Police were murdered during a peaceful protest against police brutality in Dallas, Texas, on of July 7, 2016. As of now, four men in blue are dead and seven others are wounded. People were outraged by the police killing African Americans, and a maniac with a sniper expressed it in a counter-productive way. We see these types of stories every day. An innocent minority gets mistreated, neglected, or murdered by a person of authority. The public justifiably goes into a frenzy, taking lawful action, then a shortsighted person decides to retaliate with violence and ruin it for everyone.

This is not an article about defending every policeman, because not every policeman is good at his or her job. Nor is this about defending anyone who’s ever been hurt by the police as not every suspect is innocent. You can be outraged by police killing innocent people. You can be outraged by people killing innocent police. Its OK to advocate for both, to realize both actions merit a punishment. Defending good police and using #NotAllCops doesn’t make you anti-minorities, just as tweeting #BlackLivesMatter doesn’t make you anti-authority. It’s not an ultimatum, and people have the right to feel conflicted.

People should be upset that those meant to protect us are killing us. People should be hurt, terrified, and should proceed with caution because one never knows when they’ll encounter that one in 100 corrupt cop. One bad cop out of a 100, one bullet out six in a Glock 22, one wrong gesture in front of the wrong person at the wrong time. That is all it takes to lose your life, your loved ones, to lose your faith in our criminal justice system. So far, 136 African Americans have been murdered by police in 2016. You, African American or not, could always end up on the casualty list. It’s upsetting because even though officers have accepted that they may not make it home at the end of the day, we have not agreed to that. We expect to go out, live our lives as best we can, and even if we make a mistake, expect to be able to exercise our rights and be given a fair trial. Obviously, that doesn’t always happen.

However, that does not mean we can let our anger consume us and go with our gut reaction. If you are upset about the death of innocent people, how can it make sense to kill innocent cops? You’re not getting even. You’re encouraging the cycle, being detrimental to the cause. Killing begets killing. Either way, it’s bloodshed. Either way, it’s wrong. This is not an eye-for-an-eye justice system. You cannot kill for the sake of peace the same way you cannot have sex for the sake of virginity. Turn your outrage, your passion, your despair into something positive.

Don’t show your hatred for police. Show your support for the victim’s families. Start funds for the victims to help pay for their funeral, for their debts, for the lunch money of the child they left behind. Do something productive. Do your research. Specifically find these corrupt officers, and if his or her name isn’t out there, demand it from the media. Then we need to sign petitions, conduct more peaceful marches, and chant outside the police station until that person(s) gets fired. Let’s raise our voices, not our guns. In light of recent events, it’s not always just the people who need help practicing restraint. I know it seems ironic to enforce laws on those who are supposed to uphold the law, but seeing as how a few officers think they are above the law, it’s appropriate. All police cars and uniforms should have cameras that can’t be turned off. If we’re not going to ban guns, we should at least train officers to shoot to injure, rather than shoot to kill. Have people been trying this for decades? Yes. Has doing this been successful? Not usually, but when we give up on peaceful protest, we become the murderers. The only way to fix the problem is to make people accountable, even bystanders because staying silent means taking the side of the oppressor (whether it be an officer, or a maniac with a weapon).

Believe it or not, passing the laws and getting bad policeman fired is the easy part. Getting rid of the prejudice is the hard part. Restricting the few racist, impulsive officers from joining the force is the hard part. Keeping citizens with vendettas against the police away from peaceful protests is the hard part. Restoring our faith in policeman, and in our country is the almost impossible part. Policemen must remember not all citizens are suspects, just as we must remember not all policeman are murders. As American citizens, we depend on the idea that we are innocent until proven guilty. If we want to be treated with respect and given the benefit of the doubt, then we have to give our officers the benefit of the doubt. Though what we hear on the news is terrifying, discouraging, and overwhelming, “innocent until proven guilty” has to go both ways. It’s not about taking sides. It’s about being there for each other in time of need.

Be the change you want to see in the world -- Ghandi