2020
I HOPE POL
ICIN
– Rev. Eric G Founder /Ow ates (MDiv ’1 ner of Devil 2) Dog Coffee C ompany Winter 2021 | 7
Photo by Dan Keck / CCO 1.0
G HA S C HA N citizens for n GED. I was an ine years as a Austin police patrol officer, and as an un officer who se working in p dercover offi rved its re d ce ominantly m r infiltrating w Brotherhood inority comm hite supremac and Aryan C unities, ist gangs such ircle. I will te fair or equal ll you that th a s th to brown and e A ry a n e criminal ju black people guilty of sim stice system . They are sen ilar crimes. Th h a s n ot been t to prison more ey get higher policed. Use often than w bail from jud of force is dis hites found ges. Their co proportionat The disp mmunities h ely higher wh arities came av e b een overen compared to to a head this breaking poin encounters w summer with t sparking ou it h whites. George Floyd trage that fu of a white po ’s death. Floy eled the Black lice officer pre d w a s the L iv es Matter mo ssing his knee officers stood vement. We into Floyd’s n around not in saw a video eck for over tervening, ev for a momen eight minute en as he crie t. He cried ou s a s d other o ut for his mo t for his moth right in fron ther. Let that er in the last t of our eyes sink in moments of . What was h convenience his life. Floyd is crime? He store. Even so sl p o w u rp ly died o rtedly passed , he was supp until proven a fake $20 bil osed to be co guilty. Remem l at a nsidered inn ber that? If o worked and co ocent upon a ne disagreed ntributed to rr es t. , Innocent th en modern syst they didn’t u As an ord emic problem nderstand ho ained ministe s. w the law r, this sicken continued to ed me. Many send “though w h it ts and prayer e leaders, in disproportio church and g s,” yet stood nately betwee o ver1.0nment, n th n e Photo by US Navy /oCC w sidelines as ju h The inequality ite and peop stice was serv le of color co was not only ed m munities. in policing, b unequal fund ut also lendin ing of schools g and financi , lack of publi neighborhoo ng, c transportat ds, voter sup io n in minority p ression, pred focused on p atory lendin eople of colo g practices r, food deser impacting ac ts , and federal p cess to low co olicies negat st and afford color. ively able health ca re for people of I have bee n asked whet her we should is: No. Ever y “defund the nation in the police.” My a world, excep organized po nswer t Somalia, has lice helping m so me form of a intain peace. when minori Yet, there ca ties continue nnot be peace to be treated religious, edu u nequally wit cational, ban hin the judic king, employ It’s easy to fo ial, ment, and go cus anger on v ernment syst the police bec But are you w ems. ause they wea illing to focu r a uniform a s anger towa businesses o n d are easily id rd those not r agencies th entified. wearing a po at contribute spouse, frien li ce u niform who to inequality? W d, colleague, work in ould you focu pastor, or nei discriminate s your anger ghbor who ch or benefit fro to ward your o se to not speak m unequal tr status quo fo up in workpla eatment of p r fear of not ces that eople of colo rocking the b I hope th r and instead oat? at as you read m a in tain the this, you dec whenever yo ide to take ac u failed to do tion working one of these to do it for J to create equ things to som esus. ality. Because eone who wa s being oppre ssed, you fail ed
Photo by jongory/ CC 2.0
te / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Remembering*
