Photo Courtesy of Roger Wolsey, Kissing Fish
Outraged
A Facebook photo posted by Roger Wolsey of "Kissing Fish," best describes the reaction of many citizens to the aftermaths of the killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and of Eric Garner in New York City: "You don't have to be black to feel outraged."
Then Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, capped the photo with her cogent observation reported by Religion News Service: “The degradation and demeaning of black life must stop. What the hell kind of country do we live in?”
Dr. Jones' comment came out the same day that news emerged from Phoenix that another black man, Rumain Brisbon, 34 was shot to death Dec. 2 after police chased him to the apartment where his children lived because they thought he was dealing drugs. Brisbon, who was bringing food to his children according to an eyewitness, had put his hand in his pocket, which led the officer to think he was reaching for a gun. The unnamed officer said he shot Brisbon because "he felt threatened." Even more appalling to many, Phoenix Police Department spokesman, Sgt. Trent Crump, said the officer "did what we expect him to do."
The deaths of Brown, Garner and Brisbon are the most publicized recent killings of black men in America. Ever since the Civil Rights era achieved political opportunities for African-Americans, America's "justice" system has targeted black men for excessive policing and incarceration. In the 50 years since the Civil Rights Act was adopted, the deadly stereotype that all black men are automatically criminals has robbed black communities of leadership and economic growth.
America has more people in prison now than in the past five years, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. As of Dec. 31, 2013, there were an estimated 1,574,700 inmates, an increase of 4,300 prisoners over yearend 2012. Other sources, such as the NAACP, put the total prison population at 2.3 million. Of those incarcerated, some 60 percent are blacks and other racial minorities, according to The Sentencing Project. Even more astonishing is the fact that 1 in 3 black men can expect to be in jail at some time in their lives, compared to 1 in 17 white men, says The Sentencing Project.
Nothing could say more about our racist society than these statistics.
If we truly believe than in Christ there is "neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free," then the time is long past when white Christians should be marching in the streets with other black sisters and brothers. It's time for a new campaign by Christians for racial justice for all. Here are some suggestions for immediate action:
- Predominantly white congregations can partner with mostly black churches in every community to engage in peaceful protest of racial profiling and excessive force;
- Churches can gather statistics on the rates of black male incarceration and use of excessive force against black suspects in their communities, and employ the statistics to demand accountability from local authorities regarding law enforcement attitudes and actions.
- Christians who vote can demand their state legislatures repeal all laws that result in automatic incarceration for non-violent crimes, including drug-related crimes.
- Congregations can sponsor seminars on restorative justice for local authorities.
- Churches can join with other congregations and groups such as Kairos to meet prison inmates' spiritual, and to help former inmates get jobs, homes and support for their re-integration into society.
Black lives matter. Our faith in Jesus Christ, who was killed by authorities as an example of Rome's racist power, compels us to stand up and hold our governments accountable for the safety and welfare of all people.