Activist And City Schools Exec. DeRay McKesson Meets With President
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- A local activist and top executive in Baltimore City's public schools, DeRay McKesson was among those who met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday to discuss community policing and criminal justice.
McKesson was arrested Saturday in Baton Rouge. He was one of hundreds protesting after police shot and killed Alton Sterling.
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At the White House Wednesday, President Obama expressed both hope for progress and warnings about how difficult it will be.
"Not only are there very real problems but there are still deep divisions about how to solve these problems," the president said. "There is no doubt that police departments still feel embattled and unjustly accused. And there is no doubt that minority communities, communities of color, still feel like it just takes too long to do what's right."
"The pace of change is going to feel too fast for some and too slow for others," he added. "And sadly, because this is a huge country that is very diverse, and we have a lot of police departments, I think it is fair to say that we will see more tension between police and communities this month, next month, next year, for quite some time."
Just last month, McKesson was appointed Interim Human Capital Officer for Baltimore City schools. The school system stressed that McKesson was acting as a private citizen when he was arrested.
