Why is it so hard for people to see two truths? Why can’t conservatives and liberals both admit that they have flaws in their ideologies and just agree on common sense ideas?

We’re seeing this type of situation occur right now in Baltimore, as the death of Freddie Gray while in the custody of Baltimore police officers has spurred days of riots and protests.

The riots have led to neighborhoods being trashed, stores being looted, cars being turned over and officers being assaulted. Conservatives are saying that the riots and violent protests are counter-productive. Liberals say the riots are representative of anger over unhinged police brutality and systemic racism within our society. Any sensible person, regardless of political ideology should see that both of these views hold truth.

While I sympathize with the anger felt by citizens of Baltimore and similar areas across the country, as a white man raised in the suburbs, I’ll never truly understand the struggles of minority citizens living in low-income inner city areas. But what I do know is that regardless of your race or socio-economic background, violence is never a productive response to dealing with a social issue.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this, and that is why he was undoubtedly the most influential civil rights activist of the 20th century. His non-violent protests and pacifism not only influenced landmark legislation like the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but also embodied the entire Christian philosophy the way no one else has since Jesus himself walked the Earth.

Giving credit where it’s due, not all of the protests in Baltimore have been violent. In fact many citizens have participated in peaceful demonstrations and have been vocally critical of the violence. Unfortunately the national media have done what they do best and only focus on the negative aspects of the story; therefore the violence is what most Americans are seeing.

This is not what King would want, and it’s certainly not going to help their cause.

But at the same time, a young man was killed in mysterious, horrific circumstances while in police custody for making eye contact with and then running from a cop.

While many like to claim that situations like the death of Gray are the result of a few “bad apple” cops, we have seen numerous instances of police practicing unnecessary excessive force within the last few months.

When saying “don’t touch me” gets you choked to death, carrying a toy gun in an open-carry state gets you shot to death and running from a cop after making eye contact with him results in your spine being snapped, it’s safe to say that something is wrong with the entire system.

And while police have a dangerous job that does require violence in certain circumstances, they are public servants. It’s our responsibility as citizens to hold them accountable, and since many officers guilty of excessive force never even go to trial, we are not doing a good job.

Ultimately the situation in Baltimore has many lessons, but if Americans take away just one thing, it should be that life is hardly ever black and white.

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