September 29 2017 – Click here to listen
I read an interesting article in Charisma recently entitled “If hands up don’t shoot is a myth why do so many black Americans believe it? I found it so interesting I decided to republish it here in its entirety:
“According to every reliable report, my young namesake, Michael Brown, was not shot in the back, nor did he have his hands up, nor did he utter the words, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” If any of this had been true, the Department of Justice would have nailed Darren Wilson, the policeman involved in the incident, since the DOJ was quite motivated to find fault with the police. Why, then, do so many black Americans believe (and repeat) the “Hands up, don’t shoot” narrative?
A few months ago, for the first time, I signed up for Google Alerts, where you get regular e-notices when your name is mentioned online. Of course, with a common name like mine, especially without my middle initial “L,” I knew that most of the notices would be about others. There are a lot of Michael Browns out there!
But almost every day, the vast majority of notices I get are about Ferguson’s 18-year-old Michael Brown. He is the constant topic of conversation, the cause célèbre when it comes to justice issues in America. Why?
There are plenty of derogatory answers that are readily available (and I apologize for having to list them, as offensive as they are).
These answers would include: Black Americans are simply listening to their race-baiting leaders (think, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others). Or, black Americans are being duped by the left-wing media. Or, black Americans are easily stirred up by groups like Black Lives Matter.
Although it’s distasteful to list such charges, I’m sure that some readers will nod in affirmation, saying, “Yes, it’s actually all of the above.”
In reality, black Americans are influenced by race-baiters, the left-wing media and activist groups just as much as white Americans are. (Check out the latest “Nazi scum” chant at Berkeley for evidence.)
Why, then, do so many black Americans continue to believe the Ferguson myth? It’s for the same reason that many black Americans thought O.J. Simpson was innocent: a fundamental distrust of the criminal justice system.
Years of listening to my radio show callers have taught me that, generally speaking, black Americans and white Americans still do not share equal footing.
I’m talking about countless calls that I’ve received from God-fearing, Bible-believing, authority-respecting, conservative black Americans.
I’m talking about people who have listened to me for years, who will shout to the world that they don’t believe there’s a racist bone in my body, and yet will say, “Dr. Brown, I love you, but you just don’t get it.”
Black pastors have told me about their bad experiences with police.
Black Christian mothers have told me about how they had to train their kids not to respond to hostile questioning from a police officer, for fear that they would be shot.
Dr. Brian Williams, the black doctor in Dallas who treated some of the cops who were ambushed last year said, “This is much more complicated for me personally . . . There’s this dichotomy where I’m standing with law enforcement, but I also personally feel that angst that comes when you cross the path of an officer in uniform and you’re fearing for your safety. I’ve been there, and I understand that.”
Lest you think this is just urban myth, The New York Times reports that “Decades of research have shown that the criminal courts sentence black defendants more harshly than whites.”
Indeed, a new study “exposes the fact that African-American defendants get more time behind bars — sometimes twice the prison terms of whites with identical criminal histories — when they commit the same crimes under identical circumstances. It also shows how bias on the part of individual judges and prosecutors drives sentencing inequity.”
You might say, “But who started all this? It’s because of rampant black crime that black youths are profiled. It’s because of the breakdown of the black family that so many kids are wayward. It’s because of absentee fathers that we’re having this crisis. The cops are just doing their jobs, and there’s obviously a reason the judges are sentencing blacks more harshly.”
I personally agree that, in the vast majority of cases, the cops are just trying to do their jobs, and I stand strongly with our police. And there’s no question that the breakdown in the black American family, aided and abetted by the welfare system, is a major culprit in this crisis. As for sentences handed down by the courts, I claim no expertise and need to examine the data more carefully.
But I’m not trying to win an argument here. I’m trying to make a point: Speaking in broad terms, the life experience of black Americans is often very different than that of white Americans, leading to very different perceptions of the same events.
We can ignore these differences, arguing our points with passion and talking about the unpatriotic actions of black athletes who protest our national anthem. Or we can do our best to sit down with those who differ with us and ask them to share their perspective with us.
I personally believe the national anthem protests are misguided and do more harm than good, since they send out an unpatriotic, ungrateful message. And I hate the fact that the Ferguson myth is being used to stoke fires of racial hatred.
But I also know there’s another side to the story, one that many white Americans miss entirely. And as a follower of Jesus, I want to listen first and speak second. I encourage you to do the same.
Don’t we all want justice for all?”
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Saving a Sick America: A Prescription for Moral and Cultural Transformation. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.
Readers are Leaders! Subscribe now and get 3 magazines for the price of 1. Get Charisma, Ministry Today and SpiritLed Woman all for $24. YES – Sign me up!
Personally, I’ve wondered many times why black Americans refuse to accept the truth concerning matters like O.J. Simpson and Ferguson. If the reason is as Mr. Brown states, that they ignore the truth because of injustice, perceived or real, then their behavior is an example of what happens in a lawless society.
In other words, if laws are perceived by someone to be unjust, many feel it entitles them to riot, loot, burn things down, beat innocent victims, disrespect police, flag, National Anthem, and country. Unfortunately, we are seeing this conduct today in black communities and other areas such as sanctuary cities where some people and even entire cities refuse to enforce laws because they do not believe they are fair. Anarchy reigns when this happens. However our country was founded upon law and order and democracy. There is a mechanism in place to change laws that does not include anarchy. Elect different leaders and tell them to change laws.
Truth is vital. If progress is to be made, then the conversation must include the truth, and not false assumptions, i.e. “Hands up don’t shoot” myths that did not happen cannot be portrayed as truth. If both sides want to resolve this enduring problem then truth must prevail.
I have often wondered if blacks are really being unfairly targeted by police or is it parental training being passed down from one generation to the next regardless of progress being made in that area. Of course, racial injustice has occurred in the past, but many fair-minded people would say that today it is far better than most anywhere in the world. (To say it has been eliminated would be foolhardy, but injustice occurs at times among all races and always will, at least until the Lord returns.)
I am currently writing a book about the life of a black friend of mine and he told me that since early childhood he was always afraid of white people, especially police, because that is what he was taught by his parents and grandparents. This instance is admittedly but one example of parental training to fear whites and police, but may be an indication that indeed it is a part of the larger problem. Is generational instruction to fear whites and police being handed down generationally? Are whites being taught the same thing about blacks?
I do agree with Mr. Brown in there should be justice for one and all and that should be the desire for all people who love the Lord. God certainly feels that way. Justice is founded on truth and before this problem is resolved truth must rule the conversation on both sides.
Psalm 89:14
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!