The '''riots during the Obama Administration''' were a series of racially motivated conflagrations that erupted nationwide in the last half of [[President Barack Obama]]'s second term. Initially elected as America's first "post-racial" president,<ref>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18489466</ref> many African-Americans became increasingly disillusioned as Obama's presidency progressed.<ref>http://www.people-press.org/2014/12/08/sharp-racial-divisions-in-reactions-to-brown-garner-decisions/12-8-2014_08/</ref> Critics charged Obama personally inflamed the rioters and lawless elements responsible for the destruction of property, businesses, and jobs in several American cities.<ref>http://blog.blackbusiness.org/2014/08/black-businesses-in-ferguson-missouri-recovering-from-looting.html#.VWPqLzY4nTb</ref><ref>httphttps://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/04/protests-baltimore</ref>
Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen noted early on in the [[Wall Street Journal]], "Rather than being a unifier, Mr. Obama has divided America on the basis of race, class and partisanship." Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, acknowledged that the [[Obama administration]] attempted to polarize America around the issue of race as a way of diverting attention from an anemic recovery and other issues.<ref>"Having one's opponent [[race card|rebut charges of racism]] is far better than discussing [[Unemployment|joblessness]]." Berry, M.F. (2010, July 20). [httphttps://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Mary_Frances_Berry_91E3D9D5-C40D-440C-9D48-1C50CBC60C87.html Energy Arena, Driving the Conversation: Contracting Out U.S. Security? And will Branding Tea Party Racist Work?] ''Politico''.</ref> Caddell and Schoen further stated, "President Obama's divisive approach to governance has weakened us as a people and paralyzed our political culture."<ref>Caddell, P.H. & Schoen, D.E. (2010, July 28). [http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748703700904575391553798363586.html Our Divisive President]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
=="Police acted stupidly"==
==Obama condemns an innocent Hispanic==
In March 2012 a [[white Hispanic]] shot and killed a 17 year old youth, Trayvon Martin, who violently assaulted him. A jury found Trayvon Martin's killer acted in self-defense.<ref>httphttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/13/george-zimmerman-found-not-guilty/2514163/</ref> Wikipedia reports, "media coverage surrounding Martin's death was greater than that of the [[Presidential Election 2012|2012 presidential race]], which was underway at the time."
According to the victim, an altercation began when Trayvon Martin suddenly appeared from behind and said, "You got a f----- problem, homie? You got a problem now", knocked him down and pounded his head on a concrete sidewalk.<ref>http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:a_ooInCXchsJ:https://www.txantimedia.com/%3Fp%3D987+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us</ref> The victim received a nose fracture, two black eyes, lacerations to the back of his head, a back injury, and facial bruising. When Trayvon Martin saw the gun, he reached for it saying, "You're going to die tonight m-----------!" President Obama later remarked, "Trayvon Martin could have been me."<ref>httphttps://www.cnn.com/2013/07/19/politics/obama-zimmerman/</ref>
[[Liberal]] Law Professor Jonathon Turley noted, "I am equally troubled by Attorney General [[Eric Holder]] discussing the case in public speeches when his department is supposed to be conducting an unbiased review of the facts involving a man who has not been convicted of a crime....The impression, in my view, diminishes the appearance of [[due process]] and fair trial for the accused."<ref>http://jonathanturley.org/2012/05/16/medical-report-on-zimmerman-shows-broken-nose-lacerations-and-back-injury/</ref>
According to witnesses deemed credible by investigators, a [[Grand Jury]], and even eventually the [[United States Department of Justice]] Civil Rights Division, 18 year old Michael Brown was shot 6 times and killed by Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson, MO Police Dept. after Brown assaulted the Officer with a punch to the face from a standing position through the police vehicle window, and attempted to wrest control of the Officer's [[firearm]]. Brown was the main suspect in a strong arm [[robbery]] that occurred moments earlier. Brown was unarmed, and his body lay in the street as Police conducted an investigation lasting several hours.
The [[White House]] sent 3 representatives to Brown's funeral<ref>http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/08/24/342868844/3-white-house-aides-to-attend-michael-browns-funeral-service</ref> as violence and looting already occurred.<ref>http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/looting-erupts-after-vigil-slain-missouri-teen-michael-brown-n177426</ref> President Obama called the death of the 6'4", 292 lb. Brown, who smashed Officer Wilson's face while in a sitting position, "heartbreaking".<ref>http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/looting-erupts-after-vigil-slain-missouri-teen-michael-brown-n177426</ref> Eric Holder was dispatched to meet with Brown's family and begin a separate DOJ investigation before local authorities completed their own. As in the Louis Gates and Trayvon Martin cases, Obama and Holder began a series of public statements impugning the integrity of public servants who were lawfully fulfilling their duties.<ref>http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/private-pathologist-michael-brown-family-testify-grand-jury</ref> Obama spoke of "a gulf of mistrust between local residents and law enforcement"<ref>httphttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-talks-gulf-of-mistrust-between-police-communities/</ref> and Brown's family flew to [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] to testify before the United Nations Committee Against Torture, alleging police violence against [[African-American]]s was widespread and commonplace in the [[United States]].<ref>http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/michael-brown-family-headlines-delegation-un-panel-geneva</ref>
When the Grand Jury failed to indict the Officer, more violence erupted. Month's later, Holder's Justice Dept., again, was forced to publicly admit there was no cause to consider the death of the black teenager as a [[civil rights]] violation or [[hate crime]]. When Holder's announcement came, more rioting erupted and two police officers were shot. President Obama reserved his reaction on the shooting of the two officers for a late night comedy show, ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''<ref>httphttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/13/heres-how-president-obama-responded-to-the-shooting-of-two-ferguson-police-officers-on-jimmy-kimmel-live/</ref>
Dollar costs of the Ferguson Riots by mid 2015 were still not available, that is, damage to private property and government riot control costs. The ''real cost'' is in the loss of ''future'' income which now will never materialize.<ref>http://hoosierecon.com/2015/03/07/total-cost-of-ferguson-riots/</ref>
==Cop killings==
The number of the nation's police officers murdered in the line of duty doubled during President Obama's tenure.<ref>http://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/articles/2016/09/police-are-less-safe-under-obama.aspx </ref><ref>httphttps://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/07/20/cop-deaths-double-2016-amid-obamas-anti-cop-rhetoric/ </ref> Many were deliberately targeted.<ref>httphttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/09/us/dallas-police-shooting.html?_r=0 </ref><ref>httphttps://www.cnn.com/2016/11/21/us/police-shootings-san-antonio-st-louis-sanibel-gladstone/ </ref>
==References==