Statement from Congressman Courtney to New London Trinity Mission Baptist Church Gathering

"I want to thank Reverend Hyslop for uniting our southeastern Connecticut community tonight in the wake of the horrific events that claimed the lives of nine parishioners of Charleston’s AME Emanuel Church. I am sorry that I am out of the state today and cannot join you in person for this important gathering. The pain of this cowardly attack echoes from South Carolina all across our country, and we join them in mourning for the loss of their beloved family members, friends, and neighbors.

"Tonight, we join in solidarity with the Mother Emanuel congregation, and express our steadfast rejection of the hateful violence inflicted on our nation last week, as nine people—known to their friends and families as faith leaders, role models, and mentors—lost their lives while worshipping at their sanctuary. The kindness, forgiveness, and grace they displayed before this tragedy and by their families afterwards deepens the grief we all feel.

"But as we grieve, we must remember that sorrow and sadness alone will not deliver the change we need to end tragedies like this one. We must join in our determination to demand change to end the gun violence, and the racism, and the governmental display of a flag that represents, for many, the hatred and bigotry embraced by the evil individual who ended nine innocent lives last week. Our nation cannot heal unless we stop the hatred and violence that too often reopens our wounds."

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