Obama releases statement on George Floyd: 'For millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly 'normal''

• Former President Barack Obama has issued a statement on the death of George Floyd at the hands of white police officers and the ensuing protests.
• Obama did not mention President Donald Trump or his tweet calling for the military to use violence to suppress protests and civil unrest.
• "It's natural to wish for life 'to just get back to normal' as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us," Obama wrote.
• "But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly 'normal' – whether it's while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park."
• Obama also included a message from a "middle-aged African American businessman" friend of his, as well as a video from a 12-year-old boy who wrote a song on growing up black in the US.

Former President Barack Obama offered a consoling message and a collective call to action in a statement released Friday afternoon.

Obama posted the statement on Facebook and Twitter shortly after noon, addressing the death of George Floyd at the hands of police and the subsequent protests and civil unrest in Minneapolis.

"It's natural to wish for life 'to just get back to normal' as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us." Obama wrote. "But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly 'normal' – whether it's while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park.

"This shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America," Obama continued. "It can't be 'normal.' If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better."

Obama did not mention President Donald Trump by name.

The former president went on in his statement to call for Americans to come together and address systemic racism in law enforcement across the country.

"It will fall mainly on the officials of Minnesota to ensure that the circumstances surrounding George Floyd's death are investigated thoroughly and that justice is ultimately done. But it falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station – including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in doing their tough job the right way, every day – to work together to create a 'new normal' in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts."

Obama also included a message from a friend of his, who he described anonymously as "a middle-aged African American businessman."

"Dude I gotta tell you the George Floyd incident in Minnesota hurt," Obama quoted the man writing to him. "I cried when I saw that video. It broke me down. The 'knee on the neck' is a metaphor for how the system so cavalierly holds black folks down, ignoring the cries for help. People don't care. Truly tragic."

In his statement on Facebook, Obama included a video of a song from 12-year-old Keedron Bryant called "I just wanna live."

"The circumstances of my friend and Keedron may be different, but their anguish is the same," Obama wrote. "It's shared by me and millions of others."