Attorney General Loretta Lynch addressed a group of Black police officers at the 40th annual National Organizational of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday morning.
Her message comes a day after three police officers were murdered in Baton Rouge and more than a week after five officers were killed in Dallas at a “Black Lives Matter” protest. According to NBC News, 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.
Both attacks on members of law enforcement came after two Black men were fatally shot by police earlier this month. The incidents have sparked national debates on race relations and analysis on police brutality. Although law enforcement authorities are currently investigating the motive behind Sunday’s ambush, the Dallas shooting suspect boldly confessed he wanted to kill white 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 Baton Rouge for the killing of Sterling.
Lynch then cited the words of Baton Rouge police officer Montrell Johnson, who was killed in Monday’s attack after coincidentally posting a haunting message on Facebook after the killings of five officers in Dallas. “In uniform I get nasty, hateful looks- and out of uniform, some consider me a threat.”
In her own words, 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.’”
