It is a sad routine. Two worlds
collide when a black man encounters a white officer. The encounter results in
the officer fatally shooting the man.
Race is immediately assumed to be the motivation. Certain elements in the community express
varying levels of rage and anger. The
media turns a local collision of two souls into a national crisis. The “Grievance Industry’s” troops parachute in
to fan the flames of dissension. The end result, more often than not is the
generation of much more heat than light.
Race relations continue to slide as mistrust and bitterness are
cultivated and regarded as virtues.
In this latest saga, a motorist was shot to death by a
North Charleston Police Officer. Walter
Scott was shot in the back. This time
around there is damning video that leaves little doubt about what happened,
though the whys and wherefores are yet to be discerned. Judy Scott, the grieving mother of the dead
man is a refreshing presence in this maelstrom.
In an extraordinary interview conducted by CNN’s, Anderson
Cooper, Scott quickly made it known that in this dark hour “the Lord is my
strength”. She continued by expressing
her hope that God is the reason she has hope for true justice. Scott also declared that the very presence of
the person who shot the video is evidence of divine intervention.
The most strident communication she expressed was about
“dirty cops” in the department, which is evidence of her wisdom and
restraint. She did not spew wild and
reckless accusations of a racial motive.
To top it off, Judy Scott described what people would
probably expect from a grieving mother in her position: to be “angry, upset and
raging.” She did not say she won’t be.
Better yet Ms. Scott said she can’t… because of the love of God in her, “I
can’t be like that,” she told Cooper. Instead
she extended forgiveness from her heart, to Michael Slager, the man who gunned down
her son.
Judy Scott’s interview was a journey into the
supernatural. She is empowered
internally by her relationship with God.
And this stands starkly in contrast to what the modern Civil Rights
industry fosters. So called “reverends” profess but clearly do not possess what
resides within Ms. Scott. They project
and promote the antithesis of what she is and does.
It did not take long for so called “civil rights
leaders” to speak out of step with this exemplary mother. During a call for the South Carolina
legislature to stop “dragging its feet” on a bill which will require all
officers to wear cameras on their uniforms, Dot Scott, Charleston’s NAACP
President said such legislation will “lessen the chance that any more black men
will be used for target practice as Mr. Scott was”. Really! This kind of rhetoric is a great sound
bite for a local television newscast, but it is not helpful in any effort to
promote racial harmony.
There is such a thing as righteous indignation and a
desire for justice is perfectly appropriate. However, the challenge is walking
out these things without the venom, unproven racial allegations, and just pure
rage. We can only hope that people
follow the lead of Ms. Scott, a grieving mom, who is suffering the most. This mother’s
example can light the way with love, strength, and wisdom.
Vince Coakley is a veteran broadcaster now hosting a
daily radio talk show for WORD in Greenville, SC
***You can watch Anderson Cooper's interview with Judy Scott at this link
