The live-streamed address from his Delaware home midafternoon Friday was long on solidarity and short on details, encapsulating the presumptive Democratic nominee's strategy for defeating President Trump — present himself as the calm, empathetic alternative to the incumbent, someone capable of turning the page on the chaotic and often vindictive approach favored by the Republican.

But at a moment many Democrats see as a breaking point in a long national struggle against racism and police violence, Biden’s strategy carried some risk, as activists and party leaders simultaneously demanded the former vice president speak in greater detail about exactly how he’d prevent future deaths in a system they believe has long been tilted against people of color.

But on issues of race and criminal justice, Biden must establish his own footprint, activists said.

On Thursday and again on Friday, Biden repeated his view that the violence was part of a deeper systemic problem in America.

“A wound far older and deeper,” Biden said, than “George Floyd’s killing.” He vowed in his live-streamed remarks to do “everything in our power to see to it that justice is had.” He promised to address the problems with “real urgency” and hold “bad cops accountable,” but avoided detailed policy prescriptions.

Biden, who enjoyed strong support from African American voters in the primary, released a blueprint this month entitled “Lift Every Voice: The Biden plan for black America.” The lengthy document calls for reducing the number of people incarcerated, addressing racial disparities, investing in rehabilitation and cutting out private companies such as those that run prisons, which Biden laid out in an earlier proposal on criminal justice reform.

Angela Lang of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities in Milwaukee, which organizes in low-income black neighborhoods, said that Biden’s criminal justice reform plan is “a start” but needs to go further.

Cori Bush, a liberal black activist running for Congress in Missouri, said Biden should call for intensive programs focused on changing the culture of police forces, something that goes behind the few hours of anti-bias training many officers receive each year.

During the protests following the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Bush said that she and other activists were “absolutely” disappointed by the response from then-President Obama — and urged Biden to play a more active role in the wake of the Floyd’s death.

Biden has worked with Sanders to set up six policy task forces, including one tackling criminal justice reform.

Several members said they believe Biden is open to adopting more policy positions aimed at reforming the criminal justice system and addressing its inequities.

A senior campaign adviser said Friday evening that Biden could release “additional policy down the line.”.

Vanita Gupta, a Biden-selected member of the task force who was an acting assistant attorney general during the Obama administration, said Biden has an opportunity to adopt a wider vision for reform — and counter concerns about his record on criminal justice, which stem from a 1994 crime bill he spearheaded.

Symone Sanders, a senior Biden adviser who is on the task force, said some of the criticism of him was “unfounded” and reflected unfamiliarity with his plan.

She added that the former vice president has already weighed in “boldly and with conviction” about “bringing justice back to our criminal justice system and rooting out systemic racism and bias.”.