Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has issued a statement in connection with the Sunday shooting that took the lives of 3 police officers in Baton Rouge, and injured 3 others:
"Today our thoughts and prayers are with Baton Rouge -- with the families of the fallen police officers now as they have been with the family of Alton Sterling. We must uphold and cherish all human life in the face of continuing gun violence, which undermines the precious value of human life on a near daily basis. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: "An eye for an eye, makes everyone blind."
Locally, here in Rochester we are working hard to strengthen the relationship between police officers and the residents they serve. Because it is important to do all we can to create a community that respects one another. We all need to watch our words and our actions, and to lift each other up in prayer instead of tearing each other down.
We thank the police and their families for their service and commitment to maintaining the safety of everyone. And we need to continue our efforts to overcome
Gun violence in our City and across this nation, because it's equally wrong that families of police officers need worry when their loved ones report for duty, just as it's unacceptable for mothers to worry about their children every time they walk out the door. Gun violence is the one common enemy for all of us who want to see our community and residents to have more jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities. They only way to accomplish real change in the fight against gun violence is together as a collective community and we all have a role. "
Rochester City Council President Loretta Scott issued this statement:
"My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the slain police officers in Baton Rouge. Today another horrific shooting took the lives of those serving and protecting a community that they loved.
As we grieved for Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and the five officers from the Dallas Police Department: Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, Brent Thompson, and Patrick Zamarripa, we as a nation will come together again and mourn this tragic loss of life.
We need to come together to end the senseless killings on our streets, and across our nation. Life is a precious gift, one that should be respected, valued and cherished. "
Statement from Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo:
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the officers killed or wounded in Baton Rouge, their grieving families and the law enforcement community who suffered yet another tragedy today.
These horrific acts of violence against the very men and women who courageously serve and protect cannot continue. We are a nation built upon law and order, a nation that thrives in peace and desperately seeks a return to respect for all human life.
It is my hope for everyone in Monroe County to take time to offer thoughts and prayers for those affected by today’s tragedy and extend appreciation to our police officers who put their lives on the line for us each and every day.”
