Ferguson, God & Country

Ferguson.

That word brings up images race riots. It brings up images of a war zone. It brings up images of a law enforcement officer (LEO) shooting a teenager. This word brings up images of devastated, grieving parents. It brings up images of a justice system that has failed again. It brings up images of burning buildings. This word brings up a city that is imploding. It brings up images of a city in need of healing.

Is this hostility between two or more races true only of Ferguson?

Over a year ago, a hot-tempered civilian, named George Zimmerman, who had been in a foul mood, was driving in his van. It was dark outside and it was raining. He spotted a figure of a boy walking. Disgusted at this intruder, he called 911, and muttered under his breath about this person. Though the Dispatcher dissuaded Zimmerman from following the intruder, Zimmerman rejected her advice. You should remember the rest of the sad facts and the sad conclusion.

Like officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, George Zimmerman had not been initially charged or arrested, either. It took vigorous protest movements and a petition of over one million signatures demanding an arrest, to charge Zimmerman.

That was in Florida. The outcome of that trial, acquittal, was seen as a travesty of justice by many. Vigorous protests and multiple petitions calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Zimmerman's shooting of Trayvon Martin, ensued. Even before that, all over the country, such racially charged cases have been happening ever since we have been the US.

I know that those who see racially charged cases from one perspective, will usually bring up the fact that most crimes against Blacks are by other Blacks. No one is arguing this. What this perspective misses is that, in those cases, the justice system usually works. This perspective may also miss is the fact that most crimes by whites are by other whites. And in those cases, the justice system usually works. And in crimes against whites by Blacks, the justice system works.

It is just when whites commit crimes against Blacks that we get divided, angry, hateful, and those cases stir up racial tensions. It seems then that the justice system fails most. And that has happened all over the country.

I dare say that the shooting of Michael Brown will not be the last racially-charged shooting, not unless hearts are changed. When will that be?

Even as I write this, talks in the media are focusing on how to tweak laws to improve police training, so that tragedies like the Michael Brown shooting will never happen again. That is good and needs to happen. But both LEO's and civilians continue to carry prejudices or at least implicit biases. We all hold implicit biases. I have them. You have them. We all have them. LEO's have to make split-second decisions and, sadly, we see that they too often make them based on implicit biases.

There is a case in New York, centered on a shooting victim named Eric Garner, also Black. The shooting is known as "the chokehold death." Garner was shot by a LEO, while other LEO's watched. As I had watched this video, it looked like LEO brutality. That is my understanding. It was caught on video. This time, also, the Grand Jury has refused to indict the LEO in this case. This is the Michael Brown case all over again! But this time, the case did not polarize us like the Michael brown case, because it was all caught on video. Protests have become not only national but international, reaching into Nigeria. Though the widespread protests all over New York have been largely peaceful, like Ferguson protests, those protests have turned violent in the past few days. Ferguson is simply a mirror for what is wrong with us. Cops have not had to face any charges in the shooting death of a man with Down's Syndrome (who happened to be white). Years ago, cops were acquitted in the shooting death of a man, Caucasian, and whose father was a well-respected position in his community. But most these cases seem to happen between Caucasian cops and Black males.

This fact about implicit biases that all of us, even the best-hearted, have, shows that our hearts need to be changed. All the hate, divisions and racial unrest are nation-wide and are also world-wide. We know that similar hostility exists between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East and between races all over the world.

Our problem? Sin. It causes racism.

We need to call on God and on His Son Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will only be at peace with each other when we turn to the Prince of Peace.