By Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, www.saintsabina.org
Due to the failure of the justice system to work in the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, we have witnessed a pouring out into the streets across this nation by mostly young people, but people of all ages, all races, and all backgrounds. This public display of outrage is the very best of democracy and we have not witnessed such a diversity of individuals in marches since the Civil Rights Movement. The protests have not only put the spot light on a broken justice system but racial profiling, the increasing militarization of police, and the broken relationship between law enforcement and some of the communities they serve.
The constant failure to convict law enforcement in the fatal shootings of black youth in America, the seeming inability to protect African American youth, easy access to guns, economic development in all communities, and the deep issue of racism and inequality in our country forces us to focus on something that has been avoided for far too long. However, the reality is that if we fixed law enforcement, and that is a real if, we would still find ourselves in a divided and unequal society. We must have the courage and determination to face and deal with the deeper issues of poverty, unemployment, education (both in excellent neighborhood schools and alternative schools), communities that have been abandoned and thus look like 3rd world countries, and the lack of access and opportunity to all individuals in all communities. The reality is that racism, classism, sexism, and militarism run in the DNA of Americas bloodstream.
Unless we find the courage to face these deeper issues and begin to eradicate these age old realities, fixing law enforcement alone will not heal the cancer that is killing us. It’s time for America to strive to become who she claims to be, or the protests should not only continue but turn into mass demonstrations and economic boycotts. We are at a crossroads. God has pulled back the rug and caused us to face the dirt that we have swept under the rug, now let’s clean it up!
