With his afternoon remarks on the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, President Obama was answering a call from many of his critics who said they wanted to hear more from him directly.
The early response from some of those critics, and from more than a few supporters, wasn't good -- at least, not among a subset of the black Twitterati.
A small sample:
I don't expect President Obama to become a race man, I expect him not to reinforce notions of inherent Black deficiency.
— Jamilah (@JamilahLemieux) August 18, 2014
I get Obama's role but if he cant speak directly to this situation then what POTUS will? Im tired of our plights needing framing to be heard
— Elon James White (@elonjames) August 18, 2014
Question: "Obama will you go to Ferguson?" Answer: "Obama- So about My Brother's Keeper..."
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) August 18, 2014
The suggestion that My Brother's Keeper could have helped save Michael Brown is ludicrous to the point of being willfully ignorant.
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) August 18, 2014
Mr. President, they keep on wounding us. Each and every day. It's not the time for healing yet! #Ferguson
— Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) August 18, 2014
obama you look good as hell in that suit, but i dunno, man.
— Brokey McPoverty (@brokeymcpoverty) August 18, 2014
again, it is insane to keep asking people to adjust to injustice-that's NOT healing it's postponing inevitable pain on a people #Ferguson
— MichaelaAngela Davis (@MichaelaAngelaD) August 18, 2014
I get that he's working behind the scenes. But um, words mean things, and your president knows better than this.
— Fed-Up General. (@thewayoftheid) August 18, 2014
Some Black celebs, NAACP and President conflate intraracial crime with extrajudicial execution/State violence via "respectability."
— Trudy (@thetrudz) August 18, 2014
Granted, Twitter isn't real life. And these voices don't represent all of black Twitter by any means. But they are a good snapshot of how some of the most prominent, active black voices on social media judged Obama's remarks on Ferguson: dissatisfaction -- mixed with relief at his announcement that Attorney General Eric Holder is headed to Ferguson on Wednesday.
