As Loretta Lynch prepares to possibly take over as U.S. attorney general, the top federal prosecutor is setting her sights on mending the broken relationship between the Black community and law enforcement following the countless deaths of unarmed Black men by police across the nation.
Racial tensions in America have peaked, and the relationship between Black communities and law enforcement is one that many believe has been shattered beyond repair.
Lynch, however, is certainly not one of those individuals.
If Lynch is confirmed as the first Black woman to serve as U.S. attorney general, she promises to focus on building a sense of trust between police officers and the communities they are meant to serve and protect.
“Few things have pained me more than the recent reports of tension and division between law enforcement and the communities we serve,” she said in a prepared testimony provided by the Justice Department. “If confirmed as Attorney General one of my key priorities would be to work to strengthen the vital relationships between our courageous law enforcement personnel and all the communities we serve.”
While she did not offer any specifics about how she plans to embark on such a mission, she has already established a history as someone who has fought against police brutality and stood up for the Black community.
Perhaps one of the most notable cases she’s worked on was the 1997 case in which Haitian immigrant Abner Louima was beaten and sodomized with a broom stick by New York City police for apparently disrupting an argument between two women who the police were trying to break up.
She has also worked to wipe out corrupt leaders after she successfully brought down Republican Rep. Michael Grimm, who was indicted back in April on 20 charges including tax fraud and obstruction of justice.
Of course, her mission to mend tensions in Black communities will be an incredibly hard task if she is confirmed as U.S. attorney general.
Not only are these relationships particularly bad right now, but Republicans are already looking at the attorney general hopeful with a raised brow.
Outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder had an exceptionally poor relationship with Republican politicians, and Lynch will have to make sure she does not fall into the same political trap as politicians already are discussing the friction that may form between Lynch and the Republicans.
“I don’t expect Ms. Lynch and I will agree on every issue,” Iowa Republican and judiciary committee Chairman Charles Grassley said in his own prepared remarks. “But I for one need to be persuaded Ms. Lynch will be an independent Attorney General.”
The pre-existing tensions between the Republican Party and Holder are one of the reasons Lynch promises to try to improve relations with the Republican-led Congress as well.
“I look forward to fostering a new and improved relationship with this committee, the United States Senate, and the entire United States Congress — a relationship based on mutual respect and Constitutional balance,” Lynch added. “Ultimately, I know we all share the same goal and commitment: to protect and serve the American people.”
In addition to mending such broken relationships, Lynch also wants to focus on the country’s ability to “effectively prevent ever-evolving attacks in cyberspace, expose wrongdoers and bring perpetrators to justice.”
