Rep. Lewis: Black people support Obama

ATLANTA, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., said black Americans are frustrated about the scarcity of jobs but are not unhappy with President Barack Obama

Lewis, visiting a job fair in Atlanta Thursday, made his comment in response to a suggestion earlier this week by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., that African-Americans, while supporting Obama, are "getting tired," The Hill reported.

"They're not frustrated with President Obama, they're frustrated with unemployment. They want all of us to work together, to create jobs and put people back to work," Lewis said.

Waters spoke Tuesday at a Congressional Black Caucus town hall meeting in Detroit.

"We're supportive of the president, but we getting tired, y'all. Getting tired. We want to give him every opportunity but our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don't know what the strategy is."

Waters questioned why Obama didn't visit any black communities during his bus tour this week.

Thousands of people turned up for the jobs fair Lewis attended, some standing in line in hot weather for hours because they didn't pre-register, The Atlanta Constitution-Journal reported.

Several people were treated for the effects of heat.

"A total of nine people were treated, and seven were transported," [to Grady Memorial and Emory Crawford Long hospitals] said Capt. Jolyon Bundrige of Atlanta Fire Rescue. "Several did lose consciousness at some point."

Ninety employers attended the job fair and all had job openings, a requirement for participation. They included the Gwinnett County school system, Coca-Cola, Sprint, Google, NCR, Starbucks and Pepsi.