Sterling, Castile, Dallas PD, Mayor Magee speaks

LAUREL, Miss. - In the past few days, several lives have been taken from their families.

The recent deaths of Baton Rouge's Alton Sterling, Minneapolis' Philando Castile, and members of the Dallas Police Department have turned this country upside down.

Mayor of Laurel, Johnny Magee said, "That is exactly what it is, tough times right now. We go through these cycles. We go through these incidents and if it wasn't for 24-hour news coverage, if it was not for cell phones, people would not know what was going on."

Our country has had its problems in the past, and we have achieved a lot, but there's still more work to be done.

"People used to believe that police are the good guys. There the one's that do the right thing and for the most part, the majority of them do. But then unfortunately, there are some who are not what they should be,” said Magee.

“And this is what I stress to the police here in Laurel: treat people like the way you want to be treated. Nobody is above the law, but the law is not above the law either," said Magee.

Laurel Police Chief, Tyrone Stewart posted a statement on his Facebook page saying: "I can't speak for all law enforcement agencies, but for LPD and being a young African American chief. I must speak loud and clear that I will continue to protect and serve all the people no matter what race, gender, and belief."

Magee said "you can't police people, you can't protect people if you're afraid of them and I think that's a problem we have. All lives matter, all lives are important."