Former US president Barack Obama has penned a lengthy essay urging his country to "get to work" to enact criminal justice reform and address systemic racism after a weekend of protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
"The waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system in the United States," Mr Obama wrote in a post on Medium.
"The overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring. They deserve our respect and support, not condemnation - something that police in cities like Camden and Flint have commendably understood."
Mr Obama - who previously spoke out against Mr Floyd's death, saying treating US citizens differently on the account of race "shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020" - also condemned the violence that has accompanied some of the protests.
"Let's not excuse violence, or rationalise it, or participate in it," Mr Obama wrote.
"If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves."
He pointed to elections as a force of change, denouncing the notion that voting won't make a difference.
"The bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn't between protest and politics. We have to do both. We have to mobilise to raise awareness, and we have to organise and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform," he wrote.
He also emphasised the importance, not just of national elections, but those at the state and local level, where he says reforming police departments and the criminal justice system is most integral.
