The peaceful Aug. 23 march in Staten Island responding to the death of Eric Garner in a confrontation with police earlier this summer showed that such tragic deaths do not have to divide communities and police officers. They can bring people together.

As UFT President Michael Mulgrew told the crowd at the event, “It is time for us to show the entire country that New York City can solve tough issues by dealing with tough issues.”

Eric Garner’s tragic death reopened a difficult conversation in our city around police-community relations. It’s a conversation the city needs to have. We at the UFT can help show how to do it, with the same commitment to peace and justice for all sides that guides us in our work every day.

Scores of UFT members joined the march, some wearing T-shirts bearing the union’s message: One community, one city, respect for all. Other members posted angry messages on the UFT Facebook page.

But our union has a proud legacy of engaging on social justice issues and of supporting and strengthening our communities. The Aug. 23 march — where our members joined representatives of the NAACP, a former governor of New York State, and many other local unions — should be part of that legacy.