I do not doubt that there are instances in which, partly due to racism, police in this country have used excessive force. It is a shameful and foolish tragedy, however, that the death of Michael Brown has become the national symbol for this problem. The protests began over a questionable rumor – that Brown had his hands up and was crying ‘don’t shoot’ –a rumor which has since then been thoroughly discredited. Yes, let me repeat: THERE IS NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT THIS ACCURATELY DESCRIBES WHAT HAPPENED. Is it possible that Brown’s hands were up? Sure. Yet it is just as possible that they were not. We will probably never know for certain. There is a fundamental lesson in all this that is not receiving enough attention: when people fly off the handle based on unsubstantiated rumors, without bothering to ascertain whether the rumors are actually true, it only creates more problems. As CCC # 2477 reminds us, one is guilty “of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor.” How many people have bothered to avoid rash judgment in their evaluation of Wilson’s actions? There may be instances of police brutality that ought to be protested, but to have singled out this case as a symbol of all these instances –based on an unsubstantiated rumor—has now undermined the cause of racial equality. People who are rightly concerned about racial justice are foolish to want Office Wilson to suffer as a scapegoat for the larger problems that exist in the culture. Certainly, it can be valid to make an example of an offender in order to demonstrate an unwillingness to tolerate similar offenses, but this only works when the party in question has been conclusively proven guilty. Since Officer Wilson has NOT been proven guilty, it is decidedly ill-conceived to demand his punishment in retribution for numerous offenses nation-wide. If people wish to isolate a particular instance of injustice as the symbol of an unjust pattern, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO SELECT A CLEAR-CUT CASE. The circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Michael Brown are anything but clear-cut, and so the current protests are plagued by the looming suspicion that the rallying cry – ‘hands up; don’t shoot’ – is based squarely on a lie. The cause of racial justice is entirely worth pursuing, and pursuing adamantly, but it will not be served by a disregard for truth. Let us beg the Lord of truth, justice & mercy to grant our nation the precious gift of peace. #Ferguson
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:21:33 +0000
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