Beech Tree News Network

As I was walking around the courthouse lawn during the peaceful protest in Morgantown on Tuesday, I was drawn to the statue in the front-center of the yard.  “Erected by Citizens of Morgantown and Vicinity “ in 1907, the monument is fairly unique in that it honors war veterans from Butler County during the Civil War from both the Union and Confederacy.  Interesting that the community came together in that way to honor the sacrifices of both sides 42 years after Lee surrendered to Grant.  Learn from the past but leave it there may have been their thinking.  That war was fought in large part to end the horrible practice of slavery in the American south - a condition that has afflicted this nation since its founding.  The war between states ended slavery once and for all in our nation but in reality it would take another century or so before many of the promises of that conflict would come to fruition.  And, there is still much work to be done.  Some of our citizens were there engaged in that work on Tuesday.  

Reflecting on the events that have transpired in Minneapolis and several American cities, many good, decent folks of all races aren’t sure what to think, what to say, what to do.  So, they aren’t saying much right now.  I suspect they will speak louder in November.  Other people, also good and decent folks, are speaking out in peaceful protest as to what they see as racial injustices in our nation.  Good for them.  Still others are more opportunistic and are taking advantage of a terrible situation to riot, loot, kill, destroy, and spread mayhem across a country already on the brink due to a global pandemic.  This group has cheerleaders too, whose words and actions make them accomplices in this radical embrace of anarchy.  They are agents of chaos and they are making our nation worse. 

The first agents of chaos are the police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd.  It is a travesty of justice anytime anyone in police custody is killed.  The specifics of the Floyd case make it even more egregious and thank goodness video caught it.  Though statistically rare, police brutality is a real thing.  Fatal shootings involving police and unarmed citizens of all races is even more rare and have actually been on the decline according to the 2019 FBI Uniform Crime Report.  That’s a good sign and trend.  Nevertheless,  when the state wields power through law enforcement actions, which is absolutely necessary in a civil society, it should meet a high moral, ethical and legal standard.  When police officers abuse that grave responsibility, it unleashes chaos into our society.  When that type of abuse is substantiated, it should be protested and condemned by all Americans.  In the Floyd case, it was universally condemned by all people, all races, and by elected officials regardless of political party or position. There was unity immediately following Floyd’s horrific death.  There were calls for action.  Then things went off the rails. 

While abuses of power do exist in the ranks of law enforcement throughout our country, good police work is vital to the safety and security of all citizens, all communities, all races.  That is why the radical chant of “defund the police'' should be rejected.  To follow that path would not be a step toward justice; it would be a step toward anarchy.   Here is where we must listen closely to each other as race is a very real factor in how police are viewed.  Too many times in our nation’s past as we grappled with the injustices of slavery and its aftermath, police have been used institutionally by corrupt political leaders as instruments to enforce racist and discriminatory policies - nowhere more prominent than in the American south.  All of us are shaped in part by our past.  Thus, it is understandable that everyone’s view of the role of police is not the same.  As a society can we find the proper balance?  Can we understand the vital role that proper policing plays in our civil society, while at the same time work together to rein in those that go rogue and pervert justice?  For the sake of George Floyd,  we must find a way to do both.

The second and third agents of chaos actually go together - the riots/looters/criminals who are destroying American cities and the mayors/governors who are enabling them.  Although the killing of George Floyd is perhaps the gravest injustice in this current dilemma we face as a nation in that it was the initial event that started things, the actions of rioters/looters/criminals have to be a close second place.  It is absolutely appalling what has transpired in many American cities over the past week.  In the name of justice, those agents of anarchy have committed multiple actions of injustice against innocent people of all races.  They have destroyed property, burned buildings, thrown bricks, ambushed and murdered people, including police officers.  Mayors and governors in some states have been their accomplices by not utilizing the resources at their disposal to protect their citizens.  Probably the best example of this was in New York City where Mayor Bill DeBlasio threatened to pull people out of the water if they failed to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines over Memorial Day weekend but stood idly by to let looters destroy large parts of the city.  Unbelievable.  Either fear, ideology, constitutional ignorance, or political correctness have paralyzed these leaders into inaction and the results have been tragic.  

Government at any level has one primary function in our society.  That function is to protect its citizens - their rights, freedoms and property.  It failed to protect George Floyd and it failed to protect thousands of other victims of the roving mobs and thugs (many of them not local to the community) who have terrorized innocent citizens across the United States.  Should we as a nation be embarrassed by what happened to George Floyd?  Absolutely.  But we should also be embarrassed by a nation that fails to protect its citizens from rioters and looters and for letting American cities burn.  It appears that the majority of those on the streets are exercising their God-given and constitutionally-protected rights to peacefully protest their government and to ask for solutions.  For the few running rampant through the streets destroying all in their path, violent revolutionaries seeking to overthrow civil society, they must be stopped and held accountable.  This is the job of government and it should be done.   

The final group that has been agents of chaos are potentially the rest of us.  Whether pastor or pundit, newspaper columnist or Facebook warrior, many of us have offered our opinions on the state of affairs in our country.  There is nothing wrong with that and I am not suggesting that all who have spoken out on this topic are agents of chaos.  Most are not and it is my hope that this column will not be seen as a source of division but rather as a voice that attempts to bring people together in the search for that elusive common ground.  However, some of the rhetoric I have read and heard has been anything but productive.  There have been instances of profanity-filled tirades, harsh personal attacks, racist remarks from across the political spectrum, arrogant and condescending lectures from the self-proclaimed enlightened ones, and the use of politically-charged language in order to verbally assault what they consider to be the uneducated masses. Some reporting from media has been ill-informed, factually inaccurate, misleading, and inflammatory.  And, the list goes on.  

When I set out to write this column over a very sensitive issue, I asked myself repeatedly if I could do it in a way that was honest about what I have seen and believe, accurate to the best of my ability, and empathetic to those who may see things differently.  Does it contribute to the discussion in a positive way?  I hope it does.  Respect is key.  Listening is essential. Humility is important.  I think those are worthy goals for anytime we engage conversation or debate (public of private) with anyone. They are needed now more than ever or the agents of chaos may prevail. 

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