Social Injustice – Just an Opinion

Here we are in the back-half of 2020…and the year continues to bring more unrest.

It’s been interesting to watch the varying responses to our current social crisis. Some people think it’s a crisis because the issue of racial inequality has never been dealt with. Some people think it’s a crisis because there is rioting and looting. Some people think it’s a crisis because there are streets blocked off. We all have our take on what’s happening. The one thing that we all seem to agree on? Our nation is polarized and some think that we are imploding. I think there are more of us feeling powerless to even determine where to start. That’s where I am. Where do I start to unwrap how I feel or what I do?

Well, I guess I write.

So let’s start with what I do believe…right or wrong, it’s where I’m at now.

1. I don’t believe anyone is asking me to apologize for being white. I do believe that black people don’t want to feel like they have to apologize for being black. By not apologizing, I believe that means…not getting pulled over for driving a nice car, or having a gun held on them for running through a ‘white’ neighborhood. I believe they are asking to not be assumed to be committing a crime for their skin color.
2. I believe that we need police. I believe that many or most (I’m truly not ready to commit to that quantifier) are doing their job to the best of their ability. I also believe that most Catholic Priests feel called to what they are doing. Hear me out on the comparison. There were an alarming number of allegations of child sexual abuse that the church covered up and Priests were moved around to avoid dealing with the issue. That move, unfortunately, not only shielded the abusers but also may have created an environment that drew abusers to the church. I think we have a similar issue in the police force. I believe that there is a systemic issue that bad or racist behavior has gone undealt with and that may have drawn more of the same type of personalities to the police force. I also believe that some officers may be afraid of being ostracized if they report an issue and that in itself, is a problem. We have to find a way to empower police officers to hold each other accountable. Again…this is my belief. I could be wrong. But I don’t believe that I am.
3. I’m not a fan of the term “Defund the Police” but I believe we need to look at what we use police for and if they have enough training to deal with all that we ask them to do. I also believe that we have some serious social issues that we need to deal with and we need to look at the budget to see how we meet all of those needs.
4. I believe we need more social services and mental health support. We had a family friend that had a break with reality. The police were called. She was not a danger to herself or others so they were very powerless to do anything. We tried to get her help. It took two weeks. The psychiatrist on her insurance plan would not return calls. I took her to a mental health clinic that took cash. I offered to pay. They couldn’t take the cash payment because she didn’t qualify…because she had insurance. It was extremely frustrating to want to help someone but feel powerless within our current health care system.
5. I believe that the phrase “white privilege” is a trigger point for many people. I camped on that one for a bit. Here is one example of how I can see that my ‘whiteness’ may have impacted me and my family. You may remember our house fire if you know us. If not, you can read about by clicking Here. The fire was started by our son leaving a candle…on a stack of newspaper…on a table unattended to go check on his girlfriend, who had called him at 2am. (And yes, everything going through your head went through ours as well – only we may have actually verbalized it that morning!) Our son loves candles and also small blowtorches – which he had several of for use in his artwork. One of the fireman questioned our son very sternly about how the fire started. He saw the torches and I believe, truly thought we were a meth house. He looked at us several times with that, ‘Oh…you don’t even know what your kid is doing’ look. Our son, at this point, looked like a blond surfer and we looked like…I don’t know…a very white family that lived in the suburbs. He dropped it and moved on. We went to Denny’s at 5am with my best friend and celebrated that we only lost one wall and we were all alive. So now…looking back…I have to wonder…would we have had a different outcome if we were black? What if we were a black family and my son had dark skin with dreadlocks? Would the torches have been dismissed so easily? I don’t know. But I can envision headlines of House Fire Started with Equipment Consistent with Drug Use.

So I guess enough for today. We may not agree and that’s ok. I do believe that we all need to listen to each others opinions and not resort to name calling. I compare it to being called “fat” – it never helped anyone lose weight…or maybe that’s just me. It just always made me want to eat.

I need to keep exploring and learning. I need to make some sense out of everything and do whatever is within my power to help. I’m not sure what that is yet. I know I need to do something though…because I’m afraid.

I’m afraid nothing will change.

And I’ll see another story on the news that will open these wounds again.

And this time, our country won’t survive.

But again…that’s just my opinion.