Friday, July 8, 2016
"My thought is that as a kid growing up reciting the pledge of allegiance in the classroom, with liberty and justice for all, I’m not seeing that play out in society today. There appeared to be no liberty and justice for Mr. Sterling, no liberty and justice for Mr. Philando Castile, but also not liberty and justice for the five officers who lost their lives last night.
We’ve become divisive in our rhetoric, in our language and in our actions. How much more grievous are the consequences of our fear and anger than the causes of it? And how do we control that? Because if we don’t, I think we’re going to go down a path that I think we can’t recover from.
We have to continue communication. Once we lose the ability to communicate with one another everything breaks down. Fear over takes us. There is a quote from Victor Franco, saying we as human beings have the last human freedom and that is to choose how to respond to an outside stimulus.
We have to control that and not allow fear to get the best of us.
This is a nationwide situation that we have to address."
"Once again we have witnessed the horrific use of violence at the hands of a gunman to kill and wound this time law enforcement officers in Dallas, Texas. We condemn in the strongest terms this heinous crime and extend our deepest sympathy to the families of the officers.Shelly O'Quinn, Spokane County Board of Commissioners:
Our heartfelt sympathies also go out to the families and communities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and St. Anthony, Minnesota, during their time of grief.
Our thoughts and prayers are extended to all those who are in grief and we wish for healing in all three communities. We know firsthand the pain a community experiences in such times as we faced the murder of Coeur d’Alene Police Sergeant Greg Moore ...
It is our commitment to the use of non-violence and a hope for all America that we turn away from violence and promote a civil discourse that promotes respect and dignity for all people.
At our monthly KCTFHR Board meeting last night, prior to our learning of the killings of the police officers in Dallas, we agreed to host an all day conference on October 13 in Coeur d’Alene titled “Returning Civility to America’s Democracy” with invitations to the faith community, business community, education community, civic groups and the general public.
Lets us all redouble our efforts to create an environment where we find peaceful resolutions to our problems and issues."
“Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.’
“This feels like a time of darkness. The cause of justice is not advanced by the abhorrent hate and violence unleashed in Dallas last night. It is in these times that it is more important than ever that we work to bring light to darkness, love against hate.
“Trudi and I, and I know all Washingtonians, join in mourning the five officers gunned down last night and pray for a full recovery of those injured. We stand with the people of Dallas and the men and women in law enforcement around the world. I’ve ordered state flags to be lowered today in honor of the Dallas officers.
“No explanation of last night’s horror should satisfy us; no justification should be offered or accepted.
“We must work to change the culture of killing that infects American life today. As we stand shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement, we also stand with those who decry the injustice felt when we read about the tragic killings of far too many people of color. We have a clear need in our country to end the disparate treatment of people of color and we have much more work to do. All of us have to redouble our commitment to ensuring a system of justice that is fair and just for all, regardless of skin color.
“As we speak our truths, we can and must do so peacefully. In Washington state, demonstrations have largely been peaceful. I thank the communities and our law enforcement officials for showing that bold protest does not require violence.”