I write this letter to express my sadness about the slain police officers and about those unarmed citizens who have lost their lives by police officers. This is a huge teachable moment for everyone.

I see the grief, the loss, the anger and rage experienced from both sides. One side is no more justified in expressing those feelings than the other side. We are all one and we are all in this together. By working together, positive change will happen.

In listening to news broadcasts, I hear, again and again, police officers say, “I go to work every day in fear for my life.” I see this as being at the core of the problem, because fear distorts a person’s perception. Police fearing citizens and citizens fearing the police makes for a disaster.

There is a lack of understanding, a lack of compassion, a lack of caring about each other in today’s world. But people are better than that, so let us start practicing being better citizens of the United States of America.

I have some wonderful ideas about ways to bring citizens and police together, peacefully. Those ideas would cost zero dollars to communities to implement. They are simple and use common sense. The rewards to society would be enormous.

This letter is not directed at the Lewiston Police Department. This is a message to America as a whole.

Let us get to work and heal our country, person to person, hand in hand.

Brielle Daniels, Lewiston