Attorney General Loretta Lynch issued a call for unity on Friday, urging Americans to recognize their shared humanity after a week that saw two black men killed by police in two different states and five Dallas police officers gunned down by at least one sniper.
“To all Americans, I ask you, I implore you, do not let this week precipitate a new normal in this country,” Lynch said at a Friday afternoon press conference. “I ask you to turn to each other, not against each other as we move forward. Let us support one another, let us help heal one another. I urge you to remember today and every day, we are one nation.”
The city of Dallas was reeling on Friday morning after a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest was disrupted by at least one sniper opening fire on the marchers. A suspect, Micah Xavier Johnson, allegedly told police after fatally shooting five officers and injuring seven more that his aim was to kill white cops.
“To our brothers and sisters that wear the badge, I am deeply grateful for the difficult and dangerous work you do every day to keep our streets safe and our nation secure. Our hearts are broken by this loss,” said Lynch.
The Dallas protest was organized to commemorate the lives of two black men killed in back-to-back fatal police shootings this week. Alton Sterling, a father of five, was killed outside a Baton Rouge convenience store, while Philando Castile was fatally shot in his car in the Minnesota suburb of Falcon Heights in front of his fiancé and her young daughter.
Lynch exhorted the country not to choose sides while mourning these lost lives and to recognize that “we are all Americans.”
“Americans across our country are feeling a sense of helplessness of uncertainty and of fear,” she said. “These feelings are understandable and they are justified. The answer must not be violence. The answer is never violence. Rather, the answer, our answer, all our answers must be action. Calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action. We must continue working to build trust between communities and law enforcement. We must continue working to guarantee every person in this country equal justice under the law.”
The attorney general promised that the Justice Department would do “all we can” to support law enforcement in the wake of the attacks, and urged “those who seek to improve our country through peaceful protest” to march forward.
