Beginning July 5, the United States suffered three shootings in the states of Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas. According to a recent article in "The New York Times," on July 5 two police officers shot a black man, Alton B. Sterling, in Baton Rouge, LA. Police officers were trying to arrest Sterling and when he resisted arrest, the officers shot and killed the 37-year-old man. In light of the recent shooting, the Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation.

Another shooting took place on July 6 in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. According to "The New York Times," a police officer shot a black man by the name of Philando Castile during a traffic stop.

A third shooting took place on July 7 in Dallas, Texas around nine p.m. According to "The New York Times," it happened during a peaceful march by the Black Lives Matter movement, in which hundreds of demonstrators gathered and walked together on Main Street. In the chase to catch the shooter, five police officers were killed, seven additional officers were shot and two civilians were wounded. The gunman responsible for this tragedy was a 25-year-old man named Micah Johnson, an Army veteran who lived in the Dallas area. The shooter was eventually killed by a robot-controlled bomb early Friday. Dallas police chief David O. Brown said Johnson, who was angered over recent police shootings, wanted to "kill while people, especially white officers." The Dallas shooting occurred a few blocks away from where former President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Even more chilling, "The New York Times" states that the Dallas shooting is the "deadliest attack on American law enforcement officers since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." President Obama also commented on the recent shootings, referring to them as a "vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement."

As an American, it has almost become a normal occurrence to turn on the news and see shooting after shooting within a short period of time. Three major shootings in one week. I hope and pray our country does not make this our new norm. As Americans, are we truly united? We are stronger together than against each other. We are all for the same team, for the same country, I hope. I encourage you, I implore you to spread the message of love to those around you. This is what our nation needs now more than ever. Be a support network to those personally affected by these shootings and try to be understanding of those whom you may not agree with. Avoid stereotyping police officers as evil due to the actions of a few bad ones. Also, it would be unfair to place blame on the Black Lives Matter movement for the actions of one gunman. When America comes together and acts as one, acts united, we can do amazing things. Divided, we lose our power as a country. As Americans, we have to stand united more than ever and become a team in protecting our democracy and creating a safer country for ourselves and future citizens of this great nation.