President Obama hosts conversation on race, violence in ABC town hall

WASHINGTON (KGO) -- Hoping to prevent future tragedies and aiming to increase understanding, President Obama hosted a national conversation on race and violence.

ABC News Anchor David Muir moderated the forum.

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It focused on difficult issues echoing throughout America, including a controversial video on how to survive a traffic stop.

In the past week, police in two cities shot and killed two African-American men, followed by five Dallas police officers killed in an ambush.

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The president shared a story from his childhood. "Walking into the elevator and there was a woman who I thought knew me. And as soon as I walked on, and she lived on my grandparents' floor, when I walked on, she got off," he said.

The president said he then watched the elevator go back down and the woman went up on her own.