeks, or a year or two... imagine it coming from a place that has seen it generation after generation, decade upon decade, and automatically branded on child after child... to either continue it or receive it.

It's a sickness that takes understanding to alleviate... waiting for a draft to tell if ones zipper is down is no excuse to leave it down after someone kindly points it out.

The event (good word choice) had all the feel of a scripted WWE match with none of the excitement. And may have been prompted as a CYA should Day of Rage BLM events in various cities get out of hand. Let's not forget the rumor of armed Black Panthers to show up at the RNC convention in Cleveland next week.

With the hand picked and stacked audience and scheduled questions; there was no real dialogue. Where was the tough questions? Where were discussions on paths to improve conditions?

To Obama's credit, he did try to turn down the rhetoric but kept falling back to stump speech bullet points. At least the delivery in a more calm tone to simulate conversation.

In the end, there was no concession nor confession that his earlier positions and inactions contributed to arriving at this boiling point in history. I can only hope that the minimalist effort here prevents the boil over like placing a wooden spoon on the pot. I have some doubts, but remain in a guarded condition (to borrow from the old terror alert system).

originally posted by: all2human
lose the term black and white as a means of distinguishing a person
there's a start.

I completely agree.

Do you include criminal racial profiling by police in that though? And why or why not?

I ask -- 1 -- because that is a HUGE issue for the Black folks on the other end of that profiling, and -- 2 -- many folks (not me) think that kind of racial distinction is valid.

a reply to: lostbook

The issue shouldn't be about Obama and it isn't. The issue of mistrust and violence between police and minority communities has been going on for way too long. The purpose of this thread is to discuss the town hall which covers the issue; not how good/bad a President Obama is.

Not to speak for the poster you were responding too, but I get his point. It is about Obama (as noted in your title). Obama and many others have been playing us for a long time, and I do suspect this was just theater -- at best. We do have to look at how this issue is being used to play us. The game is divide-and-conquer. We must look at those pulling the strings as well.

There is a good reason for the mistrust between the police and minority communities.

a reply to: Ahabstar

And may have been prompted as a CYA should Day of Rage BLM events in various cities get out of hand.

That's Anonymous' "Day of Rage"... not BLM.

Defense Department workers warned to avoid 'day of rage' protests

A group claiming to be Anonymous is billing the DC demonstration as being part of a “collective day of rage” and “day of solidarity,” with 36 other protests taking place in major cities across the country on Friday night, including one in Manhattan’s Times Square.

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: lostbook

Obama cannot be taken seriously when it comes to race. Too many times during his Presidency he has shown himself to be a bigot in his own right.

I don't know if I would call him a bigot, but I would say he exploits feelings of racial injustice to score political points every chance he gets, and he always has. If he can fan the flames to score more points, he'll do that, too.

I think that's almost worse than just being bigoted and I think that's why so many people don't trust him or take him seriously.

He doesn't care about bigotry, he doesn't care about victims of bigotry, he only cares about what he can gain from exploiting them.

ETA: And BTW, he did the same thing, in 2008, when he ran as an anti-war candidate. He exploited the victims of war by making all kinds of empty promises to bring the troops home, all for a vote and a buck.

As a role model to his supporters, they also abandoned all interest in ending the wars, too, once he was elected. He really is a terrible, terrible role model and I think he is a bigger liar than Hillary and Bush put together.