Defend or Defund

Me and KC policeman, July 24, 2020

I have been asked about my thoughts on defunding or defending the police recently. Here's what I'm thinking…

Some of the law enforcement people I've known over the years are incredible people. They give, serve, and put themselves in harm's way for the sake of the community. At the same time, I personally think it's evident that the policing system all of us have created in this country needs to be re-approached and reformed.  

I will admit. I have been influenced by reading African Americans who were a part of previous generations like James Baldwin and James Cone. And listening to contemporary African Americans like Coleman Hughes, Ibrim X Kendi, and Chloe Valdary. (BTW those people don't agree with each other all the time!) And watching shows like 13th , and even YouTube videos like, The Quartering of Troops. And attending Black Lives Matter rallies here in KC. 

I know some caucasians who just aren't interested in being influenced by any of the aforementioned. They are probably the same people who will not dig into what a defunding of the police might mean. I think many of us may be reacting to the word "defund." We see that word, and it scares us. If that's the case, then fear winds up in the driver's seat. I don't think that's helpful. 

While it's possible I don't agree with every single thing the Defund the Police movement is asking for (because whoever agrees with everything anyone asks for?), please consider… 

Rethinking our policing philosophy doesn't have to mean doing away with all structure as we've known it, or voluntarily throwing all of us into a state of anarchy or disrespecting those good men and women who have put their lives on the line for us in the past. 

Rethinking policing could mean reevaluating how we respond to people, in particular, in times of stress. It could mean shifting away from punitive measures of discipline and shifting toward restorative measures of discipline. For example, this might mean allocating resources to allow us to insert unarmed trained healthcare workers rather than inserting armed, militarized police into specific emergencies.

Whatever we can do to de-weaponize and decrease the potential for violence seems like a good move, for it's not hard to see that sending our police officers in like hammers will only result in them finding nails.    

But humans aren't nails to be hammered. We are so much more. We are a mix of good and bad; pain and joy. It's true of the most lawful of us. And the most unlawful of us. We're complicated.

We could change our approach to reflect this understanding. 
We could be more relationship-oriented and less authoritarian-oriented. 
We could be more human-centered, evolved, and patient.
It would be challenging. 
It would require humility. 
And it would require us to dismantle some old power structures. 

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All of this has been influenced by my experience in the church. While I'm not an expert in law enforcement in our society, for good or for bad, I am approaching expert status in law enforcement in our churches. (Yes, I think most of what is going on in Americanized Christianity is law enforcement. It has little or nothing to do with grace enforcement.)

Some pastors and religious leaders I know and have known over the years are incredible people. They give, serve, and put themselves in harm's way for the sake of the community. At the same time, I personally think it's evident that the religious system all of us have created in this country needs to be re-approached and reformed.  

Rethinking religion doesn't have to mean doing away with all structure as we've known it, voluntarily throwing us all into a state of confusion, or disrespecting those good men and women who have been our pastors, teachers, bishops, elders, etc… and have given of their lives in the past.  

Rethinking religion could mean reevaluating how we respond to people, in particular, in times of stress.  It could mean shifting away from punitive measures of discipline and shifting toward restorative measures of discipline. For example, this might mean listening to leaders trained in peace, justice, and non-scapegoating rather than leaders trained in binary, us vs. them, authoritarian-power-infused interpretations of the Sacred Text.

Whatever we can do to "de-weaponize the word" and decrease the potential for violence seems like a good move, for it's not hard to see that sending our religious leaders in like hammers will only result in them finding nails.  

But humans aren't nails to be hammered. We are so much more. We are a mix of good and bad; pain and joy. It's true of the most lawful of us. And the most unlawful of us. We're complicated.

As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, "If only it were all so simple. If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being."  

And as Kendrick Lamar said, "I got power, poison, pain, and joy inside my DNA."  

We could change our approach to reflect this understanding.
We could be more relationship-oriented and less authoritarian-oriented. 
We could be more human-centered, evolved, and patient.
It would be challenging. 
It would require humility. 
And it would require us to dismantle some old power structures.