I have been preoccupied with my daughter’s wedding for several days, but it has been impossible to miss the turmoil facing our nation at this point in time.   Let’s try a little perspective here.

First, I was born in 1951, meaning most of my formative years were during the 1960s.  At that time, we had race riots, we had violence such as the burning and bombing of university ROTC buildings and libraries, and the divisions in the country were great.  Sound familiar?

I am not downplaying what has happened lately.  I’m just saying that in the not-so-distant past, we saw turbulent and violent times.

I find it interesting that a South African comic, Trevor Noah, talked about our divide in a way Americans don’t.  He said on his Comedy Central program The Daily Show that we Americans get hung up on preconceived ideas.  If you are pro-black, people assume you are anti-cop.  If you are pro-police, you are assumed to be anti-black.

Here’s Noah’s quote that struck me.  “You can be pro-cop and pro-black, which is what we should all be.”

That’s what I believe.  There is no justification at all for gunning down and killing police officers.  None at all.

It is equally as difficult to watch fatal shootings of black men without justification.

This is not a time to run to our ideological corners.  This is a time for most Americans to join together and advocate for what’s right.

I have covered the police beat as a reporter.  Most cops are hard working people doing their best to perform a very tough job.  I have a world of respect for the men and women doing this job day in and day out, and doing it the right way.  Imagine that your work shift every day was being called to the worst situations happening in your community.  That is the job of a police officer.

But like any profession, not every cop does the job the correct way.  The numbers dictate there will be a certain number of officers that do not get the job done they way they should.  We shouldn’t condemn all officers because there are a certain number of bad cops.

I also believe the reputation police officers have in many African-American neighborhoods is there for a reason.  Those residents do not trust the police to protect them.  Instead, cops are seen more like an occupying, oppressive presence in their communities.  That is not good for the law-abiding residents of those areas, or for the police officers assigned to those neighborhoods.

I have seen some amazing signs of good in all this bad news.  For example, in Fishers, local residents sent pizza to the local police headquarters, just to show the officers people care.

I will make a small suggestion to anyone reading this commentary.  It’s time for the good people of Fishers, Indiana and America to step forward.  Let it be known that you want a healing process to begin.

We do not want police targeted.  We do not want black males to be unfairly targeted.

If you believe as I do, use the hashtag #StepForward and let everyone know you are ready to be part of the solution and not be one to make the problem worse.

It’s up to each of us, as Americans, to let everyone know it is time to step forward.  It’s time for good people to push hard to do the right thing.  If enough of us do that, perhaps a movement will begin.  I can only hope.