RI Flags at Half-Staff, Leaders Call for Unity in Wake of Dallas Shootings

RHODE ISLAND—Flags in Rhode Island are flying at half-staff in honor of the Dallas police officers murdered by a gunman intent on killing cops Thursday night amid the backdrop of protests over two police shootings of black men earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, flowers are arriving at police departments across Rhode Island, sent by residents feeling dismay, sadness and anger after waking up to news of the shooting.

Governor Gina Raimondo ordered flags lowered shortly after a hastily-organized press conference in Providence where she and members of the law enforcement and civil rights and social justice communities gathered to say the time has come to stand up to evil, violence and racism.

They stood behind a podium outside the West End Recreation Center in Providence where the governor, community leaders and police gathered to celebrate the kickoff a midnight basketball league the night before. Raimondo said they came back at a moments notice to say "we stand against this violence."

"Our emotions are raw. Maybe you're afraid. Maybe you're angry, frustrated or in shock," Raimondo said. "Let's replace the anger and frustration and fear with love and unity and respect."

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Paré said he represents all police officers of the capital city and when the five officers died in Dallas, "a part of us died."

Paré said the communities of Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas will mourn and must rebuild from horrific tragedy. Trust between police and the community there has to be rebuilt or, in some instances, built. How to overcome the challenges might not be clear or easy but "they are absolutely necessary," he said. "They are necessary here at the local level, the national level and in every corner of our society."

In Cranston, the police department received a display of flowers from Woodlawn Gardens Florist. The attached card read "thank you for your service. We appreciate all that you do for our community."

In East Providence, the department received yellow roses.

"For the losses in Dallas," the card read. "Be safe. Be strong. Thank you for all the good you do."

The Dallas shooting is a nightmarish scenario that no law enforcement family should worry about, they said. They also said a black man shouldn't fear for his life because he is black.

Jim Vincent, Rhode Island NAACP president, condemned the Dallas shooter and said one can never justify the killing or shooting of a police officer. He also condemned the police-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota.
"Those young men deserved to come home to their loving families," he said.

Vincent said we need sensible gun control, passage of criminal justice and probation reform bills that were supported by the Superintendent of the state police but languished in the General Assembly and more dialog.

Raimondo noted that despite 18 percent of the population in Rhode Island identified as African American or Latino, they make up 45 percent of the population at the state prison in Cranston.

"We can do better than that," she said. "Let's fix the broken system so it's more fair. Let's take action on gun safety and violence. We don't have to accept this."

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said in this difficult moment, there are no easy answers. The officers in Dallas died in the line of duty, protecting the public to their last breath, he said. Justice must be served. And the history of racial disparity in the country cannot be ignored, "nor can we dismiss this danger law enforcement faces as a complexity of how [they] respond to violent suspects."

"We are all in this together," Reed said. "That means dialog. That is what holds a community together. We have to confront not only intentional acts of racism but also stand up to bigotry wherever it may lurk. We will not surrender to violence."