By Esra Kaymak Avci
WASHINGTON (AA) – Texas Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday blamed President Barack Obama for using divisive language in support of two black men shot by white police officers.
During a nationally televised town hall on race and policing, Patrick asked Obama to be more careful with his words and accused him for being “too quick to condemn the police without due process and until the facts are known.
“Words matter. Your words matter much more than mine. Everything you say matters,” Patrick told Obama.
“I’m concerned that police officers across the country, they know you support law enforcement of course, but do they really, in their heart, feel like you’re doing everything you can to protect their lives?” he asked.
Obama responded by saying that he has been “unequivocal in condemning any rhetoric directed at police officers.
“So I think, lieutenant governor, you’d have to find any message that did not include a very strong support for law enforcement in all my utterances dating back to Ferguson,” the president said.
“I rely on law enforcement to protect me and my family just like everybody else does. So, I appreciate the sentiment. I think it’s already been expressed. But I’ll be happy to send it to you in case you missed it.”
Among the participants who asked Obama questions during the discussion were Black Lives Matter activists, police officers, parents, students and families affected by fatal shootings last week of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota by white police officers.
Following the shootings, Obama described them as “symptomatic of the broader challenges within out criminal justice system”.
Protests against police brutality have since continued across the country, including demonstrations in Washington DC where hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the White House and demanded justice for victims and police reform.
