Some men are born leaders. Others are born rabble-rousers who utilize wrong speech to create greater divide and angst among their fellow man.
In “How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change,” former President Barack Obama makes an impassioned plea to those advocating for police reform and justice following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Obama writes:
First, the waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system in the United States. The overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring. They deserve our respect and support, not condemnation — something that police in cities like Camden and Flint have commendably understood.
On the other hand, the small minority of folks who’ve resorted to violence in various forms, whether out of genuine anger or mere opportunism, are putting innocent people at risk, compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause. I saw an elderly black woman being interviewed today in tears because the only grocery store in her neighborhood had been trashed. If history is any guide, that store may take years to come back. So let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.
Continue reading “How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change.”
Obama’s message stands in stark contrast to the inflammatory rhetoric of our current president: