Newtown Action Alliance Statement on the Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights and Dallas Shootings

For immediate release
July 8, 2016

Contact:
John Kelley
917-679-6475
jkelley@newtownaction.org
 

Newtown Action Alliance Statement on the Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights and Dallas Shootings

Newtown,CT-Newtown Action Alliance released the following statement in response to the tragic police shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Falcon Heights, Minnesota; and the shooting of the 11 police officers at a protest in Dallas, Texas.

“There are no words to adequately define the sadness we feel today. Our hearts are broken for the families of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, gun violence victims who were shot and killed by police officers this week. Our hearts break again today for the 11 officers who were shot during the Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas last night.

While we wait for the investigations to be completed, we cannot ignore that fact that African Americans are disproportionately impacted by gun violence and the use of deadly force by law enforcement. We also cannot ignore the fact that law enforcement officers are in harms way in an armed society where weapons of war are easily accessible. We condemn the use of guns to resolve the issues facing our nation.

There is a common denominator in all shootings. The proliferation of armed civilians in our communities contributes to the escalation of all forms of gun violence. An armed society is not a polite society, particularly in a nation that continues to struggle with institutional, structural and subconscious racism.

We support a solution that will provide justice to these victims and we implore all Americans to join us in our fight to demand action from our elected leaders. Congress has a fiduciary duty to protect all Americans from all forms of gun violence. Rather than merely holding moments of silences on the Congressional floor after these shootings, Congress must act to end discrimination, ensure guns do not get in the hands of dangerous people and ban weapons of war with ammunition that can pierce law enforcement body armors.”

###

The Newtown Action Alliance (www.newtownaction.org) is a grassroots organization formed after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It works to make America’s children, families, and all citizens safer through legislative and cultural change that will reduce gun violence in our nation.