Redemptive Thoughts on Ferguson

1. ‘Redemptive’ thoughts on any Nation, which had taken in certain peoples for ‘slavery’, only to be their ‘slaves’ (even justifying such, using prophesy of Noah results of what Noah perceived what his youngest son had ‘done unto him’) and includes Torah (teachings) on point, as to Torah example of Jonah, found “afterwards” in personal great ‘depression’, especially over delay, after the 40 days, for the great city had not been destroyed as Jonah had preached believing suddenly “afterwards” of ’40 days’, certainly not brief, nor great delay, “afterwards”). Slavery of Nineveh (mistranslated ‘cattle’, KJV) needed their time to come to ‘know left hand, from their right’, ‘right hand’ from their ‘left’, before promised destruction suddenly to come upon ALL (including ‘slavery’ integrated into the society, even unto equality in ‘political participations’, as exampled in non-revised history of Nineveh, & priestly participations, coming to know ‘thru politics’, their ‘right hand knowledge’, from their ‘left’). Nineveh suddenly was destroyed, but only when temporal public, but political inspired displays, of ‘repentance’, had ‘waxed cold’ AND ‘slavery’ had come to also falsely believe, their answer in participations ‘human government’, also ‘knowledge gained’ from drugs. enhancements, unto knowing EARTHLY ‘right hand’, from the ‘left’, with little, or no knowledge, this entire Planet was for first Adam NOT for to ‘subdue’ for ‘rule or reign’, instead, it had indeed subdued him in his own pride in his own EARTHINESS (by partaking ‘freely’, & without genuine Holy Spirit knowledge, unto his desired EARTHY only ‘knowledge’, of both good and evil, but by ‘another spirit’ instead of the REAL). True knowledge proven out by ‘last Adam’ is not ‘earthy’, but ‘heavenly mindedness’, IN WHICH this entire ‘footstool’, always for bringing the original lawless, far beyond this ‘earthly copy’ of those heavenly patterns above, far beyond our mere human ‘politics’, bringing the greater, in far greater power, in much higher intelligences, existing ‘spirit world’ UNDER law, unto eternal judgment first (before mere humans to be judged, eternally, & after a ‘next life’, as promised)

2. It seems to me that there was a lack of information about this and it’s understandable because a jury was making a decision.

   Long before the decision was made, it would have been good for people everywhere to be talking about how important it is to have all the facts about something before forming an opinion about something, for how can a man base an honest and just opinion without all the facts pertaining to something.

   So how many people on the streets of the cities around the nation…how many of them had all the facts?

   None I should think.

   So Mayors, police chiefs, governors, and whoever might be able to influence people, if they have a platform, if they have an audience, they can use it to encourage people to be very slow to react to a decision one way or another, knowing the importance of actions when we do not know all the facts about something.

   I think we can understand the frustration people go through because they are not given the facts about something.

   I trust that many of the facts about this may come out later.

   I wish they could have came out sooner, yet I understand a little bit about why that can’t always be so.

   I believe this was a test to so many of us.

3. It’s a sign of unrest. And why so much unrest?
   So many reasons.

4. While reading the article, Ferguson Must Be Redeemed, by Dr. Brown, I couldn’t help but think about how police deal with those who at some point resisted them.

   Even if they put their hands in the air, it’s not unusual if they still get taken down hard.

   So is it because the policeman was just waiting for a reason to exercise force, something he loves to do, because he’s bent on revenge or wants to find a release for whatever ill feelings he has because of his constant dealings with law breakers?

   Or is it because he knows a bit about character, and he’s seen and heard too many stories about the one who wants to flee justice, and for a moment will seem to be cooperative, only to suddenly turn and try to escape, or turn to attack the officer?

   I don’t know, but the law is very much on an officer’s side if he has been resisted at any time.

   I trust the law has to give that to an officer because of the nature of the job of law enforcement and making arrests which so often is because people have dangerous characters.

   When I played neighborhood baseball as a kid, we had a saying that “tie goes to the runner.” It was just our way of settling events that were very difficult to sort out.

   Since I don’t know all the facts about this, I can not say that the grand jury’s decision was the right one or not, but until I should ever know better, I think I should assume that they know better than I do, for of all people, they had access to the best material available on the matter.

5. Make not provision for the flesh, fulfilling it’s LUSTS thereof (Rom.13:14) applies equally to a police force who has chaplains who assure them they are “G-d’s ordained POWERS” (WHOMEVER RESISTS, RESISTETH THE VERY ORDINANCE OF G-D, AND THEY THAT RESIST SHALL RECEIVE TO THEMSELVES DAMNATION) ! This of course speaks to the weakness of human flesh, especially when one comes to a proper context conclusion Paul was addressing not the Roman Gov’t, but those of the local Synagogue of Rome whose ancestry had not returned from ‘captivity’ to Judea, therefore were not considered by Judean returned Jews as other than Gentiles, even as offspring of Abraham, many even of Jacob, whose lives centered around their ‘synagogue’ within their assigned Ghetto, requiring them to enforce their own laws given to Israel, not to Rome. Who is more likely to make provision for their ‘flesh’ ? A person in authority by a gov’t not from laws given Israel, or one whom Paul was addressing ?

6. I’ve been on a bit here, but something came to mind as I just heard the officer in question (Darren Wilson) say that he felt something bad was going to happen and that’s when his gun went off again, or something to that effect.

   The way I understand the law on these things from what I have heard on the local news is that if an officer feels he is in danger of bodily harm, he is authorized to use force. (deadly force I presume)

   That’s the way the law reads around here from what I’ve heard on the news. I’ve heard about an officer who shot a man who was a woodcarver, who was standing in the middle of a street, and though it was the tool he used daily in his trade, and was just holding it, and even though he was a ways away from the officer, the officer said he felt he was in danger, and no charges were filed.

   Yes, some people were outraged at that, but that’s the way the law reads, and so we have grand juries as a check and balance against the misuse of force by police.

   Some people might not be aware of how the law looks at these kind of things and it might help us if we understand the law better about this.

   So I’m thinking that it might not matter to me so much if I think I would not feel in danger in that situation, but what’s important is whether or not the police officer really felt in danger.

   I suppose I should be glad I wasn’t on this jury.

7. One ‘redemptive’ thought should be to not give any encouragement for it to be continued to be allowed ‘chaplains’. be under BOTH ‘non-profit’ 501C3, for to meet their ‘claimed’ personal financial desired life-style needs, beyond what their sponsored ‘church’ ordains, AND AT SAME TIME, be on full time, or even part time full pay as actual member, of law enforcement, especially as IF Paul in Romans was addressing Rome, It’s Gov’t, as according to ordained ‘church’ fund raising affiliations (causing obvious ‘conflicts of interest’, therefore hourly, daily in a Nation which desired first labor force, that of ‘slavery’

8. I served in the military from 1969 to 1975. I supervised robbers, rapists, and murderers from 1981 to 2006 as a correctional officer without a weapon when I was near an inmate. Deadly force is justified only when undertaken to prevent imminent and otherwise unavoidable danger of death or grave bodily harm to the innocent. This requires a professional assessment of the ability, opportunity, and intention of an aggressor necessary to cause serious or lethal harm. The three fatal shots were over 35 feet away and in the top of Brown’s head. Wilson observed jaywalking as the original violation and the reaction was to that. Was there NOTHING about Wilson’s officer presence that could have prevented this death?

9. In situations like this, Dr. Brown is always able to offer articulate commentaries for the Christian point of view. We would be hard pressed to find better opinion coverage of today’s current events and the problems facing our nation.

10. Now when I think about seeing a crowd of people in a street protest, throwing things at the police, I can’t help but think, “Are these people crazy? Don’t they know they could be killed?”

    And I listened to Loretta Lynn sing Ten Thousand Angels. (you can search that out if you want to)

    But’s it’s about how the crowd in effect said “It’s all his fault”, and Jesus could have called ten thousand angels to get free and destroy the world, but instead he died alone for you and me.

11. One can be assured that crowds in No. America especially have heard that Jesus ‘took their sins upon Himself on His own cross’ (rather than the ‘gospel truth’ He was born in our very same likeness of our same sinful flesh, went to His own cross, died ‘hyper’ our sins, after having ‘dismissed’ the Spirit of Whom He was indwelt ‘without measure’, and in the power given Him by His F-ther to ‘lay down His life’ ALONE, and to ‘take it back up again’ ALONE, He died according to the ‘will of His F-ther’ drawing all ‘Princes of this World’, unto His being ‘lifted up’ in the shame of a Roman cross, for His F-ther had instructed Him of what was planned before the foundations of this tiny footstool ‘of HIS’, THAT THIS WAS THE ‘TIME’ for the Prince in charge of all other Princes of this world ‘to be cast down’). People riot today falsely believing Jesus became anarchist on their behalf, in their place, on His own cross (rather than He fully, entirely went unto complete dedication, ENTIRE

12. …being set APART, ENTIRELY from similitude of same sin of all offspring from first Adam’s fall, as Paul in I Cor. 15 describes as ‘earthiness’ of first Adam. Both sides of the human spectrum of law enforcement AND victims of false idea they are G-d’s enforcers (when in fact, Israel and it’s laws given have been set aside on this footstool UNTO resurrection, and a ‘new Nation’ on another ‘footstool’ IN THE FLESH to bring forth it’s ‘fruits’ thereof). The ‘fruits’ of the human spiritual ‘fall’ of first Adam AND the ENTIRE sanctification by Messiah of ISRAEL WHEN BEING LIFTED UP on His own cross, brings all from first Adam resurrection, and LAST Adam having now restored resurrection from His deaths (plural) in that which followed His 3 days, nights in the heart of this footstool ‘of His’, a ‘next life’ from down here IN THE FLESH, different dust, temporal tent of same ‘dna’, while all the Princes of this world are being judged, even as their one Prince was judged on this tiny dirt Planetary designed footstool at F-ther’s ordered TIME of which His unique begotten Son, Messiah of Israel accomplished His will timely, and properly as according to what was planned out BEFORE the very foundations of this tiny footstool, of His, and ‘initial only’ life IN THE FLESH, for all FROM first Adam AS WAS PLANNED OUT between F-ther and Son, when once in F-ther’s bosom, but no longer, fully emptied, is NOW a brand new “one NEW MAN” ETERNALLY at His F-ther’s right hand, seated on the NOW eternal ‘mercy seating’ with brand NEW eternal flesh, eternal bones, eternal BLOOD, which NOW can be applied opposite to the catholic Universal application in ‘earthiness’ of both sides of today’s human conflicts in this initial life IN THE FLESH (of which the REAL Jesus remains ‘forevermore’ the only answer to men’s conflicts on both sides of any disputes on any footstool, built to bring LAW unto ‘highest rebellion’ past, in ‘highest spiritual’ places, before modern ‘man’ was created non-divine, also with ‘eternal free-will’, as were ‘originals’ created in image of the Divine, yet without Law as was established by necessity in fulfillment by ISRAEL’S Messiah on this tiny ‘footstool’ of His)

13. I wonder if police use lie detectors during internal investigations where someone gets shot and killed.

14. I’m thinking that when a people live in a time where there is a rapid growth of corruption in places of authority or government, they tend to be motivated toward riot more easily.

15. It can be done in America.
    http://conservativetribune.com/morgan-freeman-two-sentences/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

16. Rioting is result of Universalism PROMISED INCREASING ‘HARLOTRY’ attempts, on this tiny footstool, to change law, within teachings of Torah, attempting love of one’s neighbor as one’s self, WITHOUT first, foremost, love of THE F-ther G-d, of the Son HE sent, TURNING INSTEAD their love toward ‘another spirit’s influence, even unto ‘another gospel’, even giving of their human capacity to love that of a ‘different Jesus’, OF THEIR OWN CHOICES (INSTEAD) WITHOUT ANY TRUE REPENTENCE as required in ENTIRE Torah (teachings)

17. One thing most people seem to be missing is that the history of race relations in this country shouldn’t make a difference in the grand jury’s decision. It has to be based on the facts of what happened not what their grandparents and great grandparents did to each other. The President said something about understanding the frustration they have, he should’ve followed that by saying that this case doesn’t appear to be racially motivated. The racial makeup of the grand jury came up a few times. I think that is done at the county level, and it did come close to the racial makeup of county. You can’t just chose jurors based on their race.

18. I agree Matt. It has to be about the facts. I just looked a bit on my computer to see a bit more about the facts as some of the news gathered them and made them known, and there was quite a bit of conflicting information from witnesses that the grand jury had to sort through. It was said to be a murky situation, hard to know what exactly happened.

    What I wonder about all this is…What about all the people who protest on the street and talk about how an unarmed man was shot to death by a police officer.

    Right after their protesting, do they go home and tell their children, “Now, to be safe, we want you to know how important it is to do everything a policeman tells you to do, unless it’s something that you know is illegal and could harm you, but over 99% of the time, what he tells you to do is for your safety, because they are trained and authorized to use force while they make arrests of people who may be dangerous to them, or might seem dangerous to them. They have families they want to go home to after each dangerous day on the street, as they go after a lot of bad people, people who commit crimes and do not want to go to jail….”etc.

    I hope that’s the kind of thing they tell their children, after they go home from all their protesting, because people can get killed through misunderstandings, and poor communication. So it’s important to listen to everything an officer says….etc.

    If the children watch all the commotion on TV, they might be getting indoctrinated with a mentality and police are so often bad, and they can not really be trusted, and that may be something that can seriously put them into a dangerous situation someday, should they find themselves interacting with police.

19. correction, last paragraph, should read “..with a mentality that police..”

20. Actually, if the community is 70% AA, then the jury should reflect the community not the nation. Notwithstanding, a police department that is 98% white should not be patrolling a community that is not made up of the same demographic. This was a bomb waiting to explode. That is simply common sense.

    Also, many people in the community witnessed how this was handled, such as watching a body lay in the street for 4 hours, the police allowing their dog to urinate on the spot where the body was laid, and police cars intentionally running over the flowers where the body was laid just doesn’t make for the appearance that they were exercising the best judgment in handling the case.

    Nothing justifies people acting in sinful uncontrollable manners because of the outcome of the hearing, but social justice must be upheld to the highest levels and those in power must exercise clear judgment in bringing this to pass.

21. like a perfect storm. I think God allows these things so we can notice where we are at, and the things we need to do.

22. We do not need social justice. We need Biblical justice. And the two are not the same.

    Anything that might have been offensive in handling the situation is sad. But if we are going to get past race, then it should not even be brought up how many people on the grand jury were black or white.

    To force a police force to have a demographically proportionate squad flies in the face of equality and justice. If there are more qualified whites applying than blacks, then logic would dictate that there will be more whites hired. If racial prejudice is the reason for disproportion, that is wrong.

    To call for supposed justice by forcing injustice and hardship on people that own businesses and property is hypocrisy and evil to the core. Yes evil. To even be a part of peaceful demonstration that disrupts innocent people is wrong. And the last time I checked, we are all presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some of the demonstrations are close to being lynch mobs. Some of them probably are. There is nothing about justice in such things…except for maybe social justice.

    No, social justice should not be upheld to the highest levels. Loving our neighbors as ourselves must be upheld to the highest levels. Real love, not emotionally based decisions to demonstrate and riot. What part of the demonstrations have done anything to promote love, joy, peace, and righteousness? None. What part of them has helped the black community or the police to be looked upon more highly? None. What part of them has caused honor and respect? None.

    Real justice that loves our neighbors as ourselves…please.

    Le 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
    16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
    17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
    18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

    Is there anything in the above passage that has not been flagrantly disobeyed in this situation by the demonstrators? Anything?

    Shalom

23. Even MLK surrounded himself with clergy, many others claiming personal ‘spirituality’, yet falsely thinking ‘second Commandment’ if truely followed, could trump, or even for the many still connected to social injustice issues, even ‘replace’ ? the ‘first’ ? How silly, how ‘earthy’, how choosing first Adam, over the SECOND, THE “LAST”, WHO BEING THE ‘MAN FROM HEAVEN’, remained only ‘heavenly MINDED’ despite great temptations while in very same likeness of very same ‘sinful FLESH’ as we all, participating in, including ‘both sides’ taken in another hot spot, in that which will continue until these heavens suddenly ON REAL material heavens, of this Earth’s mountain melting FIRE, ending all human soul life (both sides of every dispute included, provision made for ALL to await their own ‘order’ of resurrection, from here UNTO A NEXT LIFE PROMISED yet still in same ‘dna’ of very same likeness of very same ‘sinful flesh’ of both Adams.

24. And this happened in a small town where people are usually more closely connected, people who don’t often hear of a lot of violence in their community, which can add to the shock effect it seems. Lots of things came together, and I hope and pray that lots of things can be made better because of it.

25. Bo said,
    We do not need social justice. We need Biblical justice. And the two are not the same.
    Anything that might have been offensive in handling the situation is sad. But if we are going to get past race, then it should not even be brought up how many people on the grand jury were black or white.

    Thank you for the correction, I agree with your above statement.

    Bo said, ” To force a police force to have a demographically proportionate squad flies in the face of equality and justice. If there are more qualified whites applying than blacks, then logic would dictate that there will be more whites hired. If racial prejudice is the reason for disproportion, that is wrong.

    Part of hiring practices is to “recruit.” It is a fallacy to believe that you can’t find qualified blacks to do the job. Case in point, a particular office in the U.S. Govt had only white people working in their center, so a black manager challenged the recruitment office to broaden their range and begin recruiting at HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), as opposed to colleges that are predominately white. When they took his advice, qualified AA’s were hired in the office. So your presumption is a straw man argument when it comes to finding qualified individuals in a public field of work such as a police officer.

    Bo, said” Is there anything in the above passage that has not been flagrantly disobeyed in this situation by the demonstrators? Anything?”

    Have you been to Furgerson to qualitatively judge the demonstrations, or is your only information coming from the media? My point is, why would you presume that all of the demonstrators are all but evil and uncivil? There are many churches and citizens calling for peace and reconciliation and the exhibition of love and civility. The idea that you would blanket all of the demonstrators with such a statement only shows how far off you are in judging everyone of them the same.

26. Amen Ray!!! Only G-d can bring healing to that community. A clear reminder of how much we need revival.

27. Brian,

    Any demonstrator that takes part with a demonstration that blocks roads or commerce is not doing good. They might be doing evil that good may come, but they are judged as sinners.

    Romans 3
    5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
    6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
    7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
    8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

    Peaceful demonstration that does not infringe on anybody’s freedom in any way is fine. To join any demonstration that is not completely this is being unequally yoked with nonbelievers and is condoning their sin. Even if there is a demonstration like this it is flawed in condemning the just proceedings of the grand jury.

    Shalom

28. Bo,

    No one on this thread has condoned unlawful demonstrations, so I am not sure why you keep raising that point.

    Regarding the judgment, we don’t have all the information regarding the proceedings to conclude that they were just. I am not declaring that they were unjust either, hence I have no opinion one way or another. The idea of thinking that all rulings prove innocence would be a bit nieve, to name O.J. Simpson and George Zimmerman as two examples. Simply because the system worked in their favor based upon the evidence presented in no way means that they were not innocent of murder in G-d’s sight.

    Again, the answer to all of this unrest is found in G-d alone. It is sad that the media is not reporting on all of the godly people who are crying out for intervention, and I do believe as Saints, we should interceed on these things and demonstrate what it does mean to love our neighbor as ourselves-as opposed to focusing on the lawbreakers alone. Both the police department and the citizens need the prayers of the Saints, and then G-d will be glorifed to the highest.

    Shalom

29. Brian,

    The media has probably caused more problems than they have prevented by far in the last 15 years. Our country’s current lust for entertainment and excitement has done great damage to truth and justice. We have a flawed system with flawed laws and flawed people. We have a country that has thrown of YHWH’s instructions for the real abundant life and that is now pursuing ever more hedonistic pleasures. How can there be trust in the people or the system when we know that we cannot even trust our neighbors or ourselves.

    You are right. We should pray. Protesting will do little. I just cannot see Daniel or Joseph or our Messiah Y’Shua protesting. Praying, yes. Protesting, no.

    Shalom

30. Some of the first I saw on demonstrations in Ferguson was the “hands up” means “don’t shoot”.

    That seems to be what those protesting wanted to get across to the police. After all that is done, there’s another side of things that I think would be good to hear, and that is the part about, “Get on your knees.”, doesn’t mean “turn around.”, or “turn around and get on your knees.” It just means “Get on your knees.”.

    I’d like to see some sort of documentary program like 60 minutes investigate some of the police shootings, from both sides of the matter, and see if we can honestly find out where the most lives can be saved, that is, What needs to change?

    If there is a problem that should be addressed, what good does it do to remain silent? Protesting is a way to get a message across. It can be a good way, an effective way if it is managed well, but it also can be ill managed and do as much harm as good, or do even more harm than good.

31. I believe the Lord will have us to have compassion for sinners, for he also had compassion on us when we were so. (Isaiah 65:1)

32. I’m just wondering what the reaction of the public might be if some of the police took part in their own public demonstration.

    What if a dozen or so police officers in uniform participated in an announced demonstration, walking downtown, holding signs, that read, “Get down.” means “Get right down.”, and “Police don’t like to shoot people. We are people too.”?

    I wonder what the reaction of the public would be.
    No fires, no property damage by police, no excess noise, no disrupting traffic, but peaceful, as much as is possible.

33. I just looked on Wikipedia on the shooting of Michael Brown, and read about many testimonies and accounts of the shooting, and it’s just as I had heard about it being so muddled, “murky” was the word that was used. Not so hard to understand why a grand jury would decide that there isn’t enough evidence to go on to a trial, if that’s what they had to use to make their decision. What a mess to sort through. As I got done reading of all the witness accounts as given on Wikipedia, it seemed to me that there couldn’t be any more versions of what happened that a person could imagine, as long as he kept himself within certain bounds, things that all accounts would seem to go along with. All the differing accounts seem to make the thing so vague. What a mess!

34. I just saw on the news that there was a black man who died as a result of a police arrest. He complained that he could not breathe, and it was reported that he died as a result of a “choke hold” by an officer. The event was shown on TV because it was captured on camera.

    Maybe this man will make a better “poster child” to speak against excessive use of force by police, but if not him, then maybe it will be someone else. I say that because I do think there is a bit of a problem, and many people are upset about this sort of thing.

    One think I noticed about this incident is that the man was quite large. He seemed quite overweight.

    He was rather tall and rather heavy, and people like that can be a bit intimidating. Because of their size they could be a threat, but not everyone who is tall and heavy is physically fit.

    There are heavy people who have trouble even getting out of their own way. Their movements are quite slow because of their being overweight. Their movements are often a bit prohibitive because of all the body fat.

    It’s often difficult enough for a fat person to breathe, without anything other than himself to hinder his taking breaths.

    When I saw it on the news, I personally thought the officer who put his arm around the man’s neck and began to wrestle him around, did so a bit too quickly. I would rather see police talk a bit to a man first, and reason with him, as long as there doesn’t seem to be any real reason to think that he is an immediate threat.

    Wearing a T shirt and shorts (at least that’s how it looked to me as best I can recall) he didn’t appear to be armed, but one can never tell for sure.

    It seems to me that it wouldn’t hurt to ask. I don’t know if they did or not.

    I’m quite sure I saw more than two policemen there, and I thought that three of them could certainly handle the situation, and they did.
    The man was taken down quite quickly.

    I wish they would have given him more time. Though I can’t tell for sure, it appeared to me that they were not explaining to him that they were going to arrest him, and see what his reaction to that is, and if he argues, instead of immediately going for the neck and taking him down, maybe a little diplomacy would have worked, explaining to him why and what for, and that he would have all the chance to explain things later, and that for now this is something that they need to do and will do, and it’s up to him as to whether or not he wants to have it gentle if he cooperates, or hard with some force exercised, and that they are trained in taking people down to the concrete right below their feet, and that the three or more of them together are more than he is able to resist, and that if he cooperates he will not be charged with resisting police officers, as see what his reaction is. If he’s not been violent or aggressive, but is simply talking with his arms, or hands, as some people do, prior to hearing all the diplomacy of the police, I don’t see any immediate need for such quick forceful action, even though a policeman is authorized to do so.

    I do not want to take away anything from the police as far as the right to use force is concerned. It’s up to the discretion of the officers involved it seems to me, but as a member of the general public, I believe I may share my opinion to those who may permit it, or be open to hear it.

    I suppose these things are rare, but they do happen. If they begin to arise often, then maybe that’s an indication that there is a problem.

    Yes, the man was black. He wasn’t white. Maybe I should talk a bit about what it is to be white from this white man’s perspective. It isn’t always easy being a white man living in what seems to me to be very much a world run mostly by whites.

    If a white man is in need of employment, and he drives by what looks like an apartment building being built, and he sees as he’s sitting in his car at a stop light, that the framers have just raised a section of outside wall, after the exterior sheathing has been applied, and sprayed on with orange paint in big letter is the words, “Framers wanted.”, he could think about parking his car, and go talk to someone there and enquire about what he saw. He could say, “I am an young man and am in need of employment. I am young and strong. I can measure, cut, and carry. I can be the first one here in the morning, if that’s what you want, and be the last to leave. I can listen and follow instruction. I can work for less than the least paid man on this crew because I am a beginner, and every many here can tell me what to do, if that’s how you want it. I don’t have to argue with anybody here, and I don’t need to be the cause of any trouble. Though I do not have a hammer, nail bags, tape, or pencils, I am able to purchase those things within the hour if I need to. If I need a power saw, cords, hoses, or other tools, I can begin getting some of those things after my first check if I am hired.

    That how a white man does things in a white man’s world in this white man’s opinion.

    Or he can join the military right out of high school, or even when he’s 25 years old, if he can pass the tests and fulfil the requirements. He can sign up for 4 years to get full education benefits. (that’s what I did)

    In the military, he will be yelled at constantly while in basic training because everything he does at first will be all wrong, and he will have to get along with people of other ethnicity. He will be told to do more than he is able to do at times, and be required to keep trying. It isn’t easy, but people of other ethnicity will be doing to too, making the most of it the best they can.

    I don’t know what it’s like to be black. I can only tell people a little bit about what it’s like to be white, and live in what often looks like a white man’s world, run by whites, and it isn’t always easy.

    So would I have made it as far in life as I have if I would have been black and would have lived in a black neighborhood? I don’t know.

    Maybe there would have been too much negative influence on me to have done as well in life as I have. I just don’t know. If that’s the case, I only know one thing.

    Something’s got to change.

35. I just realized something. I’ve been a carpenter for a lot of years. I’ve never met a black building contractor and I don’t know why.

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