Take a Second and Think...
Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I saw two very big and very upsetting pieces of news. Amy Coney Barrett is now a Supreme Court Justice, and a man was killed by police officers in Philadelphia. I shared a post on my Instagram story about the murder.
I went to bed. I did this because I wanted to make sure that when I did respond, that I had done research, slept on the anger, and had all the facts. I don't like to Tweet on impulse. Sometimes it is necessary, but right now, we need facts.
Here is what I have.
Amy Coney Barrett-
Be sure to click that link for a source. There's a lot to unpack there, and I just want y'all to read it.
The biggest issue I have with her, besides the obvious women issues and "pro-life" qualities, has to do with her response to systemic racism.
Not too long ago, maybe a week or so, Barrett was asked by Sen. Booker about the role of racial bias in the criminal justice system and her response was less than comforting. Way less. She said, and I quote, "...it's not something that I can say, yes, I've done research on this..."
That remark and unsatisfying confession of ignorance on systemic racism is a red flag for me. One of many.
I'd also like to take you back to a time when she sided with a ruling that being called the n-word in a workplace was not enough to say that a workplace is a hostile enviornment for a black man.
Yeah, I'm sorry, but white people don't get to tell a black man how he should feel, or what he shouldn't feel in that situation. Bottom line is, he was called the n-word in his work place, that's wrong, and our justice system failed yet another person of color. Don't get me wrong, I know she doesn't think the n-word is appropriate...but she let justice slide away when she sided with the ruling on "lack of evidence".
Here's what I mean by my being against "pro-life" and its hypocrisy as a platform:
That's not to say all people who are "pro-life" are hypocrites or even support all of those other Republican things. This is just what pro-choicers see on the other side. to be "pro-life", one should care about ALL life. All of them.
(that's a slideshow btw. I'm trying out new photo usage tools to see how they work. there should be three images there)
Philadelphia Shooting-
Walter Wallace Jr. was out, clearly having a mental health issue while holding a knife, and someone called it in. His mother was with him, trying her hardest to de-escalate the situation on her own, but cops quickly arrived on scene, did nothing to help him, and shot him more than 10 times.
In a video I watched a lot today to try and fully understand the situation, Wallace's mother can be seen running after her son, trying to stop him and screaming and begging police not to shoot. In the video, and again I've watched it alot today, I can count 9 shots, but over half of them are accompanied with another shot right after it. It is hard to keep track witht he sounds, but it is well over 15 times.
I follow a BLM page and they posted side by side video of Wallace and a white man who also had a knife, was having a mental health issue, and also charged at an officer. He lived. I linked the video. Please know, it is graphic, it is sad, and it is hard to watch. Don't click on that link if you don't want to.
This is why I, along with so many other Americans, see systemic racism as an issue and cry out for a change. Defund, clean house, re-train, re-hire. Something has to be done.
The Problem-
Someone responded to a story I posted about Wallace today and said "maybe he should've listened". To that, I always respond with a question or two: What if he was your uncle? Or your roommate? Would you feel outraged or would you say what you just said?
Wallace was a human. He had mental health problems and was having a bad day. he wasn't thinking clearly. And our justice system, our police, didn't protect him or help him. His mom will nevr be the same. I don't know if our country will ever be the same.
I know I won't be after watching his mother put herself between the cops and her son and scream out in grief over his body.
This murder sparked riots in Philadelphia..
People were injured, cops were targeted, and mistakes were definitely made.
Rioting is not good, and I would never say we should attack people...
But we don't get to tell black Americans how to react to this anymore. How to feel.
If my father was murdered in front of me, I think I would want to smash a window or two.
We don't get to tell black America how to feel after 400+ years of racism and opression. We just don't.
So stop. Lend a hand or a shoulder instead. Tell your stubborn family members to stop. Educate them. Stop criminalizing mental health and grief. Think about your gut reactions to stories like Wallace's and Taylor's and Floyd's. Reevaluate your heart.
Think about that for a second. People are actually trying to justify murdering a person in cold blood... Who have we become as a country? What direction are we headed in as a people?
For our sake, I hope we're getting to the bottom of the pit so the only option is to move up from here.
America The Scary
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME. And quite frankly, America ain't it either.
I don't want to be a part of a world like this anymore.
My friends shouldn't have to be scared to be alive.
Jesus wouldn't be cool with that.
Remember the goal guys. Remember what Jesus wants us to do. Remember who Jesus wants us to help.
"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Pv. 31:8-9)
"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." (Is. 1:17)
Challenge: reach out to someone who you know who is hurting or scared in regards to where our country is. Listen to them. Don't offer advice or your opinion. Just listen. Be there. Be Jesus.
Thx if you made it this far.
Peace.
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