From THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE SHOOTING IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
12:20 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. This morning, I spoke with, and Vice President Biden spoke with, Mayor Joe Riley and other leaders of Charleston to express our deep sorrow over the senseless murders that took place last night.
Michelle and I know several members of Emanuel AME Church. We knew their pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who, along with eight others, gathered in prayer and fellowship and was murdered last night. And to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families, and their community doesn't say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel.
Any death of this sort is a tragedy. Any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. There is something particularly heartbreaking about the death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship.
Mother Emanuel is, in fact, more than a church. This is a place of worship that was founded by African Americans seeking liberty. This is a church that was burned to the ground because its worshipers worked to end slavery. When there were laws banning all-black church gatherings, they conducted services in secret. When there was a nonviolent movement to bring our country closer in line with our highest ideals, some of our brightest leaders spoke and led marches from this church's steps. This is a sacred place in the history of Charleston and in the history of America.
The FBI is now on the scene with local police, and more of the Bureau's best are on the way to join them. The Attorney General has announced plans for the FBI to open a hate crime investigation. We understand that the suspect is in custody. And I'll let the best of law enforcement do its work to make sure that justice is served.
Until the investigation is complete, I'm necessarily constrained in terms of talking about the details of the case. But I don't need to be constrained about the emotions that tragedies like this raise. I've had to make statements like this too many times. Communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times. We don't have all the facts, but we do know that, once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. Now is the time for mourning and for healing.
But let's be clear: At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn't happen in other places with this kind of frequency. And it is in our power to do something about it. I say that recognizing the politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now. But it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it. And at some point it's going to be important for the American people to come to grips with it, and for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively.
The fact that this took place in a black church obviously also raises questions about a dark part of our history. This is not the first time that black churches have been attacked. And we know that hatred across races and faiths pose a particular threat to our democracy and our ideals.
The good news is I am confident that the outpouring of unity and strength and fellowship and love across Charleston today, from all races, from all faiths, from all places of worship indicates the degree to which those old vestiges of hatred can be overcome. That, certainly, was Dr. King's hope just over 50 years ago, after four little girls were killed in a bombing in a black church in Birmingham, Alabama.
He said they lived meaningful lives, and they died nobly. "They say to each of us," Dr. King said, "black and white alike, that we must substitute courage for caution. They say to us that we must be concerned not merely with [about] who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers. Their death says to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American Dream.
"And if one will hold on, he will discover that God walks with him, and that God is able to lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope, and transform dark and desolate valleys into sunlit paths of inner peace."
Reverend Pinckney and his congregation understood that spirit. Their Christian faith compelled them to reach out not just to members of their congregation, or to members of their own communities, but to all in need. They opened their doors to strangers who might enter a church in search of healing or redemption.
Mother Emanuel church and its congregation have risen before —- from flames, from an earthquake, from other dark times -— to give hope to generations of Charlestonians. And with our prayers and our love, and the buoyancy of hope, it will rise again now as a place of peace.
Thank you.
From a National LGBTQ Task Force press release:
Washington, DC, June 18, 2015—Last night, a young white man opened fire and killed six Black women and three Black men at a historically Black church in Charleston, South Carolina during a prayer service. Local authorities and the U.S. Justice Department announced they will investigate the attack as a hate crime.
"It is with a heavy heart that we join in mourning those killed in last night's tragic shooting at a Charleston historically Black church. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the murder victims and the entire community of Charleston.
"This massacre is frighteningly reminiscent of the tragedies of another era taking place in churches in the South. While many would like to think that our nation has eliminated racism and discrimination, this appalling act of hate shows that we have not. As this violent epidemic, the targeting and killing of Black people, continues with no end in sight—it becomes ever more clear that it is everyone's responsibility to end all forms of racism and discrimination. No one, absolutely no one, should ever fear for their lives when stepping out of their homes, walking down the street in their own neighborhood, or attending a prayer services in their place of worship.
"We thank the U.S. Justice Department for providing support in the investigation of this national tragedy. The perpetrator of this horrific act must be brought to justice and we must all work harder to create a society free from murder, violence and hate crimes," said Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director.
Lambda Legal statement:
(New York, June 18, 2015)—-Lambda Legal issued the following statement from Executive Director Kevin Cathcart:
"We join the nation in mourning the tragic murder of nine African-American parishioners in Charleston. Crimes like this, especially when they occur as this one did in a place of worship and in a historically African-American church, have scarred our nation and are a tragic reminder of how much work remains. Senseless violence motivated by hate has no place in a just society and everyone one of us has an obligation to stand up, speak out and work to end such violence. We offer our condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were killed and, more than that, we offer our promise to continue fighting for equality and justice."
NCLR statement:
(San Francisco, CA, June 18, 2015)—Last night in Charleston, South Carolina, a white gunman opened fire on a prayer group at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Church during Bible study. Nine people were murdered, including state senator and pastor of the church Rev. Clementa Pinckney and his sister. The alleged gunman, Dylann Storm Roof, 21, was captured early this morning. The murders are being investigated as hate crimes.
Statement from National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell:
"There are moments when a headline is too much to comprehend. This is such a moment. The nightmare shooting and murder in Charleston of nine black African American parishioners in a hate fueled racially motivated attack leaves us bereft and sick. There are really no words. We grieve for the families and for our country. We know our nation cannot go on like this and yet, here we are. Will enough ever be enough? Until we are willing to address race and entrenched racism in this country, the headlines will continue."
HRC statement:
WASHINGTON — Today, Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), issued the following statement regarding the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. In coordination with state and local authorities, the case is being investigated by federal authorities as an apparent hate crime.
"Today we are once again tragically reminded of the serious and widespread problem we face as a nation with violent, hate-motivated crimes — a problem which we as a nation must commit to addressing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the communities impacted by this horrific and senseless tragedy in Charleston seemingly targeted because of their race. As this heinous crime reverberates across the entire country, we stand united with allies and friends nationwide to end the cycle of violence motivated by hatred."
LPAC statement:
On behalf of the LPAC board and staff, Executive Director Beth Shipp released the following statement:
LPAC stands tall and strong with our brothers and sisters in #Charleston, SC. We are committed to working to advance equality, racial justice, and putting an end to violence in this country.
The deliberate violence at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is heartbreaking and incomprehensible.
Today, we mourn with a nation and remember the nine men and women whose deaths must spark greater urgency for our country to do so much better. #BlackLivesMatter #AME
Pride at Work statement:
WASHINGTON, DC - Wednesday night, a young white man walked into the historic Emmanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina and murdered nine African-American parishioners. Witnesses heard the killer make racially motivated statements before he opened fire. Pride at Work Executive Director, Jerame Davis, responded with grief and disgust:
"The horrendous crime that took the lives of nine African-Americans at the Emmanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina yesterday is heart wrenching. In moments like these, words often fail, but we must speak out when senseless, racist violence takes innocent lives. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families.
"There is no justice that will bring back these nine people nor salve the grief of the surviving family members. The racist motivation of this murderer is another stark reminder that we must speak up and out to declare that #BlackLivesMatter. We will not rest until every corner of our country has heard that message and takes it to heart.
"It is disgusting and deplorable that some are painting this act of hatred as anything other than racially motivated. The Emmanuel AME church is a symbol of black liberation and the killer was explicit about his motivation - even going so far as to tell a survivor he spared her so she could tell others what happened. Those who try to paint this as anti-Christian violence are deplorably engaging in whitewashing the truth of the matter to perpetuate a false narrative.
"The violence, the racism, and the denial all must end. We are better than this."
