--- title: Obama: Racial Issues Have 'Surfaced in a Way That Probably Is Healthy' description: The national conversation on racial tensions and police mistrust "should make us optimistic," he said. canonical: https://time.com/3648415/obama-npr-interview-ferguson-garner-police/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-29T15:00:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:29.881Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama: Racial Divisions Have 'Surfaced in a Way That Probably Is Healthy' og:description: The national conversation on racial tensions and police mistrust "should make us optimistic," he said og:url: https://time.com/3648415/obama-npr-interview-ferguson-garner-police/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb0e5c535a4141d79/6987775e524fc03087deba42/barack-obama-racial-tensions.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: President Obama Holds End-Of-Year News Conference At The White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama: Racial Divisions Have 'Surfaced in a Way That Probably Is Healthy' twitter:description: The national conversation on racial tensions and police mistrust "should make us optimistic," he said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb0e5c535a4141d79/6987775e524fc03087deba42/barack-obama-racial-tensions.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama: Racial Divisions Have 'Surfaced in a Way That Probably Is Healthy'  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Dec 29, 2014 3:00 PM UTC  U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to members of the media during his last news conference of the year in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 19, 2014. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to members of the media during his last news conference of the year in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 19, 2014.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Dec 29, 2014 3:00 PM UTC President Obama believes the racial tensions over the police shootings of unarmed black Americans have “surfaced in a way that probably is healthy,” he said in a recent [interview](http://www.npr.org/2014/12/29/372485968/transcript-president-obamas-full-npr-interview) with _NPR_. “I think that the fact that there’s a conversation about \[racial divides and police mistrust\], and that there are tools out there that we know can make a difference in bridging those gaps of understanding and mistrust, should make us optimistic,” Obama said in the interview, which was released Monday, but recorded before the Obama family left for their Hawaii vacation. Protests against police racial profiling have rocked the nation following two high profile grand juries returning non-indictments for the white police officers who had killed Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., both unarmed black men. Last week, two NYPD officers were killed in an ambush by a civilian, an event which spurred additional dialogue regarding communities’ [mistrust of police.](http://time.com/3643191/nypd-de-blasio/) Obama also drew attention to the rise in cellphone use to document and hold police accountable for their actions, referring to the cellphone video that showed Garner in a chokehold. He added that while the Garner and Brown cases have exposed racial tensions, he believes Americans’ day-to-day interactions are less racially divided today than in years past. “It’s understandable the polls might say, you know, that race relations have gotten worse — because when it’s in the news and you see something like Ferguson or the Garner case in New York, then it attracts attention,” he said. “But I assure you, from the perspective of African-Americans or Latinos in poor communities who have been dealing with this all their lives, they wouldn’t suggest somehow that it’s worse now than it was 10, 15 or 20 years ago.” \[[_NPR_\]](http://www.npr.org/2014/12/29/372485968/transcript-president-obamas-full-npr-interview) ### Ferguson Ignites With Violence After Grand Jury Decision  Law enforcement stands in full gear by tanks in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014 Barrett Emke for TIME  Protesters stand amid tear gas and smoke in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Barrett Emke for TIME  Riot policemen clash with protesters in Ferguson Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Alexey Furman—EPA  St. Louis County Police tactical team members open their reserve supply of tear gas to be fired as they take cover behind an armored truck on S. Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. David Carson—St Louis Post Dispatch/Polaris  Law enforcement responds to protestors in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014 Barrett Emke for TIME  A woman speaks into a megaphone during protests in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014 Barrett Emke for TIME  A man lies on the ground amid protests in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014 Barrett Emke for TIME  Police in riot gear tangle with a woman in front of emergency vehicles in Ferguson Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Larry W. Smith—EPA  A demonstrator puts his hands in the air amid protests in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014 Barrett Emke for TIME  A law enforcement officer pushes back protestors after they destroyed a police car in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Michael B. Thomas—AFP/Getty Images  Demonstrators attempt to push over a police car in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov, 24, 2014. Xinhua/Sipa  Cars burn at a car dealership as demonstrators protest the Grand Jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson over the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. on No.v 24, 2014. Larry W. Smith—EPA  A car burns on the street after a grand jury returned no indictment in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Jim Young—Reuters  Protestors parade in the parking lot of a burning auto parts store in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Tannen Maury—EPA  A demonstrator walks down the street after getting tear gas in her face and attempting to cleanse her eyes in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Larry W. Smith—EPA  Patrick London surveys the damage at his fast food restaurant London's Wing House after it was looted during protests on Nov. 24, 2014. Barrett Emke for TIME  Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, covers her face while standing alongside other demonstrators in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014 Barrett Emke for TIME  Police stand near a burned out police car in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Christian Gooden—St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Polaris  A man stands by a burned out car in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014 Barrett Emke for TIME  A Ferguson firefighter surveys rubble at a strip mall that was set on fire when rioting erupted following the grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown case on Nov. 25, 2014 in Ferguson, Mo. Scott Olson—Getty Images  A police officer holds her gun during clashes with protesters in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. 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