President Obama condemns Baltimore riots on Steve Harvey’s radio show

President Obama took to the airwaves Wednesday to once again condemn the violent riots in Baltimore provoked by the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray while he was in police custody.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen these police-related killings or deaths too often now, and obviously everybody is starting to recognize that this is not just an isolated incident in Ferguson or New York, but we’ve got some broader issues,” Obama said on Steve Harvey’s syndicated morning radio show.

But, the president added, “the kind of violence that we saw from a handful of individuals in Baltimore -- there’s no excuse for that. “That’s just criminal behavior. It’s counterproductive because it hurts the very communities that are already suffering a tragedy with Freddie Gray’s death.”

“People who engage in that type of violence, it needs to stop,” he said, adding that “my hope is that people heed the call of Freddie Gray’s family.”

Gray’s family has called for peace and a halt to the unrest, which erupted following Gray’s funeral on Monday when rioters set fires to businesses and cars and attacked police officers.

Obama expressed concern about police officers who were attacked during the uproar: “My heart goes out to the police officers who were injured in the past few days. They showed extraordinary restraint ... it shows how tough a job like policing can be.”

Twitter: @GeBraxton