Following a week of shootings across the country that left five police officers and two black men dead, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson said Sunday that the nation needs time for mourning and healing.
{mosads}”Now is the time for healing, the time for mourning, the time for building bridges and dialogue,” Johnson said in an interview aired on ABC’s “This Week.
The officer-involved shooting deaths of two black men in Minnesota and Louisiana last week sparked protests nationwide. In Dallas, five police officers were shot and killed by a sniper at one protest Thursday night.
Johnson said it’s time to build relationships between law enforcement and their communities they serve.
“Violence is never the answer. An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind in these times,” Johnson.
“Building bridges, conversations, community relationships between the community and law enforcement does work. We want to see police departments across the country that are reflective of their communities. We want to see community policing … continued conversation and dialogue.”