U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch urges peace in message to Americans

On Friday afternoon, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch urged Americans to unite in the face of the tragedies that have battered America this week.

“This has been a week of profound grief and heartbreaking loss,” Lynch said. “The peaceful protest that was planned in Dallas [on Thursday] night was organized in response to the tragic deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota … and [on Friday], we are feeling the devastating loss of Dallas Area Rapid Transit [DART] officer Brent Thompson, and four other fallen officers whose names remain unreleased as we await notification to all of the families.”

This week has witnessed tragedy every day since Tuesday. The latest incident occurred Thursday night when 12 police officers were shot — five killed and seven injured — in an ambush during a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas. Lynch addressed some of the feelings that Americans have commonly expressed since the rise of police brutality cases in the country, including helplessness and fear. Though Lynch understands these concerns, she urges the public to resort to peaceful actions rather than violence.

“Now, after the events of this week, Americans across our country are feeling a sense of helplessness, of uncertainty and of fear,” Lynch said. “These feelings are understandable and they are justified, but the answer must not be violence. The answer is never violence. Rather, the answer … must be action. Calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action.”

Before wrapping up, Lynch sent a stern message to all Americans: “I ask you, I implore you, do not let this week precipitate a new normal in this country.”

“I ask you to turn to each other, not against each other as we move forward,” she said.

Watch the attorney general’s full speech here.