Recently a 43 year old man and father of seven, Keith Lamont
Scott, was killed by police in Charlotte, NC. As is often the case, there are
conflicting reports as to what actually happened. Currently, an investigation
by a separate state agency is taking place to determine if this shooting was
warranted or was an act of racial profiling. In any event, investigations of
this nature can take months to complete. In the meantime, people are up in arms
about another killing of a black man that, for many, appears racially motivated.
Police in riot gear are trying to keep protestors from becoming violent yet
their efforts are falling short. Looting
local businesses typically accompanies rioting and Charlotte is no exception.
Along with physical injuries, there was an innocent civilian who was murdered
by a civilian, all due to the chaos that is germane to violent protests.
I totally understand the anger and outrage at a presumed
killing of an innocent individual, and protests, if handled correctly, can be a
powerful tool in voicing one's concerns as well as influencing much needed
reform. However, here are some of the reasons why protests of this nature do
not work.
Flawed From the Get Go
First, upon hearing such news, people are quick to jump to
conclusions and make assumptions about the guilt and/or innocence of all
parties. This is typically decided by a predetermined mindset or belief that
the person subscribes to. Rather than review all of the facts, they pick and
choose those details which support their beliefs and discredit those that
contradict them. Their actions are a reflection of those beliefs, however
accurate or erroneous they may be.
Secondly, once an individual has made a judgment call, they are
eager to disseminate that information in order to attract followers and thus gain
momentum. When they condemn the supposed guilty party before an accurate
determination can be made, their agenda incites hatred towards the alleged
perpetrator typically followed by outrage and violence. Fear (that justice will
not be served) fuels this behavior in an effort to gain power and control over
their (perceived) oppressors.
Unintended Consequences
However, rather than achieve the positive changes they are
seeking, the opposite actually occurs. Rioters lose the respect of the
community and nation; they are seen as hate-mongers who are unable and
unwilling to negotiate an issue rationally. Whatever trust and cooperation could
have occurred between both sides is dashed as their actions support the belief
that (based on their violent behaviors) they are untrustworthy.
While their concerns may be valid, their actions elude to
another agenda. The deliberate destruction of another person's personal
property, i.e. the looting of local businesses, damage to vehicles, assaults on
innocent individuals, etc., suggests that their protest is actually an excuse
to cause mayhem and destruction. Additionally, those in the black communities
who accuse whites of racial profiling are only further hurting their cause for
justice by reinforcing the violent image many people have of them as they
engage in unjustifiable destruction and harm to their communities and fellow
citizens.
The Path to Righteous Change
Violence is never the way to change. From a Karmic
perspective one cannot engage in negative, hateful actions and expect to reap a
positive end. In Biblical terms, (Galatians) God tells us that "You shall
reap what you sow." Therefore, the only way to create justice is through
fairness and rational, respectable actions. Ghandi stated it so eloquently,
"I must first be the change I want to see in the world." It cannot be
any clearer than that.
Relevant Questions
Here are the questions all agitators need to consider before
engaging in destructive acts: will this help or hurt my cause? Will this make
the situation better or worse, now and in the future? Clearly there is nothing
constructive that has emerged from any of these riots. On the contrary: blacks
have further damaged their image and race relations are more strained now than
in prior years.
Authentic Power
While violent protestors are dangerously misguided in their
way of thinking, that violence is power, the truth is that responsibility is
power. Only when we take personal ownership for the sad state of our lives
rather than blame others do we have the power to change it. Peace is power.
"I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life" says God. God's way of love
and kindness and concern for one another is the path to a more just and safer
world. It is our Divine right to be free from harm and to be treated with
dignity and respect. But that will not happen through the use of force. It will
only occur when each individual chooses to be respectful towards all of
humanity, even towards those who may be acting out; to rise above, to be the
example of what is means to be fully human.
In Summary
When both sides are willing to come together in a meaningful
dialogue to share their concerns and grievances, to listen not only with their
ears but more importantly with their hearts, when they are willing to forgive
the transgressions of the other party and put the past behind them, only then
do they stand a chance at ending the hatred and coming together as one.
You cannot beat a child and expect him or her to trust and
love you. Likewise, you cannot riot and loot and injure and destroy and expect
others to respect you. "What you reap you sow." Positive change can
only occur through positive actions. Let go of the fear and anger and hatred.
Let God's way be your way. And in doing so, the world will finally find the
peace and justice it is so desperately seeking.
Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which spitefully use you, and persecute you."
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