"Forgiveness"
If
you love your community—love one another deeply, and you will have the courage
to face “self.”
In the heart of
America lies an opportunity for this country to stop bleeding over the issue of
poverty, race/white supremacy. Ten days ago yet another young person was killed
in America by those who are expected to protect and serve. In the performance
of his job, a young Ferguson, MO Police Officer, was confronted with a
situation, we as outsiders, still do not know the details of what happened that
resulted in the Officer killing a child for fear of his life. We now, have a
grieving mother and father coming to terms with their years of lost memories
with their child.
The Police shooting or killing a teenager, for whatever
reason every day, we have visited before. What is difficult to except along
with the child’s death is Police Officials as well Police department lawyers
declaring that every Police Officer has a right to protect them. My
challenge or question to these officials of the Police department is; when you
signed up for duty did you not understand fully the danger of your position?”
So, a suspect demonstrating erratic behavior could be displaying signs of
mental illness, right and just not a threat to the officer or himself. Lets’
consider if the suspect display a knife its’ hard to believe that a modern day
Officer’s only tool against a knife wielding teenager is a gun. It is a greater
challenge to my Spiritual Faith that I do not seek revenge. I realize what I am
talking about is a “testy” statement for any parent to hear when your child has been
killed, no matter the circumstance. Therefore the parents have a greater
expectation of the Police Officer in how he or she “protect[s] and serve[s].”
Ten days and the young man has yet to be buried. Meanwhile, The National Media coverage of
Ferguson’s demonstrators’ outrage continues at the killing, and the demands for
“Justice.” Among the demonstrators are the detractors as well as “Bad Actors”
who seek fame in their own way, often criminally,
not remorsefully, but driven by anger.
The only people who can resolve what happens regarding
the killing of this child are the people who are “directly” involved; the
parents and the Officer who shot their child. The grieving parents expected a
future with their child, but because of
the tragic manner in which they lost their son there will be no future.
The
Officer’s life has been altered too: he has been in isolation since the
incident. There is one
word which could bring
about “healing” in this tragic story, “Forgiveness.”
“Everyone has done something for which they
need to be forgiven.”
----Iyanin Vanzant
The key to understanding the preamble of “Forgiveness”,
which does not subscribe to one religion exclusively is having the courage to
face “Self.” Be honest we all need to be
forgiven of some hurt or pain we have inflicted on someone else.
With that said…we are left with grieving parents asking for
“Justice,” and believe it or not an Officer who may be wounded psychologically
for the remainder of his life because he killed someone’s child, even if it was
in the line of duty. We also have:
peaceful protestors, mobs of
self-seekers, and individuals
who are only present to seek yet another opportunity to gain something for “Self.”
What should look like a humbling, mournful experience due to a death in
the community has turned into a “circus” of ‘what ifs’, who said what,’ and a
lot of ‘should have and could have’ form the Media coverage.
We know what happened; a young community member was
killed. To make matters more painful the victim’s dignity was taken away even
in death by the indifference the Police displayed, after the shooting. This was
witnessed by all looking on even the children of adults behaving badly.
Over the course of ten days I have heard much talk about
what the problem is how to solve it, and when it will be solved. But, somehow
we can’t put our fingers on the problem. Deep in our hearts, those hearts we
knew as children that we were born with before the World got to them. We know
“Forgiveness” is the answer.
What would happen if the grieving parents met with the
young Officer, who also may be grieving the fact that he shot and killed a
child? The conversation at this meeting would center around how the Officer
made a split second decision which changes the course of his life as well as
the grieving parents indeed, the country. What if these two families where
brought together to show the community can heal through “Forgiveness” then the
community can show the country how to heal through
“Forgiveness.” Finally, the country can demonstrate to the world the healing
power of “Forgiveness.”
