Things might get worse. The center was where the president tried to draw both protesters and police. He criticized each for ignoring the truths to be found in the middle. And when anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased, or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety, when study after study shows that whites and people of color experience the criminal Justice System differently, that if youre black youre more likely to be pulled over or searched or arrested. We cannot simply turn away and dismiss those in peaceful protest as troublemakers or paranoid. Mr. Obama eulogized the five officers, but also brought into the room the memory of the two men killed by police this month who were the reason for the dallas protest. Even though who dislike the phrase black lives matter, surely we should be able to hear the pain of Alton Sterlings family, just as we should hear the students and coworkers describe their affection for phi philando castile. As a nation, president obama said we asked too much of our police. We underinvest in decent schools, and allow poverty to fester, so neighborhoods dont offer prospects for gainful employment. We refuse to fund drug treatment and Mental Health programs. We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book. Then we tell the police, youre a social worker, youre the parent, youre the teacher, youre the drug counselor. We tell them to keep those neighborhoods in check at all costs, and do so without causing any political blowback or inconvenience. Dont make a mistake that might disturb our own peace of mind. And then we feign surprise when periodically the tensions boil over. The president said we must reject despair. We are not as divided as we seem. Heres more i from the service. O say can you see b by the dawns early light there were five empty seats at the memorial, each holding an american flag, representing the officers who were killed. Dallas mayor mike rawlings. We realize that our pain is your pain. You want to do what we want to do, honor the lives of these five officers, lorne ahrens, michael krol, michael smith, brent thompson, patricio zamarripa. The mayor also praised chief david brown for his leadership in the wake of the tragedy. He represents not only dallas, but Police Officers, police chiefs, this higher calling across the United States of america. Chief brown known for never being at a loss for words today decided to use lyrics from a Stevie Wonder song to honor the officers. We all know sometimes lifes hate and troubles can make you wish you were born in another time and place, but you can bet your lifetime that, and twice its doubled, that god knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed. The theme of the service was unity. Former president george w. Bush, who lives in dallas, only miles from where the attack happened, directly addressed the fallen officers families. Your loss is unfair. We cannot explain it. We can stand beside you, and share your grief. We can pray that god will comfort you with a hope deeper than sorrow and stronger than death. He also acknowledged their sacrifice. They went where do the called. They defended us, even to the end. They finished well. We will not forget what they did for us. President obama met privately with families of the fallen officers after todays service. Scott, those families will now begin the process of burying their loved ones. The first two funerals are tomorrow. We continue this evening, looking at the events in dallas. You can see, i think, the emotion on his face today in that speech. I think that, if you talk to people who see him every day, these are the moments that really trouble him, that haunt him. To some extent theyre beyond his control. And to some extent obviously theyre a function of Larger Forces that he has failed to tame, but, you know, they weigh on him. They probably would on any president. Also this evening, bill bill bratton, the commissioner of the new York City Police department. I get up and say what a beautiful day. Crisis are an opportunity to defeat challenges. We have the dual propellant of terrorism. We saw that in orlando, san bernardino. We have aurora. We have what just happened in dallas. The multiplicity of motivations is going to be more of it unfortunately, but with that, out of that, comes the opportunity to have frank discussions about explicit bias, about race in america, about terrorism and the concerns that muslims have. Rose and we conclude this evening with Calvin Trillin, whose new book is called jackson 1964 five decades of reporting on race. I think that what happened in dallas made me think of how fragile everything is. Just takes one guy, because in a way what was happening in dallas was something that was that was wonderfully american. There were the cops protecting peaceful demonstrators who were demonstrating against the behavior of the cops. And thats almost textbook of what free speech and democracy is supposed to be. And one guy can stop it. I think that the difference is what the African American community thinks about they thought it then and think it nog in the culture of the police, systemic rather than just one guy who got scared or shot two. Rose a conversation about dallas and race from the president and many others next. Rose funding for charlie rose has been provided by the following and by bloomberg, a provider of multimedia news and Information Services worldwide. Captioning sponsored by Rose Communications from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. Rose we begin this evening with president obamas speech in dallas. Five Police Officers were killed last thursday by a racially motivated gunman whose shootings followed the shooting of two black men in louisiana and minnesota. The president urged the nation to meet the challenge of this difficult moment. Ive seen how inadequate words can be in bringing about lasting change. Ive seen how inadequate my own words have been. So im reminded of the passage in johns gospel, let us love not with words or speech, but with actions and in truth. If were to sustain the unity we need to get through these difficult times, if we are to honor these five outstanding officers who weve lost, then we will need to act on the truths that we know. Thats not easy. It makes us uncomfortable. But were going to have to be honest with each other and ourselves. Rose president george w. Bush also spoke at the memorial. At times it seems like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions. Rose on the campaign trail, clinton praised reforms made by the Dallas Police department. She spoke in New Hampshire where she accepted the endorsement of her former democratic rival Bernie Sanders. And im asking for all of us to really search our hearts and minds to make sure we dont have implicit biases. Lets learn from Police Departments like dallas that had made strong progress and applied lessons nationwide, because everyone in every Community Benefits when there is respect for the law and when everyone is respected by the law. Rose joining me now is peter baker, who has covered the president , and knows president obama well. Peter, tell me what you thought of the speech today, and is this vintage obama . Is this a role that he handles well because he you can see the anguish in the president as he spoke in dallas. I think you did see that anguish. I thought this speech really serves as kind of a bookend, kind of a sad one, because, you know, in 2004 he first came to our National Attention with a speech to the country at the Democratic Convention in which he talked about how theres not a black america and a White America and a red america and a blue america, but a United States of america. It was that hopeful sentiment, that idea of, you know, common purpose that he rode to the white house four years later. Here he is now, at the end of this presidency, and hes faired a series of episodes like this, that are so searing, so painful, that even he said today in his speech, i have moments of doubt about what is happening in our country, but he said not to give into that doubt, to understand that Race Relations, as hard as they are, are still better than they have been in the past, and to pull together in a more hopeful future. Rose how would he define whats happening in america . Well, i think what he would define it as, as a continuing leftover effects of a long period of racial history in our country that goes back to slavery and jim crow an and so n and so forth. While progress has been made, because he knows in his own life that progress has been made, it doesnt mean every bit of bias and hatred has been stomped out. He had to draw a line, saying were not picking sides between police and African American communities, that those sides have to find ways to work together, to get past this kind of incendiary moment. Rose did he write the speech himself . I think he had a lot to do with the speech himself. In the last few days, trying to work on, its difficult for him, because hes given a version so many times in the last fuelers. He struggled to find words to convey something that will have impact. He said, i dont know that my words will have impact that i want. Theyre inadequate. Thats an admission for a politician who has lived on the strength of his oratory, and hes found that speeches, that words, have not been enough to heal the country. Rose its interesting enough, isnt it, peter and im asking heres a man with extraordinary skills and resume, so to speak, in terms of harvard and harvard law and all that hes done, but a black man with a kenyan father, and a white mother, and written beautifully about it in talking about his father and growing up, as he had, but a man who as president basically did not want to come head on correct me if im wrong talking about racism . Well, i think thats right. I think thats right. I think he came into office wanting to be a president for all americans, not just the first African American president. Look, his place in history he knows was written the day he took office, right . Hes the first African American ever to serve in the white house as the president of the United States. Thats the first line in his obituary. He understands that, but he does not want to be identified strictly in those terms. He had a lot of on his plate at the time. We had an economic crisis, two wars, so he didnt talk much about race in this country in his first term. Its been more in the second term that hes opened up more. Thats a function of circumstance. Obviously he doesnt have an election to worry about anymore, but theres been a series of events from ferguson to baltimore to minnesota, louisiana, and dallas. Theyve forced him to become more of a leader on these issues, to talk about them more. I think it has to be a disappointment to him that a presidency that hoped to be a symbol of progress now is finding itself in the end of its term, you know, dealing witheutt seemed so painful and so harsh and so irreconcilable. Rose were joined by allen blinder of the new york times. Tell us about dallas today, what happened there with the president coming, with joe biden there, former president bush also there. Absolutely extraordinary scene in dallas today. The event that the president spoke at, as well as former president bush, was an invitationonly event here. It was largely, the Symphony Hall was filled with Police Officers, most dallas Police Officers, but also officers from los angeles, wellesley, massachusetts, and the mood in the room was one of hope in a lot of ways, but also a recognition there were tough issues to talk about. President bush touched on those. President obama touched on those. It was interesting watching how the reaction evolved before and afternoon the speech. When i spoke to people before the speech, they werent sure what to make of president obama coming to dallas, what he would say amid all of the turmoil. A number of Police Officers i talked to were quite skeptical of what he might say. Afterwards, a lot of positive response. Rose what do you think it was about the speech that touched them . You know, i had the chief of the Los Angeles CountySheriffs Department tell me that he thought the president straddled the line very well, that he recognized that there are sacrifices that Police Officers and other Law Enforcement officials are called to take every day, but also pointing out that the black American Experience has been difficult, that Law Enforcement is often blamed for that. He said he thought the president managed to weave together a few different narratives in American Life and talk about how they affect everybody. Rose peter, back to you. In some sense, again, of this president i mean, this is he has said before thats worst day of his presidency was the bombing in newtown. Yes. Rose i mean, he feels deeply these acts of violence. He does. Whats interesting, of course, because hes such a you know, detached personality at times, he doesnt necessarily emote in a public way the way, say, bill clinton and george w. Bush did as president , and yet he does feel these things deeply. You could see, i think, the emotion in his face today in that speech. If you talk to people who see him every day, these are the moments that trouble him, that haunt him. To some extent theyre beyond his control. And to some extent obviously theyre a function of Larger Forces that he has failed to tame. But, you know, they weigh on him. They probably would on any president. Rose in dallas, theres Great Respect for the Dallas Police department, because of its leadership. Am i correct . Absolutely. I have had more people come up to me in the last couple days and said they wished the chief would run for president. Deep respect here. It should be noted that the chief has had his critics here. Hes very popular. Hes been very popular, especially since last thursday, but just a few months ago some of the officer groups were criticizing him, in pointed ways. At least one had called for his resignation. So its been an upanddown tenure for david brown, the chief here, but the department in general has a deep well of respect in this city. Rose how would they characterize it . Simply that hes stood up for them, but at the same time go ahead. Officers in dallas were concerned a few months ago about some of his shift scheduling, but people in this city, in the last week, officers have been talking a lot about how chief brown has stood up and told hard truths, that they have felt needed to be discussed on a national stage, but werent really being talked about in a highprofile way. Theyve talked about his News Conference yesterday where he talked a lot about the burdens that have been placed on modern Police Officers, talking about how in dallas theres a loose dog problem, and the police are being asked to help with that. So in the last few days, despite all of the tensions and turmoil that have sometimes shadowed the chiefs tenure in dallas, hes really become a popular figure among his officers. How long that will last, well have to see. Rose is there a sense that dallas is healing . I think theres a sense that its a slow healing process. The funerals begin tomorrow here. Tomorrow dallas will start to say goodbye more formally to two of its officers. Theyll continue throughout the week. I think people want to see really how those funerals go. Chief brown made the comment yesterday that he would be this would be the hardest week of his life, the most challenging thing hes ever done. Rose allen, thank you so much for joining us. My pleasure. Rose peter baker, whos written so well about so many politicians, and especially this president and his leadership, soon will be going to be a bureau chief, and soon will write a book about ji jim baker. Thanks, charlie. Rose thank you. We continue our discussion with bill bratton, the new York City Police commissioner, who announced yesterday that the number of shootings in the city have hit a historical low in the first half of 2016. Im pleased to have him back at this table. Welcome. Great to be with you as always. Rose lets talk about dallas and many ramifications, because you have always been viewed as a Police Commissioner, as a head of Police Departments that have tried to look to the future, and have tried to maximize the best that there can be in police work, both in terms of culture, in terms of technology, and in terms of finding and training best possible Police Officers. So with that context, talk about dallas. Dallas is certainly an american tragedy. As you recall, charlie, two years ago we had a similar experience in new york with two of our detectives murdered just before christmas, and we had this conversation. Ive been very admiring of chief brown in terms of his handling, not only of the horrific events that night, but since that time, really helping america to understand the dilemma that American Police face in