Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) said that protesters over the Ferguson and Eric Garner cases in Boston “weren’t interested in engagement” and that this forced him to ask “what is it we’re trying to accomplish beyond disruption?” on Sunday’s “State of the Union” on CNN.

“yesterday in Boston, we had demonstrations as well, and we went to great lengths to try to connect with the organizers, to the extent they were organized, to get a sense of what they needed so that we could accommodate the protests and respect that right, and they weren’t interested in engagement because part of the point was to be disruptive” he stated.

Patrick continued that “I think it does beg some questions, ‘what is it we’re trying to accomplish beyond disruption?’ Certainly part of it is to make sure people understand just how broadly the concern lies around being understood, and not being fearful either as unarmed black men or as police, and that huge chasm of misunderstanding between the two has got to be bridged.”

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