Lest he miss out on the PR opportunity afforded him by the tragedy, here is Obama:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=21&v=JSIbPszm3w8
59:02GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.
59:13 THIS MORNING I SPOKE WITH AND
59:14VICE-PRESIDENT SPOKE WITH MAYOR JOE RILEY AND OTHER LEADERS OF
59:19CHARLESTON TO EXPRESS OUR DEEP SORROW OVER THE SENSELESS
59:22MURDERS THAT TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT. MICHELLE AND I KNOW
59:29SEVERAL MEMBERS OF EMANUEL AME CHURCH. WE KNEW THEIR PASTOR,
59:37REVEREND CLEMENTA PINCKNEY, WHO ALONG WITH EIGHT OTHERS GATHERED
59:39IN PRAYER AND FELLOWSHIP AND WAS MURDERED LAST NIGHT. AND TO SAY
59:45OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES AND
59:52THEIR COMMUNITY DOESN'T SAY ENOUGH TO CONVEY THE HEARTACHE
59:57AND THE SADNESS AND THE ANGER THAT WE FEEL.
60:05 ANY DEATH OF THIS
60:09SORT IS A TRAGEDY.
60:15 ANY SHOOTING INVOLVING MULTIPLE
60:20 VICTIMS IS A TRAGEDY. THERE'S SOMETHING
60:25PARTICULARLY HEARTBREAKING ABOUT A DEATH HAPPENING AT PLACE IN
60:30WHICH WE SEEK SOLACE, AND WE SEEK PEACE. I N A PLACE
60:42 OF WORSHIP. EMANUEL IS MORE THAN A
60:44CHURCH, IT IS A PLACE OF WORSHIP FOUNDED BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS
60:51SEEKING LIBERTY. THIS IS A CHURCH THAT WAS BURNED TO THE
60:54GROUND BECAUSE ITS WORSHIPERS WORKED TO END SLAVERY. WHEN
60:59THERE WERE LAWS BANNING ALL BLACK CHURCH GATHERINGS, THEY
61:05CONDUCTED SERVICES IN SECRET. WHEN THERE WAS A NON-VIOLENT
61:08MOVEMENT TO BRING OUR COUNTRY CLOSER IN LINE WITH OUR HIGHEST
61:11IDEALS, SOME OF OUR BRIGHTEST LEADERS SPOKE AND LED MARCHES
61:18FROM THIS CHURCH'S STEPS. THIS IS A SACRED PLACE, IN THE
61:25HISTORY OF CHARLESTON, AND IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA. THE FBI
61:29IS NOW ON THE SCENE WITH LOCAL POLICE AND MORE OF THE BUREAU'S
61:33BEST ARE ON THE WAY TO JOIN THEM. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
61:37ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR THE FBI TO OPEN A HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION.
61:42WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY. AND I'LL LET THE
61:46BEST OF LAW ENFORCEMENT DO ITS WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT JUSTICE
61:51IS SERVED. UNTIL THE INVESTIGATION IS COMPLETE, I'M
61:56CONSTRAINED IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT THE DETAILS OF THE CASE.
61:59BUT I DON'T NEED TO BE CONSTRAINED ABOUT THE EMOTIONS
62:03THAT TRAGEDIES LIKE THIS RAISE. I'VE HAD TO MAKE STATEMENTS LIKE
62:09THIS TOO MANY TIMES. COMMUNITIES LIKE THIS HAVE HAD
62:12TO ENDURE TRAGEDIES LIKE THIS TOO MANY TIMES. WE DON'T HAVE
62:17ALL THE FACTS, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT, ONCE AGAIN, INNOCENT
62:22PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN PART BECAUSE SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO
62:25INFLICT HARM HAD NO TROUBLE GETTING THEIR HANDS ON A GUN. N
62:32OW IS THE TIME FOR MOURNING AND FOR HEALING, BUT LET'S BE CLEAR.
62:38AT SOME POINT WE AS A COUNTRY WILL HAVE TO RECKON WITH THE
62:44FACT THIS TYPE OF MASS VIOLENCE DOES NOT HAPPEN IN OTHER
62:47ADVANCED COUNTRIES.
62:52 IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN OTHER PLACES WITH THIS
62:57KIND OF FREQUENCY. A ND IT IS IN OUR POWER TO DO SOMETHING
63:04ABOUT IT. I
63:08 SAY THAT RECOGNIZING THE POLITICS IN THIS
63:13TOWN, WHO CLOSED A LOT OF THOSE AVENUES RIGHT NOW. BUT IT WOULD
63:18BE WRONG FOR US
63:23 N OT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. AND AT SOME
63:25POINT IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO COME
63:29TO GRIPS WITH IT. AND FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SHIFT HOW WE THINK
63:35ABOUT THE ISSUE OF GUN VIOLENCE COLLECTIVELY.
63:41 THE FACT THAT THIS TOOK PLACE IN A BLACK
63:45CHURCH OBVIOUSLY ALSO RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT A DARK PART OF
63:49OUR HISTORY. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT BLACK CHURCHES
63:54HAVE BEEN ATTACKED, AND WE KNOW THAT HATRED ACROSS RACES AND
63:58FAITHS POSE A PARTICULAR THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY, AND OUR
64:04IDEALS. THE GOOD NEWS IS I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE OUTPOURING OF
64:09UNITY AND STRENGTH AND FELLOWSHIP AND LOVE ACROSS
64:13CHARLESTON TODAY, FROM ALL RACES, FROM ALL FAITHS, FROM
64:22 ALL PLACES OF WORSHIP, INDICATES THE
64:25DEGREE TO WHICH THOSE OLD VESTIGES OF HATRED CAN BE
64:31OVERCOME. THAT CERTAINLY WAS DR. KING'S HOPE, JUST OVER 50
64:34YEARS AFTER FOUR LITTLE GIRLS WERE KILLED IN A
64:41 A BOMBING AT A BLACK CHURCH IN ALABAMA, HE SAID
64:47THEY LED NOBLE LIVES AND DIED NOBODILY. HE SAID BLACK AND
64:51WHITE ALIKE WE MUST SUBSTITUTE COURAGE FOR CAUTION, THEY SAY TO
64:55US THAT WE MUST BE CONCERNED NOT MERELY WITH WHO MURDERED THEM
64:58BUT ABOUT THE SYSTEM, THE WAY OF LIFE, THE PHILOSOPHY, WHICH
65:04PRODUCED THE MURDERS, THEIR DEATH SAYS TO US THAT WE MUST
65:08WORK PASSIONATELY AND UNRELENTINGLY FOR THE
65:14REALIZATION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, AND IF ONE WILL HOLD ON,
65:16HE WILL DISCOVER THAT GOD WALKS WITH HIM AND THAT GOD IS ABLE TO
65:20LIFT YOU FROM THE FATIGUE OF DESPAIR TO THE BUOYANCY OF HOPE,
65:26AND TRANSFORM DARK AND DESOLATE VALLEYS INTO SUN-LIT PATHS OF
65:32INNER PEACE.
65:36 REVEREND PINCKNEY AND HIS CONGREGATION UNDERSTOOD
65:40THAT SPIRIT. THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH COMPELLED THEM TO REACH
65:43OUT NOT JUST TO MEMBERS OF THEIR CONGREGATION, OR TO MEMBERS OF
65:52THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES BUT TO ALL. THEY OPENED THEIR DOORS TO
65:59STRANGERS, WHO MIGHT ENTER A CHURCH IN SEARCH
66:05 OF HEALING, OR REDEMPTION. MOTHER EMMANUEL
66:08CHURCH AND ITS CONGREGATION HAVE RISEN BEFORE FROM FLAMES, FROM
66:11AN EARTHQUAKE, FROM OTHER DARK TIMES, TO GIVE HOPE TO
66:16GENERATIONS OF CHARLESTONNIANS AND WITH OUR PRAYERS AND OUR
66:19LOVE AND THE BUOYANCY OF HOPE
. My thoughts and prayers to the victims. Details are sparse, but my initial gut reaction is that this is a hate crime similar to the Sikh temple shooting
