Elijah Cummings: Police, public need to come "face to face" to defuse tensions
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, says Americans have to put themselves in other people's shoes in order to overcome the tensions between police and the public.
"We have to look at both sides of this and try to put ourselves in the place of the other," Cummings said in an interview Monday on "CBS This Morning."
Cummings was speaking generally about heightened tensions after two deadly police-related shootings of black men and the ambush of police officers in Dallas last week.
"We've got to come really face to face, both police and citizens, and say, 'We need each other,'" he said.
Cummings, who represents Baltimore, said as a black man, he understands what it feels like to get in a car and have the concern that he could be arrested by the police even as a member of Congress.
Asked how the nation can move beyond the current dialogue and change, Cummings said that communities have to accept the fact that young black people have a lot of legitimate grievances. He also said that law enforcement recruitment must be addressed and ensure that there is training in regards to de-escalation.
Cummings added that he doesn't think America is as divided as a lot of people think, but he emphasized that, "We are at a very critical moment in this country's history."