Like so many others, I watched live coverage from Dallas as violence broke out at a rally being held in response to the recent killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Like so many others, I was saddened to hear of the deaths of five police officers who were on duty. I was saddened that someone would turn to violence as a solution to the frustration, anger, sadness, and betrayal they felt, and I was saddened by the senseless deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, as well as the countless other victims of police violence whose names and lives we will always remember and mourn.

It seems that whenever a person attempts to start a conversation about the problem of law enforcement using unjustified force, someone criticizes them for being "against the police". Let's get one thing straight: police officers have an incredibly difficult and dangerous job. They put their lives on the line in order to protect their communities, and their job is immensely important. Let's get another thing straight: the police are responsible for one in ten deadly shootings of unarmed civilians. Although black males make up only 6 percent of the nation's total population, they account for 40 percent of unarmed people who are shot and killed by the police each year. The police deserve our respect and gratitude, but appreciation is not synonymous with failing to address the urgent problem of police brutality.

When did showing respect for the police come to mean defending the actions of a police officer that shot and killed a man who complied with his every order after being pulled over? When did being outraged over a police officer not going to jail for taking the life of an innocent person come to mean that you lack respect for the officer? During these times of violence and pain, we cannot remain silent about these killings out of "respect for law enforcement". We can mourn the lives of the five cops that were killed last night while being outraged over the 136 blacks who have been killed by the police since January of this year. We can show our appreciation for the police officers who do their jobs responsibly and fairly while calling out the ones who don't.

We must speak up and demand better from the police, and those who oversee them. Until the day when ALL Americans are safe under the protection of our police officers, we must come together and have difficult conversations that include people on all sides of the issue, including police officers. I wish that someone had all the answers, but I do know that we can’t continue to defend these senseless acts of violence: out of respect for the police, and out of respect for the lives of people who are targeted by the police because of the color of their skin.

And we can start by saying their names: Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.