And the importance to unify as a country, to the use this example to use this example of dallas to really be that unifier. What do you expect to hear from ted cruz, from president obama who are both there today, george w. Bush . I expect to hear a lot of discussion about sort of our loftier goals and purpose as americans. And really the role that the police play in our daytoday lives, trish. You know, this is a very, very meaningful moment. I think its very impressive that we do have a showing of sort of across the board. Politics, i hope, is going to be checked at the door, and i expect it will be, and we can talk about what it means to be an american, what it means today, what unites us as americans. And i think the proper dignity for the people who put their lives on the line for us every day will be on display. Trish you know what . I think thats all what were really hoping for. Ellis, this president was supposed to be the great unifier. A lot of people look at what has happened to the world and this division that we now see with black lives matter as being an example of how he really hasnt lived up to that expectation. Does he have an opportunity in these final months given some of the tragic events that have happened to change that . Well, trish, given our divided politics today, its hard to imagine what leader would be a uniter in the way that all of us hope for. Sure, these tragedies do give us an opportunity to reflect just a little bit and try and get beyond some of the sloganeering. Whether we can reach the point where, you know, there are some serious questions about the relationship between Police Officers and the minority communities across america that really dont lend themselves to those simple political, divisive solutions. And yet in our politics, those are the easy corners that our leaders so often run to. Hopefully, we can get a little bit beyond that. Trish do you think, mark, that social media has played into this in a very big way . You think about whats actually happening. Theres an interesting study that came out from some harvard professors just this week showing that, actually, when you really boil it down and you look at some of the numbers, we are not seeing a greater number of africanamericans targeted by Police Departments, at least killed by Police Departments. They make that point, and they say that this was much to the their surprise. But you do hear about them more. And that may be be in part because of the social media onslaught that we see . Absolutely, trish. You know, that study is fascinating because the professor is a black man, and he said himself he was shocked by the results of that study. That, yes, in encounters with police there may be some distinctions between the races and how theyre treated, but as it relates to shootings, there is no distinction of race. And he said he was astounded at the results, and he was glad to put them out. Social media, i think, is an equalizer in america. It puts power in regular peoples hands. And we saw that last week with the woman who was, you know, Live Streaming the death of her boyfriend. And now it can also be highly manipulated. Social media doesnt exactly mean fact, it just means a new perspective, new platforms to deliver messages and news and events. So it has a tremendous impact, and its a real equalizer of power in the communications world, for sure. Trish you know, it doesnt change the fact that, yes, these men were gunned down by police, and this is a horrible tragedy. What do we need to be doing as a nation, ellis, do you think, so that we dont have situations like what happened in minnesota . How do we change our Police Departments and also how do we change so that we also are empowering the police to enforce the law and to go after the bad guys . Right. All of those important questions. And we play a role in that. We have to reach point as a people that we dont judge these things en masse. We say there are good police shootings, there are bad police shootings. And our lives, indeed, include both of those. Weve got to reach the point where were able to make those distinctions based on the facts and on the evidence and not some kind of preconceived notions of good guys and bad guys. Until we reach that point, im not sure were going to make any progress thats where we have to adhere to the rule of law. Thats where we have to be a country based on law and order. And, unfortunately, youve got groups that like to stoke the embers, the flames of discontent. Trish do you think black lives matter has contributed to this division . Well, listen, on both sides of this, right . We have activists who seeville every time they see see evil every time they see blue, and we have apologists who will defend a cop no matter how heinous the facts on the ground. What weve got to reach as journalists, as commentators, as Television Hosts is the point where we judge these things based on the evidence. Trish youre telling people to be color blind then. And a lot of people, lets not forget, theres some politics at stake here. And partover that is race part of that is race, part of that is color, and there are people that are stoking these feelings on both sides. But thats just it. Look, democracy is always going to be an imperfect system, but thats why we have a republic, right . And it is founded on the rule of law. The if we abandon that, then we have chaos. There are groups who like chaos. They are fueled by chaos. They raise money based on chaos. And, you know, it has to stop from the very top with the bully pulpit from the white house that says no more of this. I hope, i genuinely hope it starts at this Memorial Service where we need to embrace the police, because they represent law and order. Whereas other groups represent the politics of chaos. But, mike, dont just focus on half of that equation, right . These are relationships involved. The police do have a right to expect professional behavior, we do have a right for Police Officers not to behave like an Occupying Army right, but lets not take instances [inaudible conversations] and expound it as a symptom. Thats what happens is, they get exploited as symptoms because theres this politics of chaos that wants to take incidents and expand it. Now, policing good policing absolutely. We need to demand it, we need to expect it, okay . But lets not take individual incidents, and lets let social media and this leftist, progressivedriven agenda, okay, to suggest that weve got an unfair system. We have the judicial system, for instance, is tried and tested. Its not always perfect, but it is tried and tested. Thats why investigators should be investigating these cases. Trish think about, think about how you must feel right now to be a Police Officer in america. One, youre worried because you feel like youve got a target right there on your back or on your chest with that badge. The other problem is that you may, as a result of feeling that you have that target on you, not be able to do your job as proficiently as you should otherwise do because maybe youre a little fearful of going in certain places because you know, gosh darn forbid, if you do anything absolutely. Trish people are going to come down on you pretty hard. That is an absolutely important part of this equation. Weve got to support our Police Officers and praise them when they do well and encourage productive and decent relationships between the police and those they are sworn to protect and to serve. But ive got to tell you, it is a twopronged relationship, and its got to go in both directions. Otherwise we have no hope of solving trish what do you mean by that . In other words, they need to also respect the people that theyre policing. Absolutely. Trish okay. Sure. These are important social relationships that have to be built on trust absolutely. And understanding. Thats a twoway treat. Its very easy to just point in one direction. Weve got to trish you know, growing up i was always taught a certain amount of respect for Police Officers. Sure. Trish Police Officers are a big deal. They came into the classroom sometimes, would talk to you, theyve got the uniform on officer friendly. Trish yeah. Very impressed by the police. I also grew up in a community where they were really revered, and you were taught this respect. Do we need a little more of that in Society Today . Well, we do. And ill tell you why, look, im the son of a cop. My father was in nypd a long time ago. Trish wow. Let me tell you, he was a foot cop for a number of years. He worked the streets of brooklyn and harlem. He actually delivered three black babies because of women in distress about to have a baby. Trish oh, or my goodness. Okay . And thats what Community Relations, thats what saving lives is about. More of that. He was in the position to be able to save lives and be able to deliver babies who actually at least one of them has his name Walking Around the world today. Trish oh, my goodness. I didnt know that. Thats interesting. Do you think that was a different day and age . It was a different era, but its not completely lost. You talk about a respect for not just police, but authority figures, right . Thats what we were raised with. Thats not completely lost, but that comes from law and order, the rule of lawment weve got to respect that first and foremost and then address Community Relations challenges when they come up. It may be, guys, the different segments of our society have different experiences with the police. You growing up in New Hampshire in a rellively small town might have a different relationship than a poor, black kid in one of our tougher neighborhoods. Weve got to equalize that. Trish and how do you do that, ellis . Well, you know what . It starts with moments like this. It starts when were able at least a little bit to find some kind of commonality, some basic principles we can agree on about the rule and respect for law and also the kinds of decent human relationships that we expect trish you know, i think about remember bill clinton a few week withs ago in that speech that he gave, and there was a black lives matter protester that got up, and he basically called him right out saying, look, you know, youve got a lot of problems in your community that are killing people whether its drugs or, you know, and a lot of these police are trying to protect against the very things that are killing. But its that kind of honesty that you need right now. Now, hes not running for office, his wife is, but you need that honesty. Thats true. Trish amongst the political elite. Right. We need that sort of candor which we dont p often see from clintons, by the way. But we see it from the police chief of dallas. This is a guy who has set a standard that we all should live by. In his remarks in the last couple of days. And, hopefully, well hear more trish well, and hes had an extraordinary go of it himself. Exactly. Thats one thing i think that the two of us agree firmly on. Absolutely. He has presented himself professionally, hes raised some deeper questions about what it is that we can reasonably expect of Police Officers. You know, we dump every single social problem in our country on the police; bad education, busted, families, economic disparities, drug addiction, the Mental Health problems. We expect the police trish i want to talk about that some more, because sometimes i wonder if its not so much a race issue, but also just a socioeconomic issue. There are people in society that are very disadvantaged. Look, i would argue that we dont have the policies in place to help them, that we have encouraged a society that lives off the government, and weve encouraged people to live off of welfare and such perpetuated these circumstances. And maybe more needs to be done from a socioeconomic standpoint right. Trish to address some of these issues, mark. Thats where it starts, trish, especially in these inner cities. My goodness, you take a look at city after city, and they have been ruled by progressive, social welfare policies. And that, frankly, sets up the cops for even greater challenges. Trish i agree with you on that, yeah. Weve seen it in so many cities, and weve got to find a way to put an end to that. Trish were going to take a quick break, everyone. Were continuing to watch these pictures coming to us live from the Memorial Service in dallas honoring the five slain Police Officers there. President george w. Bush, Dallas Police chief david brown and also president obama are expected to speak any minute from now. Youre looking at a live picture there of the first lady, michelle obama. Were going to continue our coverage of this and bring it to you live as soon as we return. Ill see you here. Get ready for the rio Olympic Games by switching to xfinity x1. Show me gymnastics. X1 lets you search by sport, watch nbcs highlights and catch every live event on your tv with nbc sports live extra. Im getting ready. Are you . X1 will change the way you experience nbcuniversals coverage of the rio Olympic Games. Call or go online today to switch to x1. Trish okay, everyone. You are, again, looking at live pictures coming to us right now from the Memorial Service in dallas for those five Police Officers killed in a sniper attack last week. President george w. Bush, Dallas Police chief david brown and also president obama, theyre going to be taking to the stage, speaking any minute from now. We are going to be listening in to their speeches. This, as we have been saying, is a big opportunity for the president in terms of really being a voice of unity right now. Will he live up to that expectation . Is joining me here on set, Ellis Henican and republican strategist mark serrano. Before we went to break, we were talking about the disadvantages in the Africanamerican Community right now, and i was making the point that maybe its not all about race. Maybe this is socioeconomic. In other words, policies that have been in place there for many years that have perpetuated a system of reliance, mark, on the government, you think about the number of babies being born in America Today to single moms. What chance do they have . I mean, really . I mean, granted, in some households youre better off with one parent as opposed to two, but i think most studies would show that children who grow up in a family have a better opportunity in life. But you think about the economic disadvantages to doing that right now. You get more money, basically right. Trish if youre a single mom with two kids that can live off the system. In some cases, more than even going to work. Absolutely. And it starts, you know, if you take a look at, you know, youth unemployment or particularly in the black community, you know, very, very high. We have these arguments about mi and yet we dont have jobs for those kids in the inner cities. And so theres so much despair, and itll turn to drugs, right . You know all the statistics, and youre right. A lot of it is based on the breakdown of the family structure. And so they dont have the mentoring, the guidance trish and the question is, why is that . Some of the policies, ellis, weve put in place ive used this statistic with our viewers before. A single mom in hawaii with two kids can basically earn roughly a little over 50,000. Actually, closer to 58,000, off of the government, off of government programs. What should incentivize her to go to work . I mean, if youre going to earn 45,000 a year as a secretary versus more than that staying home with your children, then why would you and it just seems as though these policies have perpetuated a system that really discourages things like family and even respect for these Police Officers as we were just talking about earlier. You need society intact to really have a system thats working. You know, trish, one of the ironies of this political election is we are not at a time of great crisis according to many of those indices. Teenage pregnancy the lowest its been in decades. Crime across america, some of the lowest trish outside chicago. Well, there are bad pockets, but overall statistically, if we believe the reports from the fbi, is lower than its been in decades in america. So i dont think were going to find the answers this those statistics. I suggest that it has more to do with the relationships on the street between our Law Enforcement officials and those commitments they are policing communities they are policing. I dont think you can find the answers this those statistics. Look, we are in a period of such economic morass, okay . For eight years. My goodness, the people who carry that burden are the people in the streets that youre talking about, ellis. These are the people who cant find jobs or can only find parttime jobs. There is such despair. Why do you think Bernie Sanders and donald trump are so successful this year . People are fed up. Theyve had enough of this economy. They hold barack obama responsible chiefly, although republicans in congress bear responsibility as well. Weve got tax burdens, regulatory burdens. There is nothing to lift us up. Theres no vision to lift us up, and theres economic stagnation and frustration in the electorate. Its at the, its at the Grassroots Level across this country. Trish stay with us, gentlemen. Joining us right now we have heather macdonald. Actually, shes going to be with us momentarily, a fellow at the manhattan institute. She has written a considerable amount on this issue and talked to so many cops across america. She has a new book out, the war on cops, and she will be joining us momentarily with her thoughts on all of this. Again, weve been talking about the policies that are in place that seem to have contributed to a lack of cohesiveness in some of these communities that may, in fact, be contributing to this challenge that our police are facing. Heathers actually with us right now. She joins us. Heather, good to see you. Welcome back to the program. Thank you. Trish you know, youve done an extends i amount of research on this extensive amount of return on this issue. Youve talked to a lot of cops on the street. What are they telling you . Well, theyre even more concerned now about their relationship with community, with their ability to do proactive policing. They were already surrounded by hatred when they got out of their cars in inner city areas to make a pedestrian stop or enforce lowlevel public order offenses. And now after dallas theyre rightly concerned. Theres been absolutely no hiatus in the vicious, pernicious rhetoric thats directed at them that they could Face Even Greater threat now. Trish what do you think were going to hear from president obama today . Do you think this is a big opportunity for him in terms of addressing this crisis that the nation feels right now . Well, hes desperately walking back his outrageous speech on thursday, a few hours before the dallas assassinations. At that speech he accused all of Law Enforcement of harboring systemic biases. After dallas he said we dont want to paint all Law Enforcement with a broad brush, that would be unfair. So i suspect now his tone will have changed enormously. Whether he still feels compelled to get in his usual pitch for the need for criminal Justice Reform which is based on the false theory that our criminal Justice System is racist, i cant say trish you say its a false theory. You know, there was a study that just came out, we were talking about it earlier in the show, came out of a harvard professor released this week basically showing theres actually no bias when it comes to the actual shootings of Police Officer, of africanamericans in this country. And the studys author said, look, this was a surprise to me. I anticipated finding something quite different than what we actually found. So what is it that most americans are missing . Well, ronald friar should not have been surprised, because his study only confirms previous studies that have shown, in fact, officers are less likely to shoot armed black suspects than white suspects. The American Public has simply not been given the truth about policing and about the reason that officers are in inner city areas. Its to save lives, because thats where crime is through the roof, and its only getting worse thanks to the backing off of proactive policing under what ive called the ferguson effect. Trish heather, mark was just telling us his dad was a cop up in harlem here in new york city. But it was, he said, at a time that felt very different. His dad, he gave the example, delivered three babies to women there, and he felt as though his dad was more part of the community. And that seems to be lacking today. Would you agree . I mean, these communities see these cops as the bad guys, the aggressors as opposed to a fabric that keeps their community intact . Well, its hard to generalize. Its true there are lots of kids and criminals and their associates who view the police as antagonists partly because theyre interfering with their way of life, but i can still find hundreds of people who say like the elderly lady who burst out spontaneously at a Police Community meeting in the south bronx last summer, how lovely when we see the police. They are my friends. There are lots of people who still feel that and who beg the police for the protection they need so so that they can walk on the streets without fearing that theyre going to get shot by a driveby shooting. Trish so, heather, stay with us. Id like to bring the gentlemen into the conversation. Ellis, heathers making the point there are a lot of people that still feel very confidently about the police in these commitments. Maybe this is just a minority in these communities. Maybe this is just a minority. Well, no. The good news is there is a ott lot of support for the police in communities. Some of the beneficiaries of the reduction of crime have been young minority males who are not being killed in the numbers that they were back in the 90s and prior to to that. So, no, theres a huge reservoir of support which is why at times like in this we have to be so careful not to go into that angry sloganeering that is as much a part of our politics and try and build on those relationships, not use them as a club to build on our political opponents. Trish steve moore is also joining us, economist who may have some insight into what we were just talking about, the challenges that we all face here in america. Specifically in the Africanamerican Community. Economic challenges that may lend itself to finding a life, you know, some of these young black men that youre talking about may find themselves, you know, pursuing a very poor choices, shall we say, in life. Steve moore, what is it from a policy perspective, economically speaking, that these communities desperately need so that theyre, they stay away from crime . So i think theres two big deficiencies in these minority, low income communities, trish. One of them is fathers. You know, if you look at low income areas, you just have a poverty of fathers in these areas. And, you know, it doesnt matter what race youre talking about. If youve got communities where, you know, over half and sometimes as many as twothirds of kids, especially males, are growing up without fathers in the home, its just a recipe for social disaster. So we have to, we have to promote intact marriages and fatherhood. And the second thing i would mention is just the schools, you know . Ive spent a lot of time in washington, d. C. And chicago and other inner cities looking at the schools there, trish, and theyre horrific. Theyre just terrible. Weve got to find a better way to provide low income families with better Educational Opportunities trish lets attack both of these questions here, steve. Yeah. Trish why is it that we are not seeing more fathers in the africanamerican communities that were talking about here . Well, thats a great question. I mean trish the economic reasons, if you would. The economic reasons . I think welfare is certainly one of them. You know, lets face it, we have paid, you know, 17, 18, 19yearold girls and, again, im not talking about any race, because were seeing this in the White Communities as well paying them to have kids out of wedlock. And weve got to stop that. Weve got to figure out ways to by the way, its in the interests of these young girls to wait until they get married to have kids. I mean, every study shows that. Im not being moralistic, im just being an economist here. Its bad for everybody when young women have kids before they get married. And on the other issue, schools, i mean, my goodness, trish, ive worked on this issue for 30 years. We continue to think we can spend more and more money on schools and solve the problem. Washington, d. C. And chicago theyre spending 15 20,000 per kid and still getting lousy outcomes. Trish the schools are a big part. Go ahead, heather. I just we policy types would like to believe that theres a policy solution to a problem as catastrophic as steve rightly says as outofwedlock child rearing. I dont think people are necessarily making calculations about their pretax and postmarriage income. I think what we have is, rather, a problem of our society no longer valuing fathers. Yep. And i put blame squarely on feminism for that. Nobody is willing to stand up and say children need their fathers. Of course, there are single mothers who are working heroically and sometimes succeeding against enormous odds to raise lawabiding children. The odds are against them. Its a problem people do not understand any longer. Weve lost that cultural understanding that males and females bring different gifts on average to raising children, and boys need fathers. Trish boys need fathers and, you know what . Boys and girls need mothers. And sometimes these, you know, young working mom trying to take care of a come couple of kids, s not able to be there as much for her children. And then to your point, theres no father figure in the house. Mark, you wanted to add. Right. I agree with heather that sort of the founding of these problems is feminism be starting back in the 1960s. But its evolved. Trish okay. Theres this confluence with the politicallycorrect culture that has evolved into this mess. And we dont have leaders who are talking about the right moral things to do, the foundation of the family and how that translates in policy. Trish all important issues. Lets listen in right now, george w. Bush taking to the podium. Lets hear his remarks. [applause] thank you all. Thank you, senator. I, too, am really pleased that president obama and mrs. Obama have come down to dallas. I also want to welcome Vice President and mrs. Biden. Mr. Mayor, chief brown, elected officials, members of the Law Enforcement community, today the nation grieves, but those of us who love dallas and call it home have had five deaths in the family. Laura and i see members of Law Enforcement every day. We count them as our friends. And we know, like for every other american, that their courage is our protection and shield. Were proud of the men we mourn and the community that has rallied to honor them and support the wounded. Our mayor, police chief and Police Department have been mighty inspirations for the rest of the nation. [applause] these slain officers were the best among us. Loren arons, beloved husband to detective katrina that and father of two. Michael krol, caring son, brother, uncle, nephew and friend. Michael smith, u. S. Army veteran, devoted husband and father of two. Brent thompson, marine corps vet. Recently married. Patrick zamarripa, u. S. Navy reserve combat veteran. Proud father and loyal Texas Rangers fan. [laughter] [applause] with their deaths, we have lost so much. We have griefstricken, heartbroken and forever grateful. Every officer has accepted a calling that sets them apart. Most of us imagine if the moment called for, that we would risk our lives to protect a spouse or a child. Those wearing the uniform assume that risk for the safety of strangers. They and their families share the unspoken knowledge that each new day bring new dangers. But none of us were prepared or could be prepared for an ambush by hatred and malice. The shock of this evil still has not faded. At times it seems like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity. Disagreement escalates too quickly into dehumanization. Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions. And this is [applause] and this has strained our bonds of understanding and common purpose. But americans, i think, have a great advantage. To renew our unity, we only need to remember our values. We have never been held together by blood or background. We are bound by things of spirit, by shared commitments to common ideals. At our best we practice empathy, imagining ourselves in the lives and circumstances of others. This is the bridge across our nations deepest divisions nations deepest divisions. And its not merely a matter of tolerance, but of learning of the struggles and stories of our fellow citizens and finding our better selves in the process. At our best we honor the image of god we see in one another. We recognize that we are brothers and sisters, sharing the same brief moment on earth and owing each other the loyalty of our shared humanity. At our best we know we have one country, one future, one destiny. We do not want the unity of grief, nor do we want the unity of fear. We want the unity of hope, affection and high purpose. We know that the kind of just, humane country we want to build, that we have seen in our best dreams, is made possible when men and women in uniform stand guard. At the best when theyre trained in trust and accountable, they free us from fear. The apostle paul said for god gave us a spirit not of fear, but of strength and love and selfcontrol. Those are the best responses to fear in the life of our country. And theyre the code of the peace officer. Today all of us feel a sense of loss but not equally. Id like to conclude with a word to the families, the spouses and especially the children of the fallen. Your loved ones time with you was too short. They did not get a chance to properly say goodbye. But they went where duty callede end. They finished well. We will not forget what they did for us. Your loss is unfair. We cannot explain it. We can stand beside you and share your grief, and we can pray that god will comfort you with a hope deeper than sorrow and stronger than death. May god bless you. [applause] trish we just heard from president george w. Bush talking about the importance of unity right now. There was ever a time if there was ever a time in the last challenging eight years that we have had to show this kind of political unity across both aisles, this is the time. Were, of course, waiting on president obama who will be taking to the podium there momentarily. He will speak, and we anticipate that we will, hopefully, hear a very different speech than the one we heard last week. As Heather Mac Donald was saying, that that had quite a political stance. Yeah. And i would say, candidly, that if we dont hear anything about gun control in the president s remarks, then i would say, yes, he successfully checked politics at the door. But if he hints at it, if he even hints at it, i think he will have failed the test of moral leadership at a time when the country needs it. Trish in other words, not even a hint. Lets listen in right now, weve got the Dallas Police chief, chief brown, coming to the podium to speak there to people. Lets listen in. [applause] and i want to also introduce a man who has given his life to the city of dallas trish there you see the introduction of the police chief brown. Lets listen. Over 30 years on the force, a native of south oak cliff. [applause] [cheers and applause] a man [cheers and applause] a man that i call a friend, but more importantly, he is my rock. He represents not only dallas, but Police Officers, police chiefs, this higher calling across the United States of america. Ladies and gentlemen, chief david brown. [cheers and applause] thank you. [applause] thank you. Thank you. [applause] thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you so much. Thank you so much. When i was a teenager and started liking girls [laughter] i could never find the right words to express myself. And after a couple of words, theyd just walk away, leaving me [laughter] figuring out what do can i need to do to get a date. And so being a music fan of 1970s rhythm and blues love songs, i put together a strategy finish. [laughter] to recite lyrics [laughter] to the get a date. So for girls i liked, i would pull out some al green or some [laughter] teddy or some isley brothers, and id recite the lyrics to their love songs. But for people i loved, if i fell in love with a girl, oh, i had to dig down deep and get some Stevie Wonder. [laughter] [applause] to fully express the love i had for them, for the girl. So today im going to pull out some Stevie Wonder for these families. [applause] so, families, close your eyes and just imagine me back in 1974 with an afro [laughter] and some bell bottoms [laughter] wide collar. We all know sometimes lifes hate9 and troubles hate and troubles can make you wish you were born in another time and place. But you can bet your lifetimes that, and twice its double, that god knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed. So make sure when you say youre not in it but not of it, youre not helping to make this earth a place sometimes called hell. Change your words into truth and then change that truth into love. And maybe your childrens grandchildren and their great, great grandchildren will tell them ill be loving you. This the rainbow burns until the rainbow burns the stars out of the sky, ill be loving you. Until the ocean covers every Mountain High, ill be loving you. Until the dolphin flies and the parrots live at the sea, ill be loving you. Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream, ill be loving you. Until the day is night and night becomes the day, ill be loving you. Until the trees and seas up, up and fly away, ill be loving you. Until the day that eight times eight times eight times tate is four times eight is four, ill be loving you. Until the day that is the day no more, ill be loving you. Until the day the earth starts turning right to left, ill be loving you. Until the earth just for the sun denies itself, ill be loving you. Until Mother Nature says her work is through, ill be loving you. Until the day that you are me and i am you. Now, aint that loving you . [applause] until the rainbow burns the stars out of the sky. Anticipate that loving you . Aint that loving you . Until the ocean covers every Mountain High and identify ive got to say, always, ill be loving you always. And theres no greater love than this. A that these five men gave their lives for all of us. It is my honor to introduce to you the president of the United States of america, president barack obama. Thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you. [applause] thank you. Thank you very much. [applause] to president and mrs. Bush, my friend, the Vice President and dr. Biden, mayor rawlings, clergy, members of congress, chief brown im so glad i met michelle first, because she loves Stevie Wonder. [laughter] [cheers and applause] [laughter] but most of all, to the families and friends and colleagues and fellow officers scripture tells us that in our sufferings, there is glory. Because we know that suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance, character. And character, hope. Sometimes the truths of these words are hard to see. Right now those words test us. Because people of dallas, people across the country are suffering. Were here to honor the memory and mourn the loss of five fellow americans, to grieve with their loved ones, that support this community to support this community, to pray for the wounded and to try and find some meaning amidst our sorrow. For the men and women who protect and serve the people of dallas, last thursday began like any other day. Like most americans each day, you get up, probably have too quick a breakfast, kiss your family goodbye, and you head to work. But your work and the work of Police Officers across the country is like no other. For the moment you put on that uniform, you have answered a call that at any moment even in the briefest interaction may put your life in harms way. Loren ahrens, he answered that call. So did his wife, katrina. Not only because she was the spouse of a Police Officer, but because shes a detective on the force. They have two kids. And loren took them fishing and used to proudly go to their school in uniform. And the night before he died, he bought dipper for a homeless man dinner for a homeless man. And the next night katrina had to tell their children that their dad was gone. They dont get it yet, their grandma said. They dont know what to do quite yet. Michael krol answered that call. His mother said he knew dangers of the job, but he never shied away from his duty. He came a thousand miles from his home state of michigan to be a cop in dallas, telling his family, this is something i wanted to do. And last year he brought his girlfriend back to detroit for thanksgiving. It was the last time hed see his family. Michael smith answered that call. In the army and over almost 30 years working for the Dallas Police association which gave him the appropriatelynamed cops cop award. A man of deep faith. When he was off duty, he could be found at church or playing softball with his two girls. Today his girls have lost their dad, for god has called michael home. Patrick zamarripa, he answered that call. Just 32, a former altar boy who served in the navy and dreamed of being a cop. He liked to post videos of himself and his kids on social media. And on thursday night while patrick went to work, his partner, christy, posted a photo of her and their daughter at a Texas Rangers game and tagged her partner so that he could see it while on duty. Brent thompson answered that call. He served his country as a marine. And years later as a contractor, he spent time in some of the most dangerous parts of iraq and afghanistan. And then a few years ago he settled down here in dallas for a new life of service as a transit cop. And just about two weeks ago, he married a fellow officer. Their whole life together waiting before them. Like Police Officers across the country, these men and their families shared a commitment to something larger than themselves. They werent looking for their names to be up in lights. Theyd tell you the pay was decent, but it wouldnt make you rich. They could have told you about the stress and long shifts, and theyd probably agree with chief brown when he said that cops dont expect to hear the words thank you very often. Especially from those who need them the most. No, the reward comes in knowing that our entire way of life in america depends on the rule of law. That the maintenance of that law is a hard and daily labor. That in this country we dont have soldiers in the streets or militias setting the rules. Instead, we have Public Servant servants, Police Officers, like the men who were taken away from be from us. And thats what these five were doing last thursday. When they were assigned to protect and keep orderly a peaceful protest in response to the killing of alton sterling of baton rouge and Philando Castile of minnesota. They were upholding the Constitutional Rights of this country. For a while the protest went on without incident. And despite the fact that Police Conduct was the subject of the protest, despite the fact that there must have been signs or slogans or chants with which they profoundly disagreed, these men and this department did their jobs like the professionals that they were. In fact, the police had been part of the protest plank. Dallas pd even posted photos on their twitter feeds of their own officers standing among the protesters. Two officers, black and white, smiled next to a man who held a sign that read no justice, no peace. And then around 9 00, the gunfire came. Another community torn apart, more hearts broken, more questions about what caused and what might prevent another such tragedy. I know that americans are struggling right now with what weve witnessed over past week. First, the shootings in minnesota and baton rouge, the protests. Then the targeting of police by the shooter here. An act not just of demented violence, but of racial hatred. All of its left us wounded and angry and hurt. Its as if deepest fault lines of our democracy have been exposed, perhaps even widened. And although we know such divisions are not new, though theyve surelien been worst than surely been worse than even the recent past, that offers us little comfort. Faced with this violence, we wonder if the divides of race in america can ever be bridged. We wonder if an Africanamerican Community that feels unfairly targeted by police and Police Departments that feel unfairly maligned for doing their jobs can ever understand each others experience. We turn on the tv or surf the internet, and and we can watch positions harden and lines drawn and people retreat to their respective corners and politicians calculate how to grab attention or avoid the fallout. We see all this, and its hard not to think sometimes that the Center Wont Hold and that things might get worse. I understand. I understand how americans are feeling. But, dallas, im here to say we must reject such despair. Im here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And i know that because i know america. I know how far weve come against impossible odds. Ms. [applause] i know well make it because of what ive experienced in my own life. What ive seen of this country and its people, their goodness and decency as president of the United States. And i know it because of a what weve seen here this dallas. How all of you, out of great suffering, have shown us the meaning of perseverance and character. And hope. When the bullets started flying, the men and women of the Dallas Police, they did not flinch, and they did not react recklessly. They showed incredible restraint. Helped in some cases by protesters, they evacuated the area, isolated the shooter, saved more lives than we will ever know. [applause] we mourn fewer people today because of your brave actions. [applause] everyone was helping each other, one witness said. It wasnt about black or white. Everyone was picking each other up and moving them away. See, thats the america i know
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