A horrific July Fourth week across America
It has been a horrific week for America. The social fabric that holds us together is gradually being ripped apart. Two groups of people — who need each other more than ever before — are divided by fear of one another. The complete set of facts are still unknown, but what is known is gruesome, and though separated by hundreds of miles the events are eerily connected.
Alton Sterling was killed by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Several videos seem to show he was shot after being subdued and was lying on the ground. There are surveillance videos from outside the convenience store where the altercation took place, a spot Sterling sold CDs and DVDs with the owner’s permission. Officers also wore body cameras. The U.S. Justice Department has been asked to lead in the investigation.
Less than 24 hours later, 1,190 mile due north in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old nutrition services supervisor for the St. Paul Public School District was stopped by police for what his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, said was a broken tail light. While the initial encounter was not recorded on video, Castile’s last moments on Earth were live-streamed on Facebook. With her 4-year-old daughter in the vehicle and a weapon still pointed at Castile, who was bleeding badly from his wounds was clearly no longer a threat, Reynolds was remarkably calm while speaking to the officer who had just shot Castile. The video went viral.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, after watching the video, “Would this have happened if the driver were white, if the passengers were white? I don’t think it would have.”
The video sparked protests in various cities around the nation, but 950 miles southwest in Dallas, police were attacked in what appeared at first to be a coordinated assault by multiple shooters with high-powered rifles when in fact it turned out to be a lone gunman. Five officers were killed, and seven officers and two members of the public were wounded . It is being called the most deadly attack on law enforcement since 9/11.
President Barack Obama said from Warsaw, Poland, “There has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement. Police in Dallas were on duty doing their jobs, keeping people safe, during peaceful protests. These law enforcement officers were targeted, and nearly a dozen officers were shot. Five were killed. Other officers, and at least one civilian, were wounded. Some are in serious condition and we are praying for their recovery.”
Just as law enforcement feel a kinship that has no boundaries, the same can be said of the black community when events of last week happen. Everything is tied together in a Gordian knot. When a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty, it touches the hearts of every officer, no matter the jurisdiction, because they face the same situations every day. When an innocent black man is shot and killed by an officer, the same connection runs through the black community, particularly black men.
We are fortunate, however. Bibb County Sheriff David Davis preaches the law enforcement doctrine of protector rather than warrior. Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton, who has served for 43 years, and Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick, 33 years, Jones County Sheriff Butch Reece, 35 years, and Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Masee, 27 years, could not have remained in office if they had advocated the warrior mentality.
However, all communities —law enforcement, the black community and the community at large — are impacted by national events and everyone has a role to play to keep the fabric of our communities stitched together. We are not separate and we cannot let events of last week tear us apart. If we do, we allow the dream of Dylann Roof, who committed the nine murders in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, to come true. He wanted to start a race war. That would lead to our destruction faster than any terrorist organization could hope for. We cannot let that happen. We must listen to the peaceful protestors and their legitimate complaints and we must obey law enforcement officers who serve and protect everyday. Everyone deserves respect.
We should all grieve for the loss of innocent life whether its a driver coming home after getting a haircut or a law enforcement officer trying to keep the peace. All have family, friends and loved ones and they deserve better than what they received the week of July 4, 2016.
This story was originally published July 9, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "A horrific July Fourth week across America."