Police Chief on Shootings: Race Is Not the Heart of the Issue, This Is...

The nation is grieving over the loss of at least five police officers in Dallas and two black men from separate states who died earlier this week. 

It started with back-to-back shootings of 37-year-old Alton Sterling and 32-year-old Philando Castile.

Sterling was killed in the parking lot of a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Castile was shot during a traffic stop in Minnesota.

Prayer vigils and peaceful protests took place across the nation but in Dallas at least five police officers are now dead and others critically wounded after shooters disrupted a peaceful protest Thursday evening.

32-year-old Navy veteran Patric Zamarripa, Dallas Area Transit Authority officer Brent Thompson, 42, and Michael Krol, 40 were some of the men who lost their lives while on duty. 

CBN Chief of Police Chris Mitchell, who is also a pastor, spoke to CBN news about this national crisis.
     
Mitchell says the attack is evidence of a level of divisiveness that has been brewing over the last couple of years. 

"It's a horrible week for America, not just for policing and not just for the community but for America as a whole," he said. 

"It's evident that the divisiveness that we've seen and has developed over time, since Ferguson, has just polarized and it continues to get out of hand and it does demand us as leaders to stand up," he said.

He says the heart of the issue is not race but the overall value of life. 

"If we are going to use the term 'black lives matter,' then black lives matter for all people," he explained. "So all lives matter. It's not just about black men being shot by police. What about the hundreds of thousands of babies that are being slaughtered in abortion mills and the young people that are shooting themselves in the inner cities?"

Mitchell adds that we also need to honor the police officers who are serving the community. There are many officers who are diligently serving their communities but they are often ignored. 

"There are hundreds of thousands of police officers every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year that are serving our communities with honor, valor, and integrity that want to do the best job that they can," he said.

"When this happens it gets polarized and it gets taken out of context, especially when it relates to a white officer and a black individual," Mitchell said in reference to the shootings. 

As a pastor Mitchell says he wants to see the church bridge the gap between the African American community and law enforcement. 

"A pastor's heart weeps for the lost, not just the loss of life but the loss of family," he said. "These individuals that were taken away from us. Their families are wounded and hurting."

"The officers whose lives will be impacted forever, their families are wounded and hurting," he continued. "As a pastor I want to bridge the gap and see people come together."

"We need to be tolerant of each other, regardless of our skin color, our background, or whatever it is, we need to embrace each other as a community as Americans," Mitchell expressed. "We are all in this together."