Police, pastor in Ottawa-Gatineau react to deadly shootings in U.S.

An Ottawa pastor whose brother was killed in a racially motivated attack 40 years ago says the past week — in which two black men were shot to death by police in the U.S. and five officers were killed during a protest in Dallas — has caused "a roller-coaster of emotions."

Police in Ottawa and Gatineau are also reacting to the most recent shooting, sharing messages of condolence for the Dallas Police Department.

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"There have been opportunities to weep, to feel outrage, to wrestle with the hopelessness that seems to be pervasive, but also to maintain a faithful posture. There is a way through this; we need to summon the resolve to do it," Rev. Anthony Bailey of Parkdale United Church told CBC Radio's Ontario Today on Friday.

In 1976, Bailey and his brother were walking in Montreal when they were attacked and Bailey's brother was killed. The events of this week have caused Bailey to relive some of that pain.

'Systemic racism'

"It's also been a trigger for me, remembering my own situation with my brother — again, the underlying reasons being racism — and that's just something that we're still dealing with today," he said.

"These people who attacked us on the streets of Montreal were calling out, 'Let's kill these n--gers.' And so when you hear issues such as what has come up with the shooting in the United States, racism is underneath, a systemic racism that needs to be addressed and needs to be rooted out and exposed."

Police need training to recognize biases, Bailey said, and to better understand and relate to the communities they serve.

"We have to be careful not to castigate all police. We have to be careful and recognize the important job that they do, and by and large many do a wonderful job seeking to keep society safe. But there are issues, there are difficult things that are taking place, that requires redress," he said.

"I think it has to do with training, it has to do with recognizing unrecognized bias, the ways in which people are regarded, and to invite solid, open and constructive conversations about how to relate to communities that they may not be familiar with."

'Cowardly slaughter'

Former Ottawa police chief Vern White, now a senator, called Thursday night's events "shocking," and said ongoing tensions between police and marginalized communities about police shootings in the U.S. don't justify what happened in Dallas.

"The cowardly slaughter of anyone, but in particular police officers who are protecting the right of others to protest, it's disgusting, I have to say," White told CBC News in an interview Friday morning.

But White was careful not to make any link between the demonstration and the shooting suspects.

"I would suggest, more than anything, it's individuals who have made a choice that they were going to kill police officers, and they took this protest as an opportunity to do so," he said.

"It really is a tragedy, and a tragedy for that community. I'm sure the people of Dallas feel like victims overall, not just the police service."

Police share condolences

The Ottawa and Gatineau police forces shared their sympathies with the Dallas Police Department on social media Friday, along with current Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau.