Those who seek to improve our country through peaceful protest and protected speech, I want you to know that your voice is important. Do not be discouraged by those who use your lawful actions as a cover for their heinous violence. We will continue to safeguard your constitutional rights and to work with you in the difficult mission of building a better nation and a brighter future.

We want to take a hard look at the ease with which wrongdoers can get their hands on deadly weapons and the frequency with which they use them.

The verdicts today should send the message that within the police department there is no greater betrayal of the badge and of the brotherhood than to ensnare another officer in a web of lies and deceit.

We lost a young man’s life and it begins to represent so many things.

Americans across our country are feeling a sense of helplessness, of uncertainty and of fear. These feelings are understandable and they are justified. But the answer must not be violence. The answer is never violence. Rather, the answer - our answer, all our answer - must be action. Calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action. We must continue working to build trust between communities and law enforcement. We must continue working to guarantee every person in this country equal justice under the law.

Our most effective response to terror and to hatred is compassion to unity, and it's love.

We are all just here for a time - whether in this building or even on this earth. But the values we hold dear will live on long after we have left this stage. Our responsibility, while we are here, is to breathe life into them; to imbue them with the strength of our convictions and the weight of our efforts.