When I woke up on Friday morning and read the email blast I subscribe to, I was shocked and heartbroken by the news of the entirely senseless tragedy in Dallas. Five Dallas police officers--five people who went to work on Thursday night in order to carry out the pledge they promised to uphold -- were gunned down by a sniper for no other reason than the badge they wore, and the role it plays in the profession they felt called to pursue.
In a week where two African American men were killed in interactions with the police in two separate parts of the country, the loss of the lives of the officers in Dallas adds to the already heavy hearts of this nation. And, may I ask, why? Why did five innocent people die, whose only involvement in the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling was that those killed in Dallas shared the same profession as those in Minnesota and Baton Rouge?
This article is in no way intended to minimize the tragedy of the lives lost earlier this week due to interactions with the police, but I simply could not keep silent on this topic. How does killing officers in Dallas help the situation? What does it prove, other than that this nation is now more divided than ever on this topic? How can the wound left in the hearts of so many possibly begin to heal, when innocent lives continue to be taken, far too soon and for seemingly quite avoidable reasons?
To the families of the Dallas police officers who gave their lives in the line of duty, I want to say that I am sorry. I am sorry that you had to say goodbye to your loved one because of a man's anger that resulted in senseless violence with malicious intent. I am sorry that when you told them you loved them and to have a good shift, that they never had the opportunity to come home again and tell you that it was just another day at the office.
Your loved ones died upholding their promise to serve and protect, and for that, you must be so very proud of them. Their unwavering commitment to that pledge is why they chose to be police officers in the fist place, and their sacrifice will not be forgotten. Though it will take a very long time in order for the hole in your heart that formed in their wake to heal, know that throughout the country, their brothers and sisters in blue and civilians alike are aching for your unfathomable loss.
Your loved ones did not deserve this. No one deserves this, and I pray that we see a day that tragedies like these are unheard of, rather than three times in one week in various locations across the country --especially not just one week after the Fourth of July, a day dedicated to loving and showing, even more, pride in the United States of America than usual. However, today, I am heartbroken to live in a country where the President has to speak out on tragedy multiple times a week, where the Justice Department is constantly being called in to do an investigation into the loss of precious human life, and where innocent men and women are gunned down because they went to work to do their jobs.
I sincerely hope that we as a nation can take this horrific event and move forward, more united in the face of this tragedy.
