Don't let these defendants push us back to the day when police officers could beat people with impunity, and arrest people for no reason and lie about it to cover it up.

The verdicts today should send the message that within the police department there is no greater betrayal of the badge and of the brotherhood than to ensnare another officer in a web of lies and deceit.

This country was founded on a promise of equal rights for all, and we have always managed to move closer to that promise, little by little, one day at a time. It may not be easy - but we'll get there together.

Let us reflect on the obvious but often neglected lesson that state-sanctioned discrimination never looks good in hindsight.

Let us not act out of fear and misunderstanding, but out of the values of inclusion, diversity, and regard for all that make our country great.

Instead of turning away from our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues, let us instead learn from our history and avoid repeating the mistakes of our past.