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Obama meets cabinet, civil rights leaders on Ferguson

Presidential meetings with Cabinet members, civil rights leaders, and local officials from across the country come a week after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed 18-year-old black man, Michael Brown.

Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, and around the country have shined a spotlight on the importance of strong, collaborative relationships between local police and the communities they protect and serve,” says the White House in a statement.

The decision triggered protests, riots, and demonstrations in Ferguson and in other cities nationwide. The meeting with cabinet members included a discussion of a review Obama ordered in August of federal programs that provide equipment to local law enforcement agencies, the White House said in a statement on Sunday.

Obama also met with elected officials, civil rights leaders and law enforcement officials from around the country to discuss “how communities and law enforcement can work together to build trust to strengthen neighborhoods across the country,” the statement said.

Law enforcement officials were criticized for their militarized response to protests in Ferguson after a police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown.

A grand jury last week refused to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the case.After meeting with his Cabinet, Obama gathered  young civil rights leaders to the Oval Office, the White House said. Topics for that discussion included the mistrust between law enforcement and communities of color.

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