On Monday afternoon, in the midst of rush hour, around 50 protesters blocked a series of intersections and brought Downtown Pittsburgh to a standstill. The protesters were demanding justice for Antwon Rose II, 17, who was shot dead last month by an East Pittsburgh borough police officer, despite the fact that he was weaponless and running from the officer.

Their cause was laudable — but the means were not.

There have been widespread demonstrations since the incident. Protesters have blocked off parts of Parkway East, the North Shore and Downtown in separate demonstrations during the past month. These succeeded in generating coverage of the incident across the country.

It is time to end this degree of disruption. Protesters have achieved their core aim: The accused officer has been charged with criminal homicide and will face trial. Unlike in cases elsewhere across the country, such as that of Alton Sterling in Louisiana, prosecutors did the right thing.

But continuing to block major thoroughfares at busy hours will only erode public support for the protesters’ cause. It may be unfair — the inconvenience caused to commuters traveling home from work clearly pales in comparison with the injustice of Antwon’s death — but it is also the reality of human nature. Since many of the people stuck in traffic are already sympathetic to the activists’ cause, there is little support to be won — but much to be lost — by aggravating them.

Indeed, public opinion isn’t the only thing that activists risk by continuing their demonstration: A clash on Monday involving one commuter, who said he was assaulted by protesters while attempting to drive through the demonstration, signals that the public’s evaporating patience could soon result in someone being seriously injured or even killed.

As the wheels of justice spin in motion for Antwon’s case, organizers should channel their anger into action that ensures a similar incident never happens again. Call it “Phase Two.”

The first step is to rebuild the community’s relationship with the police. Some organizers have already begun tackling this daunting task: Black Women 4 Positive Change, for example, is running a series of implicit bias trainings for police and residents throughout Allegeny County.

Other activist groups should make similar outreach efforts. As we suggested in early July, one way is to invite officers to meetings and involve them in discussions about how to improve police-community relations.

Police should also be proactive.

They have acted professionally in response to the protests, a testament to the quality of the city force. Activists have been free to hold demonstrations, and there have been no cases of serious violence or unrest as seen elsewhere in the country. This has helped begin the healing process.

Officers can continue by working closely with organizers on initiatives like implicit bias trainings. As they begin the more difficult job of redesigning strategies that de-escalate dangerous situations, they should invite community groups to provide input and feedback.

Since Antwon’s death, protesters have chanted cries of “No justice, no peace!” throughout the streets of Pittsburgh. While justice has not yet been won, the district attorney has taken steps that move us closer toward it. Now it’s time for organizers to uphold their end of the bargain and help the region find peace in the wake of this tragedy.

First Published: July 20, 2018, 4:00 a.m.