Will there be peace for police and protestors alike?

It’s Christmastime – a time for peace on earth and goodwill toward our fellow man. It’s a time to reflect on the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace.

As we gather in our homes around our Christmas trees and exchange gifts and feelings of joy and gladness, I can’t help but wonder a few things. Particularly, I wonder how some folks around Ferguson, Mo., are enjoying their Christmas this year.

How many people are opening gifts that were looted from stores in the riots that so devastated the community (or gifts bought with black market money from the sale of looted merchandise)? How many small business owners are sharing a very humble Christmas – or no Christmas at all – because their stores were burned out or looted beyond profitability?

How many law enforcement officers are able to share a relaxing, peaceful day with their families without fear that vengeful rioters might strike? How many families are missing members who were locked up because of riotous activities?

It’s not just in Ferguson. The “protests” were nationwide. Ferguson was just the flashpoint. There is a great deal of mistrust between the public – minorities in particular – and the police (i.e. all law enforcement). The pendulum of public opinion has swung a long way since Sept. 11, 2001, when all police, fire and other first responders were trusted, infallible heroes.

We now see reports of cops killing unarmed suspects and not being indicted. Thanks to technology, photos and video of police doing an unpleasant side of their jobs are now rampant on the Internet and other media. It’s led to a bigger “us versus them” mentality than we’ve seen in decades.

It’s unfortunate that a few, isolated cases like the one in Ferguson have been blown so far out of proportion as to reflect so negatively on all law enforcement. Most cops are the good guys. They’re the heroes doing a difficult and often thankless job. Sure, there are some bad apples, but you get that in any profession.

While I can’t condone a cop killing an unarmed civilian, I also know I was not there when it happened and am not privy to what actions prompted the officer to shoot. I do know that the response to the shooting is totally uncalled for. Under no circumstances is rioting and looting an answer or solution to a problem like this.

If the underlying problem is distrust of law enforcement, than breaking more laws and placing more officers at risk of life and limb is certainly not the way to try and build trust and resolve any issues. If you want to win or sway someone’s opinion to your side, you do it with the carrot, not the stick.

I believe that the shooting of the black suspect by the white officer in Ferguson was capitalized on as an excuse to justify criminal activity. It’s not just the mayhem in Ferguson, but also the children who have boycotted their schools in Denver and the crowds who tried to shut down the Galleria in Houston.

As I look at the fallout I have to ask myself how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would feel about it if he were alive today? I highly doubt he’d be standing with the rioters. I really feel that this is a major step backwards in civil rights and race relations.

If police brutality has become a problem, there are other ways of dealing with it than burning business and cars and stealing goods from stores. I think that these so-called protestors are behaving in a way that further justifies the behavior of the cops. It has put the police on edge and made them much more wary of each person they deal with in every situation they approach. In short, the demonstrators have had the opposite affect of what they intended.

Until rational minds can prevail, true peace can never be achieved. I have to assume that peace is the objective. At least, that is what I hope as we celebrate Christmas and dream of peace on earth.