“The Emanuel AME Church is a center of black life in Charleston, and these senseless murders are so horrific and so sad that they are hard to fathom. There are still some in America who are so sick and so full of hate we must ask what in his past put this young man on this path. We must also be vigilant not to perpetuate or approve by acquiescence the words, rhetoric, and jokes that bring racism to the fore. And we must keep the victims and their friends and family in our thoughts and hope for a just and speedy trial for the assailant.” — Steve Cohen, 9th District U.S. Representative in the House of Representatives
