As citizens, we all owe it to each other to get this right. It’s appalling for conservative pundits to argue that mostly civil protests had anything to do with the murder of the two NYPD officers yesterday. But blanket condemnations of “racist cops” take on a different ring after the shooting than they did before. Ideally, we each deserve each other’s respect. [1] The police should respect the broader public they serve. [2] The “people” should respect the police. [3] The police and their union leaders should respect the mayor. [4] Everyone should respect the right of citizens to protest. Each is a separate point that stands on its own merit. In fact, they get mashed up together. Black and blue and bloodied, the social fabric has always already been a mess.