DETROIT (AP) – U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says recent tragedies involving police and blacks have “awakened a pain” in people that crosses all boundaries.

Lynch made the remarks in Detroit at the first of what she says will be a series of forums to improve communication between police and the community. She says the forums will bring together residents and law enforcement to work on solutions that can be used around the country “to make a difference.”

In recent weeks, five officers were killed in Dallas and three law enforcement officers were gunned down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Before those attacks, two white officers in Baton Rouge killed a black man during a scuffle and an officer in Minnesota shot and killed a black motorist during a traffic stop, sparking protests.