Let’s grieve for Dallas and black shooting victims — but let’s also take action

To the editor: In brief moments in time when people are struck with grief, when there is a human urge to reach out — to comfort, to console, to be consoled, to lean on one another — our defenses are dropped and honesty can emerge. (“Obama mourns slain Dallas officers: They ‘shared a commitment to something larger than themselves,’” July 12)

We all feel grief deeply, whether we are black, white or myriad other colors, lay citizen or law enforcement officer. In grief, we instinctively know that we are all human beings, not merely members of political camps.

But this moment is brief. It is in those moments that we can understand the pain of others, and we can make the changes in the police departments that offend the humanity in others. There is no need to “choose sides,” because as grief teaches us, we are one.

So, let’s drop the contrived feelings of being “offended” by some who believe that Blacks Lives Matter is somehow a hate group. It is not.

We need to move quickly, before the grief wears off. We have the choice to move in a new direction rather than to return to our familiar binary corners.

Diann Dumas, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: For those people, mostly of color, whom police have unjustifiably killed, wouldn’t it be a nice day when flags would fly at half-staff in their honor, when loving profiles would appear on TV and cable news of the victims and their grieving next of kin, when politicians and pundits would acknowledge that racism is alive and well in this country, when police would admit that they are wrong, and when The Times would say how “vicious, calculated and despicable” the police actions were?

Actually, it would be a wonderful day for everybody.

Donald R. Hodel, Seal Beach

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook