50.0°,
Overcast Local pols, spiritual leaders on shootings
The Herald asked local spiritual and political leaders to share their thoughts about the recent and controversial police shootings of two black men, and, later in the week, the five police officers who were killed at a rally in Dallas, Texas.
Horrorfying and heartbreaking
“The sniper attacks that killed five police officers in Dallas last week were horrifying and heartbreaking, as were the shooting deaths of two black men, Alton Sterling in Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Minnesota.
We cannot go on like this. We need to do everything we can to ensure law enforcement officers are protected while on the job. We also need to recognize the tremendous power that law enforcement officers have when an individual comes into contact with the criminal justice system, even during a traffic stop, and we need to have a serious conversation about the tremendous responsibility that comes with that power.”
Rep. Kathleen Rice
Signs of the times
“In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day, "...you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."
It seems that the signs of our times point to a deep divide in our nation between our citizens, between many of citizens of color and law enforcement, and an increasing level of anger and gun violence as a result of this divide.
Last week we saw two very troubling shootings of young men of color by police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana, as well as a horrendous attacks on police officers protecting peaceful protesters in Dallas, Texas. I believe we will only begin to address these problems when we can begin to come together and acknowledge that injustice and racism continue to exist and to poison our society not only for people of color, but for all of us.
We need to work toward reasonable gun control measures to keep firearms and particularly assault weapons out of the hands of dangerous and troubled people and we need to be willing, each of us and all of us, to take the first step to begin to reach out and come together in mutual love and respect.
Dr Martin Luther King said, "hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." We need to be willing to put aside our preconceived notions and prejudices in favor of a more loving and peaceful community for all of us. That is what our faith and our nation are all about.”
Rev. Mark Lukens, Pastor, Bethany Congregational Church and Chairman of the Interfaith Alliance of Long Island
Stop the violence
"My prayers go out to the Dallas police officers, their families and everyone affected by this horrendous crime. This heinous attack against these officers and the tragedies that occurred in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis are truly heartbreaking. The senseless violence in our country must stop.
Amidst the heartbreak of last week, we as Americans need to figure out how communities and police can work together to prevent violence and heal our society. Let’s start with common sense laws that protect everyone — law enforcement and citizens alike."
Senator Todd Kaminsky
Improve community relations
It was a very sad and difficult week for our country. I stand with our law enforcement across our country especially the police officers in Dallas. The loss of five of their own who were murdered once again demonstrates the dangers the police face everyday. These officers were protecting the rights of protestors when shots rang out. They moved to protect the very people who have rallied against them and these brave men and women stood their ground and did not run away despite the danger they were in. We owe so much to our law enforcement and should work with them especially in addressing any neighborhood's concerns. Initiatives that may be taken to improve community relations with the police should be done in a positive manner and not be to diminish our police departments.
Denise Ford, NC 4th Legislative District
All lives matter!
Like many people, I have been feeling anger, frustration and sadness over the deaths of the brave policeman who were assassinated in cold blood for doing their best to protect peaceful protesters, and the young men who died at the hands of the police. However, I hope that we can move beyond our anger to a feeling of compassion for all the victims and a resolve to work to build a society where such things don't happen. All lives matter! The racial disperites in our country need to be acknowledged, confronted and addressed.
Rabbi Andrew Warmflash, Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre
Howard Kopel
Encourage, support good police
The recent highly publicized spate of incidents of alleged police brutality has been overblown by the media, and by some unscrupulous politicians seeking self-promotion. Several of the alleged cases of brutality have been ultimately shown to have actually been either self-defense by the police involved, bad luck, or, at worst, bad judgment by a person faced with split second decisions that could involve life or death. Here in Nassau County, our police department has had an exceptional record of serving the public and proving a safe environment. As a member of the Nassau Legislature, I see the cases of alleged misconduct, and I know that these are extremely uncommon. So, by all means, let’s not allow true cases of bad conduct go unpunished. I am sure that just about every police officer that you might talk to will agree with that statement. But let’s not start demonizing police as a whole. Instead, let’s encourage them, support them and help them feel safe and confident as they work to protect us and our families.
