I have been so affected by watching the news reports of how George Floyd, an unarmed black man was killed by a Police Officer in broad daylight by comfortably sitting on George’s neck, hands in pocket whilst George lay handcuffed, not resisting lawful
authority, face-down on the road with absolutely no power over his own person. George lay there on the road, head pretty much underneath the Police Car bumper, pleading for air, stating that he couldn’t breathe, and calling out for his mother in a plea of desperation – the Police Officer Derek Chauvin, and his three associates sat on the length of George’s body all at once whilst he was down, calm and handcuffed pleading for air to breathe. When Derek Chauvin’s comrades got off George’s body, they stood by and watched officer Derek Chauvin sit for over 8 minutes with his knee deeply lodged in George’s neck despite his pleas to breathe. For 2 minutes and 53 seconds, George laid unresponsive. Derek Chauvin sat comfortably knee deep into George’s neck, Officer Derek poised hands in pocket nonchalantly disregarding this crucial fact that George was unresponsive, that he had already killed George using this excessive and unlawful force.
The video footage captured by confounded passers-by, pleading for George’s life capture what is in fact a daily abuse of power by US Police Officers against black men in the USA. The number of black people, men women and children killed by Police brutality at an ever increasing rate is shocking. Their crime? Being black. Being black whilst riding a bike, being black whilst jogging, being black whilst in their own home relaxing, being black whilst driving. George Floyd had just left a store where the authenticity of note he used to pay for his transaction was called into question. Like so many of these black lives that have been brutally cut short, none of the victims were carrying any weapons, yet undeniably excessive force was used to mercilessly cut short their lives and forever affect the lives of their mothers, children, spouses. Despite peaceful protests, hashtag campaigns, civil conversations and cordial pleas for law reform, these savage attacks continue to occur against the black community. Deeply traumatised from unhealed wounds of the displacement and disenfranchisement from the days of slavery through Jim Crow, the torture, pain and trauma inflicted on the black race has never been acknowledged – and they certainly haven’t been welcomed as counterparts of the human race into the American society. Parents as a strategy to keep their children alive, have to ‘give the talk’ to their young black children about how to manage and comply with fearful encounters with US Police Officers, an incident that could very easily end their lives.
It is against this backdrop that the pain of George Floyd’s slow merciless death, video taped in graphic detail has ripped wide open a deep and painful wound from constant mistreatment, abuse and unlawful killing. And the rapid rounding up of an excessive number of officers to protect knee-to-neck killer Derek Chauvin whilst in his home was the disdainful pouring of salt in the wound in the face of a grieving nation.
Feeling helpless and voiceless that those paid to serve and protect are mercilessly and unnecessarily killing black lives of men women and children, many people of many races took to the streets across the US to protest – some peacefully, some not. A people wanting to be heard, noticed, and for the wrongs that have so vividly been captured to be acknowledged, not the perpetrator protected, the people were at a loss as to what to do to be acknowledged.
In the midst of all this, a CNN team comprised of news reporter and camera-crew were reporting live on the ground exercising their lawful right to broadcast to the nation the serious matters on the ground in the community. In the context of this highly sensitive situation, the Police arrested the one black member of the CNN Team – The News Anchor live on TV despite his calm professional repeated compliance with orders and showing and explaining his lawful presence as part of CNN. The white crew were left alone whilst the world watched the officers lead the black Anchor away in handcuffs with no explanation as to why he had been arrested. The difference between him and his colleagues? He was black.
All this injustice, abuse of power and extreme racism from the highest level at Presidency, to the level of Police who are paid to protect the community, begs the question that every black mother, father, child, sibling and relative asks “When will it end” and “What do we have to do to have the right to stay alive and be treated equally as human beings?”. It’s a hard if not impossible question to answer. If it was a wife getting beaten at the hands of her husband you’d tell her to leave, but what do you do when the perpetrator is a system largely comprised by people who hate you based on the colour of your skin? Where do you go for protection and what do you do when the trauma is re-inflicted day after day, week after week and year after year.
What Would Jesus Do?
The nice answer that makes everyone but the victims feel good is ‘turn the other cheek’, ‘leave it to God’, and other such bland and ineffective disproportionate responses to the violent attacks being routinely undertaken against the black community.
But we must ask ourselves, what would Jesus do? And then we do that, prayerfully believing God to supernaturally intervene and provide that faithful way of escape, preferably alive.
First of all, we must remember that Jesus loved people, deeply. He was merciful and kind. When the prostitute Rahab was found to be in sin, Jesus empathised with her and protected her life from being stoned to death. Jesus intervened, He didn’t stand by and watch thinking “It’s their problem”. The Bible is very clear that we are all God’s children and so it is incumbent upon us as a human race to ‘pull up’ and come together united to deal with this problem, a humanity problem.
There are clear examples in the Bible of Jesus being emotionally affected by people’s maltreatment, and advocating on their behalf. Let’s recall how Jesus wept when he saw how little the people had faith in Him (John 11:35). But there was a time that Jesus was so incensed at the sacrilege and sin of the people who were misusing the holy temple that was intended for prayer and communion with God, but instead were using it to trade at extortionate prices! When Jesus saw this, his love for God meant that the pain he felt could not be disregarded. In fact, Jesus was so incensed that the acute emotion of it caused Jesus to flip over the tables in anger. Jesus protested until the tables were cast upside down and the traders had fled. So we see Jesus can at the right time be gentle and give a cordial warning. However on another occasion, He cannot stand by and watch injustice and sacrilege happen. Jesus intervened by physically protesting.
The bible says that WE are the church and WE the people are the living stones, a chip off the Capstone – Jesus (Matthew 21:42). Therefore if Jesus were around on Earth today and witnessed these callous acts of violence against the oppressed, I am very sure that Jesus would have been moved to action. Jesus is the Word of God, and the Word says….
Jesus, I believe, would have actively got involved, most prayerfully. However his empathy-filled life would have likely led him to protest. So we need to take that Word seriously. Arm yourselves with the word, protest not loot, and take the side of Justice, not colour. Like Jesus on the mount/mountains of deep godly foundation, pray everyone for strategy. Then having done all, Stand in anticipation of God’s supernatural move and let our faith and character be blameless.
This is not a time when white people, particularly in the church, can turn an eye and pretend they haven’t seen the injustice and abuse toward the oppressed. We all matter, we are humans and God’s children and should be treated with love and respect. It is necessary to bring such injustices to light and stand up against them, prayerfully.
Stay blessed and safe.
Kingdom Minds 