Dread and a dream the morning after Dallas

The Dallas shooters have made life even more dangerous for black people, for us all.

They have subverted the community’s calls–expressed most recently by Diamond Reynolds–for accountability and an overhaul of the way police recruit, train, manage, and see to the mental health of officers.

They have made it easier for politicians, and especially the likes of Donald Trump, to whip up insecurity and create the false impression that the protest movement is out for police blood–when, in fact, the movement has plainly stated that it needs cops, only better cops.

They have diverted attention from the police killings of Alton Sterling and Ms. Reynolds’s partner, Philando Castile.

They have spared the NRA, which otherwise might have been pressed on the deaths of two lawful, licensed gun owners whose weapons were declared and left holstered until after police had killed their owners.

They have arrogated unto themselves the powers of judge and jury and they have meted out indiscriminate punishment, taking the lives of officers who, for all we know, were honest and honorable public servants. But even if they weren’t, what had their children, their spouses, their parents done to deserve this horrendous loss?

The Dallas shooters must not be allowed to get away with any of this.

Let there be transparency, due process, diligence, and fairness in the pursuit of justice for the slain officers and for the victims of police killings and abuse. Let there be mutual trust and respect. Let there be a morning when I don’t have to bolt from my bed with anxiety and walk the streets of my country with sorrow.