Appealing for calm in Ferguson, President Obama told reporters at the White House that a discussion is still needed in America about race relations, but he directly urged those disappointed with the grand jury decision not indict a police officer in the shooting death of a black teenager to divert their fury into something other than violence.
"To those in Ferguson, there are ways of channeling your concerns constructively," Mr. Obama said in a late night statement from the White House Briefing Room.
"There's never an excuse for violence," the President added.
While the President urged all sides to show restraint, the reaction from members of Congress was more emotional, especially among black lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Other black members of Congress made clear that violence should not be an acceptable response.
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