Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday condemned the use of violence at nationwide protests over racial inequities and excessive police force while praising the actions of peaceful protesters seeking reform.
The vast majority of protesters have been peaceful, but a "small minority" was putting people at risk and harming the very communities the protests are intended to help, Obama wrote in an online essay posted on Medium.
Obama, a Democrat who served two terms as president prior to Republican Donald Trump's administration, said the violence was "compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause."