What has happened to the US of A?

Scrolling through my Facebook feed this morning, a video caught my eye: 10 ways to stay safe when dealing with the cops. This video was not a satire, but an earnest attempt at educating people about how to get through a police stop safely. The makers of the video are a black church, and the players here are a man I assume to be the pastor, a woman who is likely his wife, a young boy maybe 10 years old, and 3 black teenagers. There is gospel piano playing in the background. Each player takes a turn in presenting the steps. At one point the pastor’s wife chokes up and has to turn away from the camera. One of the steps is to keep quiet about the incident until in the presence of a lawyer; cut to the little boy sliding a finger across his lips in the familiar motion of zipping it. The man I assume to be the pastor repeats often that the goal is for “you to get home safe”. Flash to one of the black teenagers, a young man maybe about 18 with his hands in the air, palms visible and empty. “Keep your hands where the police can see them.” Then a montage of all of the players saying emphatically, “And whatever you do, don’t run. No matter how afraid you may be”.

I watch these images. These earnest faces. There is no jest here, no joke, no commentary. These good Christian folks genuinely want to help. They genuinely want to save a life. That is what the caption reads under the video, “Pass this on. It may save a life.” And my heart breaks a little that something like this is needed. My heart breaks a little more that hate and racism have created a climate in our country where so many people that are meant to serve and protect are now purveyors and supporters of violence. My heart breaks that hate speech has been attributed to “Making America Great Again”. My heart breaks seeing these earnest faces, pleading with their brothers and sisters to just keep their heads down so that they can get home alive. What has happened to our country? I truly want to know. What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave?