The Question That is
NOT Being Asked
Many discussions I hear and read about the tragedy in
Ferguson, Missouri, either begin or end with this question: “What if a large
man came at you in a violent way?
Wouldn’t you shoot him if you were armed?”
Let me ask a question that I don’t hear, at least from those
of us in the white community: What if your son (or daughter) were walking down
the street, was asked to move over, said that he/she was just going to the next
block and would be off the street soon, was suddenly confronted with a backed
up police vehicle that nearly hit him/her, and then was asked to come over to
the car? And, what if he/she ran in
fear, not recognizing the officer, who was of a different race that is
prevalent in his/her neighborhood. Then,
what if that officer shot him/her six times and he/she were unarmed?
Both questions make assumptions about things we as of yet
know little about. Both scenarios – an aggressive
young man and the overly aggressive policeman – have been presented by alleged
witnesses. Some say the young man who
was shot, Michael Brown, was being aggressive and possibly even going for the
weapon of the officer. Other eyewitness
accounts say that he was either fleeing or attempting to flee with his hands up
indicating he was unarmed. Still other
reports fall somewhere in between those two extremes.
Many analysts have indicated that there has been a good deal
of slanted reporting. Some are trying to
portray Brown, a recent high school graduate who was about to begin taking
college courses and was visiting his grandmother in Ferguson, as a “thug”:
another black youth caught up in violence, gangs, and trouble. Some even say that had he lived, he may have
been the suspect in a recent store burglary (shoplifting).
Still others see the slant going against the
police officers of Ferguson: they were too aggressive, too racially charged,
acting in fear in certain neighborhoods instead of in line with their training,
and were too zealous to assert their “control” over an increasingly
African-American population. This
version goes something like this: When the black youth was defiant, the officer
responded with deadly force, probably out of fear – not just fear of the youth
but of the mostly African-American neighborhood.
Again, there is probably a little (or a lot) of truth in
both of these scenarios. It is likely
that Michael Brown, like most teens regardless of color, may have felt
resentful or fearful in being stopped by an officer. It is also likely that the officer was not
exactly feeling safe in the neighborhood and was on edge, possibly prompting
what appears to many to be excessive: emptying his gun into an unarmed young
man.
What We Know
We have no way of knowing all of the details, especially in
regard to the feelings of the two men at that time. The officer may never tell, and the dead
young man cannot tell us.
If I could, though, I would like to submit a few things that
I think we do know.
1. Racial tension, especially between the public and those
who are charged with overseeing the public, must continue to be addressed. Some say this is playing “the race
card.” However, the truth is: The race
card is already in play in many
communities like Ferguson! We must
address this honestly and openly. Those
in power must be proactive in reaching out.
Those who feel overwhelmed or outnumbered or discriminated against must
find ways to listen and to be heard, using methods that hopefully will not
escalate the violence.
2. Officers always need more training. My father was a police officer for many
years, and I have friends and other family members who serve in law enforcement. The training they receive is ongoing and in
the words of many of them, the training never covers every aspect of the
job. That is why it is consistent,
ongoing, and necessary. If one of the
results of this terrible tragedy is to make sure that officers are better
trained in regard to the use of deadly fire, then it will be a glimmer of light
in an otherwise sad story. Furthermore,
if it can assist in helping officers and the people they serve increase
dialogue regarding expectations in times of conflict, then some good will come
from this terrible tragedy.
3. Violence produces more violence. Jesus said that those who “live by the sword
die by the sword.” American Christians
tend to overlook this important nugget of wisdom from Jesus, because we have
become a violent nation. However, the aggressive
exchange between the young man and the police officer escalated. The violent protesters are not the majority
of protesters, but they get the most press, and their violence increases the
violence from others, including police.
It is a vicious cycle that desperately needs peacemakers.
4. Politics has become the American religion. Even many Christians I read and talk with
have little regard for approaching this tragedy with the words and wisdom and
vision of Jesus. Rather, they look to
what conservative or liberal leaders are saying in the media and they take cues
from them. Period. For Christians, this
is a form of idolatry that only hinders the reconciliation process. It is interesting to me to watch how
politicians are reacting to this.
Conservatives are usually for “smaller government”, yet many
conservative leaders are endorsing the actions of the police (a government
entity) and assuming that the police officer was correct. Liberals tend to lean more toward
pacifism. Yet, many liberal leaders are
using terms like “we will fight,” and “fight fire with fire,” etc. Again, the loudest voices among these groups
do not represent all conservatives or liberals, but their reactions remind us
that politicians will seek to rally an audience for their own gain. God, however, seeks the truth, regardless of
the audience. It seems to me that those who purport to follow God must choose God's way over the media pundits and politicians.
5. There are no “winners” in this tragedy. Again, as the son of a policeman, I want to
believe that the officer acted with the best intentions and in the best
way. But, having seen a wide range of
officers in my life, I know that like in any profession, there are all kinds of
people who wear a badge. And, even those
with the best of intentions can make tragic mistakes. I am also the father of two sons. Because of this, my heart breaks for the
parents and grandparents of Michael Brown.
All kids, whether they are generally good (as Brown’s friends and family
say he was) or generally rebellious, make mistakes in their young lives. As parents and friends, we pray that the
mistakes they make will be ones from which they learn and that their mistakes
are not the kind that end in tragedy.
For Michael Brown’s family, six bullets ended further opportunities to
influence and teach him. Both of these
families – those of the officer and those of Michael Brown – will be forever
changed by that fateful day. We cannot
pray enough for both families involved!
Thy Kingdom Come
When Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, prayed, “Thy Kingdom come,”
He was talking about God’s new way of doing things: God’s kingdom. He was making a distinction, as Jesus did
throughout His life and ministry, between the “kingdoms of this world” (i.e.,
how political systems normally operate) and the Kingdom of God (how God chooses
to operate in the world through love).
Speaking the truth in love is the normative way of communicating in this
new kingdom, according to the Bible (Ephesians 4:15). That means that those who seek to be a part
of God’s way of doing things can bring some hope to Ferguson, Missouri, and to
other violence torn places in our world.
We can honestly and lovingly remind them that violence only creates more
violence. We can remind them that
hypocrisy only leads to despair and fear.
We can remind them that the things that divide us – like race and
economic despair – are real and need to be honestly and lovingly
addressed. We can remind them that it is
not alright to safely hide behind banners or race, money, or power. We can remind them that we all have a
responsibility to serve, to listen, and to do our best to be part of the
healing of our communities. Name-calling,
stereotyping, and raw violence has never solved anything, and it never
will. May God grant His peace to all of
us.
