It is possible to be pro-police while also recognizing that police need accountability and limits on their power.
It is possible to recognize that a police presence is crucial to the protection of society, while simultaneously recognizing that many cops commit serious crimes while wearing the badge.
It is possible to support police while also supporting the prosecution and punishment of bad cops.
It is possible to support police while also calling for justice for victims of police violence.
It is even possible to support many of the reforms demanded from Black Lives Matter without believing that every single white person is irredeemably racist.
The loudest, most ignorant voices from both sides of the debate, the only voices being heard now, will say that none of these are possible. At one point, there was much common ground between BLM and supporters of police. It was a rare opportunity for both sides to work together. That moment has long since passed.
This is sad, because it means that nothing will change.
