A graphic video of a white man being tortured led to the arrest of four black men and women, who can be seen and heard shouting things like “Fuck Donald Trump; fuck white people.” Chicago police have since labeled the incident a hate crime and announced the charges against them.
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President Obama reacted to the ordeal, which occurred in the city the first family calls home.
“I promise you [that] for the most part, race relations have gotten better,” he said on Thursday. Regardless of his outlook there, he could not stand by the attack.
He called the attack, which had live streamed on Facebook, a hate crime.
“It’s terrible,” he said. “Part of what technology allows us to see now is the terrible toll that racism, discrimination and hate takes on families and communities.”
Obama went on to say, “We don’t benefit from pretending that racism doesn’t exist and hate doesn’t exist. We don’t benefit from not talking about it.”