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Attorney General Eric Holder spoke out on the current wave of police protests in a new interview this week with New York Magazine, conducted by MSNBC host Joy Reid. And right off the bat, Holder said he doesnt believe young minorities have anything to fear from the police.

That being said, there is a lot of distrust and people demonizing each other, Holder said. And he doesnt feel that at this point were at a stage yet where I can honestly say that if youre a person of color, you should not be concerned about any interaction that you have with the police.

When asked about the progress Americas made on race and dealing with that mistrust, Holder simply said, We, as a nation, have failed.

He deferred a bit on the statistics of police confrontations with minorities and touted DOJ work during his tenure as taking on some very important race issues, in spite of what liberal critics might say. Meanwhile, on the other side, Holder didnt bite when asked if conservative criticism of him and Obama is because of race.

You can read the full interview here.

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FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2014, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in New York. Dozens of athletes in recent weeks have responded ... more >

Attorney General Eric Holder had nothing but praise for the many NBA stars whove come out in recent days wearing I Cant Breathe t-shirts, saying the political messaging serves the public well and shows a depth to the players that many didnt expect.

Its a good thing they wear them during pre-game warmups, Mr. Holder told the Chicago Sun-Times. For them to get out there and to express in that way a social conscience, I think goes back to maybe people that these guys dont even know or my son has a vague awareness of, to Jackie Robinson, who is seen as not only a great athlete but, as an involved, thinking, caring black man.

Mr. Holder specifically referred to LeBron James and Derrick Rose, and praised their public shows of support for Eric Garner, the black suspect who was killed about an hour after he was placed in a chokehold by a New York police officer.

To have LeBron, Derrick Rose and others who wore those I Cant Breathe shirts, that shows a level of involvement, Mr. Holder said, The Hill reported. It shows a depth to them beyond just being great ballplayers.

Mr. Holder has vowed a federal civil rights investigation will go forth in the Garner death, despite the fact a grand jury ruled no evidence existed to charge officer Daniel Pantaleo with any crime.

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Eric Holder cheers NBA stars for 'I Can't Breathe' shirts: 'Shows a depth to them'

December 15, 2014 06:17 PM EST

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Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder traveled to Memphis and held a roundtable discussion on improving the relationship between the city's people of color and local law enforcement.

In the wake of the recent police-involved deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and others, the President has called for an increased effort to help rebuild communities' trust in local law enforcement and the justice system. In that vein, the Attorney General will be holding similar discussions in a number of other cities across the country.

-- Attorney General Eric Holder

Attorney General Holder also noted the inefficiency of policing on the basis of stereotypes, saying that this kind of policing will "draw you to places where you shouldn't be, and take you away from places where you, in fact, should be."

The discussion was held at the Lorraine Motel the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968, and now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum. Attorney General Holder said the museum was the "perfect place" for this meeting, as "it's an indication of how far we've come, but it's also a reminder of how far we have to go."He also linked protesters across the country today to those who are memorialized in the museum "people who made noise, who disrupted things, all with the hope, with the aim of making our great nation better," he said.

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