Open Letter on Excessive Use of Force by Police
AN OPEN LETTER ON EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE BY POLICE
For Immediate Release
July 18, 2016
God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. (1 Cor. 12: 24b-26)
Greetings in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Less than a week has passed since the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police in Baton Rouge, LA and Falcon Heights, MN. Their deaths have triggered widespread protests as our nation once again faces the horrifying truth that police brutality is real, especially in economically depressed neighborhoods that are largely inhabited by our black and brown sisters and brothers.
The reality of police brutality is nothing new to persons of color. They know that law enforcement agencies have been using excessive force against minority communities for as long as this nation has existed. Black and Latino men were being killed with impunity by law enforcement officers long before the shooting death of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, MO.
What has changed is the presence of social media that has made it increasingly hard for law enforcement to keep these incidents secret. Twitter, Facebook, Periscope and other smart phone apps have enabled those who witness these events to tell – and sometimes even to show – the world what has happened.
The murder of Walter Scott in North Charleston, SC may have been dismissed as ‘one more’ case of a police officer shooting a violent and out-of-control black man if a passer-by had not filmed and then published the whole incident on Facebook. Because of this courageous act, the world got a chance to see officer Michael Slager shoot Scott in the back and then plant his Taser by Scott’s dead body. In a similar way, Diamond Reynolds’ courageous decision to live-stream her encounter with police following the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Philando Castile, has transformed the national mindset. We can no longer pretend that we don’t know what is happening. Neither can we assume that the law enforcement officers are just doing what they have to do to guarantee their own and the public’s safety.
The time has come when we who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ – particularly those of us who belong to mainstream, predominantly white congregations – must take a stand to stop the abuse of power by law enforcement officers in black and brown communities. It is not enough just to say “No more!” We have to use whatever power and influence we have to ensure that these all-too-frequent killings of our black and brown sisters and brothers come to an end. We cannot ignore what is going on, even if we are not directly impacted by it. Saying and doing nothing in the face of these ongoing injustices is the height of cynicism. After all, law enforcement agencies are overseen by our elected officials and their appointees. The salaries of law enforcement officers are paid by our taxes. They work for us. So, our failure to speak and act in the face of their abuse makes us complicit. The blood of their victims is on our hands.
This is not to say that all law enforcement officers are bad. They are not! Most are good and decent human beings who are trying their best to keep our communities safe under difficult and sometimes deadly circumstances. Nevertheless, in the face of too many occasions when police power has been abused, we are saying that something significantly different needs to be done:
We are saying that changes must be made to a law enforcement culture that trains officers to be wary and suspicious of particular groups of people. Racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, and any other form of social prejudice have no place in law enforcement work.
We are calling for the de-militarization of police forces and other law enforcement agencies and for an end to practices that treat certain neighborhoods as occupied territories or war zones.
We are demanding that a mentality of shoot first/ask questions later be eradicated by mandatory training in techniques of de-escalation and negotiation.
We are insisting that cases in which law enforcement officers are accused of excessive use of force be handled transparently and objectively by independent review boards that are not answerable to the law enforcement agencies themselves. Those officers who are found to have used excessive force must be tried in courts of law. Officers who have engaged in an excessive use of force must not be protected by their colleagues and supervisors from having to answer for their deeds.
We are calling for the nationwide implementation of effective practices of community policing that are designed to break down the barriers of suspicion, fear, anger, and hatred that set law enforcement agencies at odds with the communities they serve.
As the Western Methodist Justice Movement, we call upon United Methodist churches – both in the Western Jurisdiction and around the United States:
To educate themselves about the current crisis in policing in this country – A good place to start is studying The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander or Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (see other sources on this subject below);1
To listen to the voices of those who live in communities that have undergone excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies – Invite people who have experienced abuse at the hands of law enforcement officers or the family members and friends of persons killed by law enforcement officers to speak with your congregation about the effect that this violence has had upon them;
To demonstrate solidarity with and compassion for communities, families and individuals that have been adversely affected by law enforcement violence – Attend memorial services, participate in demonstrations, develop rituals of support;
To host dialogues between community members and law enforcement officers – Provide opportunities in neutral locations for community members and officers to express their ideas and feelings honestly and work together for positive, community-building solutions;2
To advocate for comprehensive changes in law enforcement practices – Write and visit elected officials at the national, state and local levels, develop relationships with advocacy groups, submit op-ed pieces to local media;3
To confront and work to heal ongoing racism in the United States – Take part in anti-racism work groups, educate yourself about white privilege, speak out against racism whenever and wherever it manifests itself.4
Our communities are hurting. As followers of Jesus, we cannot remain apathetic. Just as Christ confronted the principalities and powers of his day, we must confront the principalities and powers of our day. To do less is to reject the prophetic call to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. It is, in fact, to deny the power of God to bring life into the midst of death. The unnecessary killings of our black and brown sisters and brothers by law enforcement in the United States can be stopped, but it will not happen without our commitment, our prayers, our labor, and our risk
May the blessing of God be with us all as we do the work of justice to which we have been called.
The Rev. Frank D. Wulf, Convener
on behalf of the Western Methodist Justice Movement
C/o Echo Park United Methodist Church
1226 N. Alvarado Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(310) 435-5502
revfrankwulf@gmail.com
Sources for further study and action:
1. Useful guides for congregational study can be found online:
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander:
This website contains a links to a variety of study resources.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson:
This website contains a faith based study guide produced by the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.
This website contains an extensive secular study guide produced for Random House Books by Melissanne Scheld.
Other resources to deepen your study of these books can be found by doing amore extensive online search.
2. One possible model for hosting dialogues between communities and law enforcement officers is provided by The Committee for Racial Justice, a program launched out of Church in Ocean Park in Santa Monica, California. More information about the Committee for Racial Justice can be found by visiting their Facebook page, or by contacting Rev. Janet McKeithen, who is part of the Committee’s leadership, at minister@ciop4justice.org.
Another possible model is provided by The Institute for Healing of Memories – North America (IHOM-NA), IHOM-NA is an organization founded by Father Michael Lapsley to support and build upon the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. You may find out more about IHOM-NA here. Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California has used the IHOM-NA process to good effect in bringing members of the South Los Angeles community together with law enforcement officers.
3. Important faith-based advocacy work is being done in California by the organization, Justice Not Jails. You can find out more about Justice Not Jails at their website.
Churches and other faith communities may also decide to study and possibly sign onto the petition to Defund Police Departments that Don’t Value Black Lives, which can be found on the ColorOfChange.org website.
4. “White Privilege in the United States,” Resolution 3376 in the 2012 Book of Resolutions, provides a good resource for congregational study of white privilege. It can be found online here. This resolution, which was first adopted in 2008, was modified somewhat by the 2016 General Conference. The revised resolution can be found online and searching for petition number 60122.
SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) is a useful anti-racism resource for white people. It is a national network of groups and individuals that organizes white people for racial justice and moves them to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. More information about SURJ can be found at their website.
#Black Lives Matter is a useful anti-racism resource for persons of color. It is a national chapter-based organization that works for the validity of Black life by working to (re)build the Black liberation movement. More information about #Black Lives Matter can be found at their website.