Growing up in a society completely inundated with instantaneous and unfiltered news coverage it is easy to become complacent when faced with tragedy and injustices that plague our country and to a greater extent, the rest of the world but this past week has been, for me at least, a bombardment of gut wrenching reports.

On Wednesday, July 6 Philando Castile was shot by police after being stopped for an outed tail light, less than 24 hours earlier on Tuesday July 5 Alton Sterling was shot and killed after being subdued by police outside a convenience store where he routinely sold cd’s.

Protests orchestrated by the Black Lives Matter movement formed nationwide in protest of both shootings and it was at one such protest in Dallas Texas that the darkest day in police history occurred. During the protest at approximately 11:00 pm, Micah Johnson opened fire on officers from an elevated position with a long rifle. During the gunfight that ensued officers put themselves between the protesters and Johnson who showed no concern for civilian casualties during his vindictive killing spree which ended the lives of five Dallas officers. It is worth noting that the protest organizers DID NOT contribute to Johnson’s attack which appears to be a crime of opportunity with premeditated intentions.

With the entire nation’s police forces and their families in grief over the loss of five courageous LEO’s (Law Enforcement Officers) it seemed that the worst was behind us. However, yet again in less than 20 hours two more officers; one in St. Louis, and another in Georgia were ambushed and killed during their patrols.

I’ve followed each of these separate events closely and have been more than a little vocal through my own social media platforms. Though currently I am a melting pot of mixed emotions, one particular feeling seems to be permeating above the rest; that is the feeling of absolute disgust! Disgust not only at the loss of seven LEO’s who left their families that morning for the last time in order to protect yours and mine, but also the loss of two American citizens neither of which deserved to die despite the differences of each incident. Beyond all that, I am disgusted and disappointed in the reactions which I have read over the internet with regards to each side of the police debate.

It’s become a common practice in our society to blanket cops as trigger happy racists each time a shooting occurs. This generalization is not only statistically false but it fails to take each instance case by case to determine whether or not a shooting is actually justified in that situation. Instead it offers a simplistic call to action for social justice warriors to clamor onto without objectively looking at evidence. In addition, I have nearly puked in my mouth while reading comments that actually praise the killings of these Dallas officers and even call for the deaths of more LEO’s. On the other hand is the extreme defenders of bad police. Now I am always ready to give an officer the benefit of the doubt until I have had an opportunity to look at the evidence and as a matter of fact I am not convinced that the shooting of Philando or Alton is justified. That is not to say that other shootings from officers were not. Granted I’ve never attended any formal police training and really cannot speak on its efficiency or lack thereof. I have however through the U.S Army conducted “Shoot, Don’t Shoot” training and can personally attest to its difficulty. If you shoot and you’re wrong (which is harder to tell than you think) then you’re going to be prosecuted as a murderer. If you don’t shoot and you are wrong your partner and brother in arms could be killed. These are not small stakes to play around with. Then take into account that police operate under much stricter guidelines dealing with U.S citizens than the military does while dealing with foreign nationals and potential insurgents.

So, looking objectively at each case I would say that each is a display that certain police agencies have not been training their men and women to the same standard as others with regards to preparing them for these extremely difficult situations. This can be from a variety of reasons from the availability of funding, and the recruitment pull in that area but ultimately it falls on police and city leadership to ensure that all those under them are as prepared as possible for the unknown. That being said I am going to reiterate that these recent string of shootings are not justifiable and guess what!? I can say that and still be a supporter of our Law Enforcement. The officers that I know and am friends with are some of the most professional, compassionate, and well trained individuals that I’ve ever met. These cops who sully the badge are not the norm. They are the outlier who have been put on display by the media to paint an inaccurate portrait of all law enforcement. Yes we need to acknowledge the issues of police brutality when they present themselves, yes we need to address when a mistake costs the life of an innocent person, and yes you can believe all these things and still have the up most respect for the majority of cops who are good people like you or me, in fact, they are better than you or me because they are doing one of the hardest jobs imaginable for a nation that has displayed a staggering lack of gratitude for their efforts.

I challenge those of you reading this today. No matter what side of this issue you stand on. Let go of your prejudice, bias, and ego. Look at each instance objectively from both sides and stick to facts not presumptions. We will never be able to make a change for the better if we are so busy blindly defending a stereotype of any kind.