Barack Obama calls for widespread policing reforms after protests

Former president strikes optimistic tone in first live remarks on unrest gripping US

Former US president Barack Obama on Wednesday urged every American mayor to review and reform their police department's policies on use of force in consultation with their communities.

The country's first black president also struck a note of optimism, even as he acknowledged the despair and anger powering the protests since the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody nine days ago.

"In some ways, as tragic as these past few weeks have been, as difficult and scary and uncertain as they've been, they've also been an incredible opportunity for people to be awakened to some of these underlying trends," Mr Obama said from his Chicago home.

"And they offer an opportunity for us to all work together to tackle them, to take them on, to change America and make it live up to its highest ideals."

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The Federal Hall in Manhattan, New York is seen marked with graffiti after protests against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd. Reuters

He also directly addressed young Americans of colour.

"I want you to know that you matter, I want you to know that your lives matter, that your dreams matter," Mr Obama said.

His speech offered a distinct contrast in tone to the way his successor, President Donald Trump, has responded to the protests, some of which have devolved into violence.

Mr Trump has threatened to send in the US military to quell demonstrations and told governors to get "tougher".

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Mr Obama did not mention Mr Trump on Wednesday, although he has criticised the president's actions more frequently in recent weeks.

Wednesday's address was part of a discussion hosted by My Brother's Keeper, a programme Mr Obama founded in 2014 after police shot dead black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, to address deep-seated racial inequities.

The panel included former Attorney General Eric Holder and other black leaders.

Mr Obama, who saw a similar outpouring of grief and frustration while in office after police killings of unarmed black men, rejected the notion that one must choose between "voting versus protests" or "politics and participation versus civil disobedience".

"This is not an either-or," he said. "This is a both-and".