Nate Bowling, 36, a high school teacher in Tacoma, Wash., who was named the 2016 state Teacher of the Year, has supported the movement against police violence, but had never participated in a Black Lives Matter protest until Saturday after several students asked him to attend.

He called the killings in Baton Rouge a “horrible tragedy” but said he was disturbed by the implications that the protests were somehow to blame. “The Black Lives Matter movement is a movement against police violence, and this was an act of violence,” he said.

Mr. Bowling said he did not believe the killings should sway the resolve of protesters, who he said had drawn attention to abusive policing in black communities. “I stand against killings of police and by police,” he said.

Adjoa Danso, 24, of Atlanta, said the news of the police killings in Baton Rouge was “very discouraging.” Ms. Danso is an editorial assistant and participated in a march in January 2015.

“I think it will make the movement work much harder,” she said. “We’re going to see a greater militarization of police at protests, like we already saw in Baton Rouge.”

But Ms. Danso also said the protests must continue. “The work still needs to be done,” she said.