These are dire times. Police have killed George Floyd and David McAtee. Donald Trump had people tear-gassed so he could take a walk. He is threatening illegal military deployments and shooting in the United States. Rioters are destroying property and assaulting people. Journalists have been the target of both police and mobs.

I’ve felt helpless, even though I’m not close to the locations of violence and am relatively safe personally. But we’re seeing the country tear itself apart by a thug president and thugs (both with and without badges) in the streets. One thing I can do, for whoever may notice, is remind the people in my profession that we can make a difference. We can speak out, forcefully and responsibly.

We should speak out for principles, not factions. Telling some group of people how horrible they are may feel great, but it accomplishes nothing. Talk about what is right and wrong. Call attention to wrongdoing — brutality, bigotry, abuse of power. Name names. But don’t attack people for being black or white, male or female, registered to vote as Republican or Democratic.

We should call for concrete changes, such as not letting police officers hide unpunished behind qualified immunity. Hand-wringing accomplishes nothing unless it’s accompanied by something specific.

We should check our facts. Spreading false information can harm innocent people and damage the credibility of a cause. We shouldn’t make assumptions where we don’t have adequate information.

We should counter the narrative of fear, not promote it. There are lots of reasons to be afraid, but there’s no reason to surrender to fear.

We shouldn’t abandon these principles for the sake of making a buck. If someone offers you money to promote what you know is wrong, don’t take it. Don’t become a tool of your own destruction.

As a writer, you’re in a position to inform and motivate people. The header on my website says, “Words are the most powerful thing on Earth.” It’s true. Use the power well, and you’ll help us all to survive what’s now happening and make America what it always should have been: a free nation, an example for the world, a place where we can be proud to live.

Addendum, June 6: In the spirit of fact checking, here’s a bit of detail on the use of tear gas in Lafayette Park. Trump has denied that tear gas was used; the peaceful demonstrators were merely shoved out of the way with “pepperballs.” The Miami Herald has some information on pepperballs.

A pepper ball is a type of projectile filled with pepper spray that’s often “launched from a device similar to a pistol,” WHIO reported.

Citing one of the manufacturers, the Ohio TV station reported pepper balls “create a 12-foot cloud” and can irritate the nose, eyes and throat of those who come in contact with it. The effects typically “wear off within 15 minutes.”

Merriam-Webster defines tear gas as “a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance that on dispersion in the atmosphere irritates mucous membranes resulting especially in blinding of the eyes with tears and is used chiefly in dispelling mobs.” The difference is subtle, at most one of degree. I can’t find information on the exact chemicals used in the “pepperballs.”

But there’s strong evidence that Trump and the Park Police were simply lying. A local news source found a canister labelled “SPEDE-HEAT CS.” CS is a crowd-control gas which is unambiguously a form of tear gas. The article states:

But federal law enforcement did launch tear gas Monday evening outside Lafayette Park.

We watched them do it, we suffered the effects, we picked up evidence and we are pressing for answers.