WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earnest added, however, he was “confident” that at some point Obama would visit Baltimore, but did not give any details as to when the US president would go.
On Monday, a wave of violent riots erupted in Baltimore after the funeral of 25-year-old African American Freddie Gray, who died of a spinal cord injury received while in police custody.
Meanwhile, Obama is closely following the situation in Baltimore and similar cases around the country, even when the US media lacks coverage, Earnest said.
"The president [Obama] is very visible when we have these flashpoints…what is also true and what is undeniable is that the president is focused on these issues even when you guys [media] are not,” Earnest said.
Earlier this week, Obama and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake were criticized for characterizing the local rioters as “thugs” — a characterization that the US president, but not the Baltimore mayor, said that he stood by.
The United States has seen a wave of major rallies against police brutality and racial profiling over the past year triggered by numerous police killings of mostly young African Americans around the country.
