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I live near Portland. I have friends who have protested, friends who have been arrested, friends who have been beaten by police officers. I hear some calling for "law and order". Behind their cries is an assumption that law and order can be brought about by more force.
I don't believe force ultimately creates order. Compliance, maybe, but living together in society requires things which force cannot ensure.
Here's an example (not the best example, not the only example, just an example) of how to look at things differently:
Here's an example (not the best example, not the only example, just an example) of how to look at things differently:
"Who inspires you?
My father, Rhys, an unarmed colonial policeman whom I once saw talk down an armed lynch mob trying to kill a drunken driver who had run over and killed a child. Dad was a Welsh teetotaller who hated drunk drivers, but he stood for the law.
My father, Rhys, an unarmed colonial policeman whom I once saw talk down an armed lynch mob trying to kill a drunken driver who had run over and killed a child. Dad was a Welsh teetotaller who hated drunk drivers, but he stood for the law.
"There were 300 angry knife-waving people around him and he must have known how close he was to death, but he was calm and serene and carried the day by his authority. What a gift to give a son! To show moral and physical courage at the same time!"
Relationship, vulnerability, risk, treating others with respect, standing against revenge that looked like justice. I don't know the end of the story, but I hope it also included justice and restitution for the family who had a child killed.
Can we look for other models of policing like this? Can we look at other models for bringing justice? Can we think beyond ending protests or violence, and toward how we live together justly (not just cowed into compliance)?
(Quote from actor John Rhys-Davies, in this article)
(Quote from actor John Rhys-Davies, in this article)
