In a statement released on Tuesday, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama suggested that Americans “reimagine policing” in the wake of the recent police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota.
“Our hearts are heavy over yet another shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, at the hands of police,” the Obamas stated, claiming falsely that the shooting proves “just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safety in this country.”
“Michelle and I grieve alongside the Wright family for their loss,” Obama said. “We empathize with the pain that Black mothers, fathers, and children are feeling after yet another senseless tragedy… [W]e will continue to work with all fair-minded Americans to confront historical inequities and bring about nationwide changes that are so long overdue.”
Wright was shot and killed Sunday by a police officer while resisting arrest after a traffic stop. Body camera footage of the incident suggests that the veteran cop accidentally drew and fired her gun instead of a Taser to subdue Wright. In any case, most such “senseless tragedies could be avoided if suspects “reimagined” resisting arrest.