Message to racists of any stripe: You have a misplaced sense of patriotism. You dishonor our country and the best of our heritage. You stand in the way of an even better future for yourself, as well as the rest of us.

Message to angry blacks: Racist whites do not represent your white neighbors.

Message to uneasy whites: The gang-banging, violent street thug does not represent your black neighbors.

Message to the black community: You have friends and allies in the white community who bear no ill will. You have more potential allies in the struggle to eliminate any form of racism, but they are put off by the very visible segment of the black community that is riddled with pathologies. They fear it. They want nothing to do with it. They don’t understand why you won’t acknowledge the reality of that community and the difficulty it represents to law enforcement. And they won’t accept the sole blame for the trevails of that community – particularly black on black crime.

Message to the white community: Your black neighbors share the same values, rights, and patriotism as you.

Message to the gang-banging, violent, finger-pointing, black community: You do yourselves no favors. You create an extra burden for others in the black community, and you alienate your white neighbors who do not see themselves as the racists you condemn. You give support to fears and stereotypes. Your efforts to place all the blame for your difficulties is self-defeating. Look in the mirror. Do you like the person you see? If not, work on that. Your life will get better.

I repeat my message to racists of any stripe: You have a misplaced sense of patriotism. You dishonor our country and the best of our heritage. You stand in the way of an even better future for yourself, as well as the rest of us.

We all have work to do. Let’s stop the shouting, blaming, and looking backwards. Let’s do our part to get past the latest hurdles, and keep moving forward.