This morning my phone “pinged” at me with news from Twitter. Twitter is not my favorite social media platform, but it has its uses. I began using Twitter to participate in conversations at General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church (hence my first twitter handle, the cute “@presbybug”). It’s a way to converse with strangers who are in the same giant room as you, and keep people easily updated with how the votes are going. I do still use it in that way at presbytery meetings, but less often. These days, when my phone twits at me, it’s much more likely to be a fast-breaking news story from some of the activists I follow. By tailoring my feed to focus on activists, I get to hear the voices of those we miss on mainstream media. And I try to bring a progressive Christian faith response to the news – hence my new handle @faithresponding (follow me to see more!)
My phone lit up this morning. All sorts of people were tweeting and re-tweeting the news that a police dashboard camera video, from the case of Sandra Bland, was released and that it contained some glaring errors – loops, repeats, cars disappearing in the middle of the road, and no timestamps to be seen anywhere. This of course wasn’t a total surprise, since Sandra Bland’s case has been surrounded by scrutiny following her unexplained death in police custody on July 13th. With all the fear and grief and controversy, people are right to be suspicious that we may not have been told the truth.
While I am not an investigator and we clearly don’t have the full story yet, our faith needs to respond.
The Old Testament Prophets helpfully offer some outrage, roaring with indignation whenever the rights of the innocent are denied. When a failure-to-signal warning becomes a death in a holding cell, the prophet Amos calls out,
“For three transgressions of [America], and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they trample the head of the poor [people of color] into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way.” Amos 2:6-7
When CNN commentators say Sandra Bland wouldn’t be dead if she hadn’t had a problem with an “arrogant attitude” – as if that were worthy of the death penalty – the prophet Hosea rails against those who “feed on the sin of my people,” who are “greedy for iniquity.” Hosea 4:8
When trusted officers betray their standards and vows with deceit and cover-ups, Isaiah thunders
“The Lord expected justice
but saw bloodshed,
righteousness,
but heard a cry.” Isaiah 5:7
We are people of the Word, and these words are powerful. No, we don’t believe in a God who stands idly by while injustice occurs. We believe that all people must be held accountable for their actions, and we believe all that is hidden must come to light. With prayer we await the results of this investigation, and we mourn with those who are feeling sad, angry, and terrified in the wake of Sandra Bland’s death.
Every Blessing,
Talitha