EDITORIAL: ‘A descending spiral ending in destruction’

Posted 7/12/16

In the deadliest attack against U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001, five police officers were killed by a sniper on Thursday night in Dallas. Nine more officers were wounded in the attack; two civilians also were injured.

The deadly attack …

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EDITORIAL: ‘A descending spiral ending in destruction’

Posted

It’s been an incredibly difficult week for America — one filled with violence and heartache.

In the deadliest attack against U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001, five police officers were killed by a sniper on Thursday night in Dallas. Nine more officers were wounded in the attack; two civilians also were injured.

The deadly attack occurred during a march where hundreds had gathered to protest recent police shootings. The protest was one of many last week after two black men died at the hands of police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. Police in Dallas were there to safeguard the right of citizens to march and express their views on actions by police in other agencies.

As a nation, the right to peacefully assemble and protest is one we must always protect. But what started as a peaceful gathering in Dallas turned into a nightmare for officers, their families and citizens gathered to exercise their First Amendment rights.

In the days following the attack against police in Dallas, we’re reminded of the tremendous risks law enforcement officers take everyday. They willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect their communities.

We’re thankful for the dedication and hard work of the Powell Police Department, Park County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming Highway Patrol, the Cody Police Department, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and other law enforcement agencies in our area. They respond whenever you need them, wherever you are — whether it’s an emergency in your neighborhood or in the Wyoming backcountry.

We sincerely appreciate the sacrifices local officers and their families make as they serve the community. They are true pillars of our society.

As Americans, we also expect every officer in every state to honor the badge and the oaths they’ve sworn to uphold.

In cases of police brutality and racism in America, there must be justice.

But violence never solves problems, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said — it only creates new and more complicated problems.

“Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all,” King said in his Nobel Lecture in 1964. “Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue ... it creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.”

King’s words ring so true today.

As our nation struggles to move forward and heal, we cannot act out of hatred or respond with violence toward one another.

We would do well to be quicker to show empathy to one another and slower to pass our own judgment.

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