KELLY THOMAS, MURDERED!

By now everyone has heard, either by radio, television, internet or word of mouth, about the beating death of a mentally ill man, in Fullerton, California recently. His death at the hands of Fullerton Police Officers, makes me revisit those feelings of outrage, disgust and sorrow, I felt viewing the Rodney King and Reginald Denhy beatings. King’s by police officers and Denhy’s by thug rioters. There was a very noticeable difference in the public’s response about this tragic incident. There were the normal shouts of police brutality, that we normally hear, when something of this nature occurs; and there were demonstrations against the Fullerton police department. The difference was, the shouts and demonstrations came from a predominately white community.

Where were Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton and Earl Ofari Hutchinson when the people of Fullerton, California were screaming “police brutality” and demonstrating against the Fullerton Police Department Officer’s, unjust beating to death of Kelly Thomas? Where were they?? Normally, like sharks in the ocean, they would have smelled the blood of a victim from wherever they were. Normally, they would have shown up at the scene of the crime the very next day; regardless to where they had to fly from in the world. Normally, they would have immediately held press conferences to announce their outrage of the event and their intention to come and demonstrate on behalf of the injured party.

I thought these gentlemen’s (and I use the term very loosely with tongue in cheek) civil rights agenda and stance; often defying authorities, were dedicated to defending the civil rights of “all peoples”. Their previous histories show them before the television news cameras, on popular television and radio shows and in the printed media, decrying the injustice of the act against a person and rallying for demonstrations against the injustices perpetrated by those in authority against “its citizens”. It matters not whatever the cause of the injustice! Whether it was motivated by racial, sexist, religious, political or sexual orientation bias, these men were first to champion the cause of the injured party.

My question is, do they only champion the injustices done to “people of color”? Or do they champion against injustice to “all people”? Kelly Thomas was a white, homeless young man, who suffered from schizophrenia. On July 5th, 2011 Kelly Thomas was brutally beaten into a coma by six Fullerton Police officers. He never regained consciousness. After several days in intensive care, his family was forced to make the awful decision to remove him from life support and he passed away on July 10th. It was not until July 28th that the first officer was taken off the street (the other five were still kept in our streets enforcing the law?) and put on administrative leaves. This was due to pressure from the community to expose and seek truth about this alleged abuse of force.

Every Saturday since Kelly’s murder, there has been a memorial rally and protest to show support for the Thomas family and to stand up peacefully to protest against the unconstitutional behavior of the six Fullerton police officers who beat Kelly Thomas to death. When I went to Fullerton, I saw only two other black people there to support this family. Where was the so-called “civil rights activist” at this event? Nowhere to be found! Now maybe I got it all wrong; but I understand “civil rights” to be about the “rights of citizens”! Citizens in America come from many (too many to try and name) ethnic backgrounds and nationalities. So to me, if ANY CITIZEN suffers injustice at the hands of authorities, charged to protect them, it becomes a matter of concern for ALL CITIZENS!

All citizens include ourselves, our city and government elected officials, the Clergy, Civic and Business Leaders. Just EVERYONE who lives under the American Flag. For Black Americans, the group I identify with, I believe we need to step out of complacency and take a stand against injustice, wherever it occurs and to whomever it occurs. We cannot just be concerned about ourselves when it comes to injustice. Who should know better about injustice and bias than those who have endured it for near a half century? How can Black Americans stand by and watch any other person be beat to death like Kelly Thomas? How can we not raise our voices in anger and defiance against such cruelty to another human being? What is wrong with Christians today? Where is the love that we claim Jesus put in our hearts for one another? Did Jesus command you to only show love to “your ethnic group”? NO! Where is the outrage from the black community and Christians, at the inhuman brutality suffered by Kelly Thomas? This mentally ill man was beaten and repeatedly shot with a stun gun, until he was comatose. He died without ever regaining consciousness.

Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton are both Christian Preachers and Civil Rights Activist. They should be the first to come to the defense of the victims of injustice, regardless of their race. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally acclaimed Political Analyst, Author and Journalist. He has a national platform that could be used to bring national attention to the plight of people who are the victims of injustice. Do you see them reaching out to other races and communities offering their support to the victims and their families? No! Could it be because it is not an issue where they could derive some notoriety, monetary or political value from it? Could it be because despite their claims to care about “all people”, they are really only concerned with the plight of ‘black people”? I hope this is not the case!

By this time in our social and world history, we should have learned that as human beings, we are all living this life TOGETHER. Our individual actions today not only affect us; but have nationwide and often times, world implications. As believers in Christ, we are commanded to “love one another, even as God loves us.” Unconditional love does not see color or race! It sees another child of God in need, hurt or suffering injustice at the hand of another! The Christ indwelling us, demands that we come to his aide and offer help and comfort like the Smaritan, in Jesus’s parable. If our (so-called) leaders won’t extend the love of Christ to others, so be it! That just means you and I should and must leave our complacency, and show our love and support to ANYONE, suffering injustice. If we don’t do this, we don’t have the right to call ourselves true Christians! We are hypocrites the same as the Pharisee, Priest and Levite; Jackson, Sharpton and Hutchinson!

There is so much crime and suffering going on in our communities. There is so much good that people of goodwill, could do, if they would only trust God and reach out to help their fellow man. Grieve for Kelly Thomas and his family! Allow yourself to express compassion for another human being! One that God loves just as much as He loves you! The officers, who took his life, have now been arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter! Now, pray for comfort for his family and may justice prevail for Kelly Thomas and his family!

Your brother, In His Service

Min. Douglas