Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Call for Peace Between Police and Communities

Statement

In response to the ongoing tensions between law enforcement and the communities they serve, today Reps. Dave Reichert (R-WA), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Susan Brooks (R-IN), and Doug Collins (R-GA) -- all members of the Policing Strategies Working Group -- released the following statement calling for peace as we work together as a country to regain trust and rebuild police-community relationships that have deteriorated:

The statistics are alarming. Last year, Baltimore saw its bloodiest year on the books with 344 homicides. And with over 600 homicides reported so far this year, violent crime in Chicago is expected to spike by more than 70 percent by the close of 2016. Altogether, violent crime in America is projected to rise by 13 percent by year's end. The trail of violent crime is tragically clear: where there is loss of life, there are deteriorating police-community relations.

This past July we came together to form the Policing Strategies Working Group with the shared goal of protecting the sons, daughters, loved ones, and friends who are the faces and the names behind these numbers. As elected leaders from all corners of the United States, we represent constituents from regions north and south, west and east, rural and urban, and from all racial backgrounds. Like the beautiful country we call home, we are rich with different histories, interests, and backgrounds. However, we share a bond that no electoral lines can splinter -- the human bond. We are one family living on this earth.

As Americans -- as people -- we all want safe neighborhoods, the fair and just rule of law, and peace. When we lose sight of these common goals and the ties that bind us as humans, we risk losing the very things we are fighting to protect. Our life here is fragile, a temporary gift, let's use this blessing of life to work toward a future of peace and prosperity for our children.

We are committed to examining the issues fueling the tension threatening our communities. We are visiting neighborhoods where trust is low and not only listening to opposing voices but learning how individuals live. We are doing our best to walk in each other's shoes - and that's what you must do, too.

In many neighborhoods across America healing will be no easy task, but the stakes are too high to pursue any other path. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, "We must all learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will all perish together as fools."