*Speaking at the annual conference of the National Organization of Black Law (NOBLE), Attorney General Loretta Lynch addressed a group of Black police officers at the 40th annual event, where she said that to truly honor the three officers killed in Baton Rouge, “We must not let hatred infect our hearts.”
Her message also comes more than a week after five officers were killed in Dallas at a “Black Lives Matter” protest. Jet magazine notes how Lynch told the officers that their voices were “needed now more than ever.”
“We all share not only a country, but a brief moment of life together. And the complex and challenging issues these tragedies have brought to the fore can only be met if we can find ways to work together,” she professed at the conference.
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Both attacks on police officers came after two Black men were fatally shot by cops earlier this month. Although authorities are currently investigating the motive behind the ambush in Baton Rouge, the Dallas shooting suspect confessed he wanted to kill police officers.
“I know that we in this room feel a unique perspective and a particular pain born of the broader experiences we bring to bear and the broader world in which we live,” Lynch stated. “NOBLE’s voice is needed now more than ever to speak to the loss of humanity when any of us are judged at a glance — whether by the color of our skin or the color of our uniform.”
She also noted that victim services were available at the Department of Justice in Baton Rouge. The department previously launched an investigation in the city for the killing of Alton Sterling.
Loretta concluded, “And yet even still, he urged all Americans of every background and circumstance, every color and creed, ‘Please don’t let hate infect your heart.’”