Like all Americans, we in the Urban League Movement are horrified by the fatal shootings of five police officers in Dallas. The violence in our streets is a crisis of epidemic proportions, and we must come together as a nation to end it.

Our hearts go out to the families of the slain officers and those who were wounded and may be fighting for their lives at this moment. We honor the sacrifices that first responders make and the risk at which they put themselves, and we pray every day for their safety.

Together with our local affiliates, we have called for a thorough investigation if the police-related fatal shootings deaths Louisiana and Minnesota that preceded the attack in Dallas and for a comprehensive evaluation of police training and policies.

We call upon our elected officials, community leaders and every American to dedicate ourselves to ending gun violence and healing the rifts between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Coordination among local leaders, friends and neighbors and law enforcement is critically important in these trying times, and our affiliates in New Orleans and Minneapolis, led by Erika McConduit-Diggs and Steven Belton, will be leading the way.