Obama: ‘Many Americans Feel Deep Unfairness’ About ‘How Laws Are Applied’

"When it comes, as we've seen unfortunately in recent days, to our criminal justice system, too many Americans feel deep unfairness when it comes to the gap between our professed ideals and how the laws are applied on a day-to-day basis.

You know, I -- I should mention, before I came here I had a chance to speak with Mayor de Blasio in New York and I commended him for his words yesterday and for the way New Yorkers have been engaging in peaceful protests and being constructive. He was just in the White House with us on Monday as we started taking some concrete steps to strengthen the relationship between the law enforcement and communities of color. I intend to take more steps with leaders like him in the months ahead.

But, beyond the specific issue that has to be addressed, making sure that people have confidence that police and law enforcement and prosecutors are serving everybody equally there’s the larger question of restoring a sense of common purpose. And at the heart of the American ideal is this sense that we're in it together, that nobody is guaranteed success, but everybody's got access to the possibilities of success."