There should have been nothing remarkable in Carson Daly sporting a NYPD cap for hosting the NBC New Year’s Eve coverage from Times Square. It was New York City after all, and New York’s finest were keeping everyone safe in the target of choice for jihadist terrorists. But he sparked a Twitter storm of praise and vile cursing. Such is the mood.

The Saturday funeral service for New York Police Department Officer Rafael Ramos at his church, Christ Tabernacle in Queens, featured speeches from politicians, but it also was filled with the message of the gospel. The thousands gathered recited the Lord’s Prayer, singers sang “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and pastors from throughout the city prayed for healing for the Ramos family and New York itself. 

Christ Tabernacle Executive Pastor Adam Durso opened the service with prayer. 

NEW YORK—Grief piled on top of grief in New York after the execution-style murder of two New York Police Department officers on Saturday as they sat in their patrol car.

Once in a while, a movie can shake the narrative of history as you once understood it. Selma is that kind of movie.

A period drama focusing on the events leading up to the historic marches for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., the film is already a frontrunner for next year’s Oscars—which means director Ava DuVernay might become one of the few female and African-American directors to win the prestigious award.

The deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.,  and Eric Garner in New York City sparked protests around the country. These incidents raised important questions about race and the use of military tactics by the country’s police departments. They need answers, and the national conversation we are having is necessary—however uncomfortable it is.

And, of course, every American brings a different perspective to that conversation. Police have pulled over young black men for DWB—driving while black. Their stories deserve to be heard.  

Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy shot to death by Cleveland police two weeks ago, has become another symbol of what protestors across the nation say is a widespread problem of over-aggressive police behavior.