As nationwide protests entered a second week following the Minneapolis police killing of African American citizen George Floyd, the Connecticut Bar Association added its voice to a growing chorus calling for peace amid widespread unrest, denouncing hate in a public statement.

CBA President and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ndidi Moses acknowledged Monday that Americans are reeling with anger and sadness following Floyd's death while being pinned by the neck to the ground under a police officer's knee. The incident, documented on video and ruled a homicide Monday by Minnesota's Hennepin County medical examiner, resulted in the firing of four officers and the arrest of one. Protests erupted across the nation, crescendoing Sunday into widespread violence, destruction and looting. Moses said members of the Connecticut bar are appealing to lawyers and the general public to come together, stand up to hatred and learn and heal from these tragic events.

"I think everyone's upset, and people are looking for ways to effectuate change," Moses said. "One thing we can do is start having discussions about it. I think the more people realize we're all on the same page, it starts to remove feelings of isolation and fear."

In its official statement released Monday night, the CBA condemned Floyd's death at the hands of police and denounced "all acts of hate, violence and discrimination that violate constitutional rights, stifle social justice and undermine the rule of law," adding that the organization "stands in solidarity with all those who face hate, violence and discrimination based on any protected status."

The CBA also denounced "any attempts by any groups to silence the voices of those who are lawfully protesting against these injustices."

The bar's statement came just a few hours before President Donald Trump addressed the nation Monday evening from the White House Rose Garden, calling for state governors to take a harder stance against protesters by activating state national guard units. The president also threatened to send U.S. military forces into states that fail to bring protesters into line.

In a news briefing Monday night, Gov. Ned Lamont said he did not expect Connecticut to require any sort of military intervention. "I do think, broadly speaking, militarizing the situation is not the way to go," Lamont said. "Working with demonstrators who are standing up, and by and large are doing things in a peaceful way, that's the Connecticut way."

U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-5) also spoke during Lamont's Monday briefing, calling recent events "deeply painful" for citizens of color, including herself and her husband, Milford Hayes, who is a police officer. "We witnessed an execution. We watched the life drain out of George Floyd while he lay on the ground and we watched other police officers stand by, and that is unacceptable," she said.

"You hear about the conversations black families have with their children. That doesn't just apply to children," Hayes added. "My husband has almost 25 years in law enforcement, and he knows if we were to get pulled over, he puts his hands on the steering wheel, he turns on the interior light and he tries to let the officer know 'I'm carrying a firearm and I am law enforcement,' because in the five seconds it would take for him to say that, he doesn't want his sidearm to be noticed and for a confrontation to ensue."

Acknowledging the Floyd case and ensuing protests have exposed racial and political tensions, Moses encouraged people on all sides to hear each other out. "If you disagree with me, I want us to be talking it through," she said. "You have to open yourself up to other points of view. If we don't do that, people are going to remain in their silos, and if you don't have discourse you cannot have change. As lawyers, we know you have to learn the other side of a case more than your own. You have to understand your opponent's side if you want to win the case. This idea should be easy for attorneys because we debate and argue all the time."

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Moses added that she believes people have already been engaging more amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put communities around the world in similar circumstances. "I have found people are not as far apart as they appear, and the more you talk with them the more you realize how many similarities we have. We're all being forced into these uncomfortable conversations, and we're learning."

The CBA stressed that hate crimes and social injustices "undermine the rule of law and erode faith in the justice system we have all sworn to protect" and the bar urged members to "actively and faithfully discharge these duties. We cannot remain silent in the face of injustice."

The bar also quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

Moses said she's optimistic, but added real progress should not be expected overnight. "I don't want to sugarcoat this. It's not going to be easy," she said. "We're going to get scars and we're going to have some difficulties, but we have to do it. We have to approach this with some level of optimism, because really the only option is change."