Hypocrisy in the midst of injustice–and becoming numb to it all

After witnessing brutality against one brother and sister of color after another, eventually many people become so accustomed to these unjust tragedies, that they are too tired to feel the pain. 

 

In Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jacob Blake was shot seven times by a police officer. His sister later told reporters about the numbness she is experiencing after seeing so many mistreated by law enforcement for far too long, “This is nothing new. I’m not sad. I’m not sorry. And I’m tired.” She went on to say, “I am numb. I have been watching police murder people that look like me for years.”

 

Behind every case of racial injustice, there is also irony. Irony is in the midst of injustice due to the treatment of one group of people compared to another in such a way that is utterly unfair to the point of being almost unbelievable. 

 

The irony behind the two cases of shootings in Kenosha is immense. Just three days after Blake was shot seven times in the back for supposedly carrying a knife when police were brought out on a domestic call, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse carried a rifle through the streets of a state he was not even a citizen of, all the while law enforcement reportedly thanked him as he walked by. Rittenhouse allegedly ended the night fatally shooting two protestors and injuring another. 

 

When it comes to Blake, whether or not he was actually holding a knife is unknown, as the case is still under investigation. While it should not be taken lightly if someone is carrying a knife, resolving to shoot before all other options have been taken is unnecessary.

 

Comedian Trevor Noah weighed in on the issue. “Think about it, even when wild animals are loose on the streets, they don’t always shoot to kill, they have tranquilizers, they have nets,” Noah said.

 

In fact, individuals carrying weapons is actually what officers must be prepared to deal with as they go into this line of work. Being a police officer is not merely a career or job, it is a duty, therefore much responsibility is involved in which actions require wisdom and people skills, because this great duty is to protect citizens not to harm them. 

 

As a part of law enforcement, officers and their friends and family members know there is a high risk of being injured, wounded, or losing your life, but that is part of the duty: being willing to possibly lay down one’s own life to serve and protect others.

 

It is tragically ironic that a white boy who is not of legal age to possess a gun can walk through the streets openly carrying a rifle, shooting at protesters, while in the same town and during the same week a black man who was not carrying a gun, is shot by a police officer, not once, not twice but seven times.

 

Rittenhouse even walked by law enforcement multiple times without being stopped. Still more bizarre, law enforcement in tanks even thanked him and the rest of the people he was allegedly with earlier that night, “we appreciate you guys, we really do,” officers said, according to a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

 

The issue of police brutality against people of color in particular goes way back, of course, and is not isolated to one area of the country. Although Blake was shot by officers in Wisconsin, it does not mean it couldn’t happen here in Rock Hill. 

 

Just because Rittenhouse carried out his acts in Kenosha, does not mean that someone with the same views could not feel inspired to do something similar, or even on a more intense level than what he did.

 

When discussing police brutality and racial bias, many people bring up the argument that white people are statistically killed at a higher rate by police than people of color. However, what they fail to acknowledge is that, while that is what the statistic claims, the fact is that the number of white people in America is far greater than people of color. White people make up 76.3 percent, while the black or African American population is only 13.4 percent, according to the United States Census. This fact means that people of color are being brutalized disproportionately.

 

Not only is the whole situation unjust as it is, there are many who believe Rittenhouse should not be punished for the murders that he carried out. A Christian foundation called ‘Fight Back Foundation’ recently started a fundraiser in support of Rittenhouse, in hopes of setting him free from the charges against him. The organization so far has raised “nearly $1 million for Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense fund,” Insider reported.

 

The irony at hand has now turned into a form of hypocrisy. As most Christians, and many people in general, are aware, the Bible commands, “thou shalt not kill,” (Exodus 20:13, KJV). Does this act of supporting Rittenhouse follow that command? 

By Mary Hicks

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