Violence Won’t Move a Nation into Unity
In our storied history, we have learned violence only leads to extended suffering and slows the process of progress. Even when physical fighting proved unavoidable and achieved much, it happened with the ugliest sacrifices and years of agony. This is why it is important to avoid lashing out in violence, even when met with it. It does little to fight ignorance with ignorance and harshness with harshness.
It has been horrific watching events unfold since the killing of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota by a police officer. Protesters have rightfully gathered throughout the nation to voice their anguish and concern over recent questionable shootings of black males by white officers. They seek to voice the injustice they feel. When we use the freedoms we have to peacefully come together, it allows engagement and change in an effective manner. To meet fear with bravery tramples on the product of that fear, misunderstanding and division. To meet brutality with peace is to give meaning to senseless deaths and make known the harsh nature of misguided racism.
The phrase “violence begets violence” has never applied more. In Dallas, Texas, 12 officers have been shot and at least 4 are dead(this number may increase). This is a direct result of the violence shown by police officers who have shot innocent black Americans. Those few officers have tainted an institution that is charged to protect us, leading to the incident in Dallas.
The moment snipers decided to shoot at officers during a peaceful protest is the moment they changed the narrative of the conversation and split the focus of a nation. It is natural for these individuals to be angry and want to retaliate, but they temporarily muffled out the voice of a peaceful movement at a critical moment during its development with violence. As a result, the nation goes to sleep discussing how police officers were shot to death while trying to protect peaceful protesters demonstrating due to fatal unjust police shootings in America.
Just as it was true of the Civil War and Civil Rights era, it is true of today, our nation is polarized by race. As a nation, we cannot let this polarization remain and rip at the fabric of America.
