The Shadow of the Uniform

I have noticed, in both real world discussions and social media posturing, that there is this assumption out there that, if you dare to support #blacklivesmatter, you are somehow against police officers, or even worse that you are implying that somehow black lives are privileged over other lives.  A few people have noted that recognizing the systemic injustice of racism and supporting the men and women of law enforcement should not, and honestly cannot be mutually exclusive categories.
I will say this without equivocation: violence against police is not okay.
For those in the protest movement, you need to remember what Dr. King held so fast to in the turbulence of the 1960's: violence is antithetical to true cultural change.  Already, the violence that has broken out has a certain segment of society, which already bore some antipathy towards your cause, blaming you and justifying their former opinion that #blacklivesmatter is just another attention grab by people who don't want to take "personal responsibility" for their own success.  Violence produces fear and fear breeds prejudice, you are figuratively shooting yourselves when you break out of the mold of nonviolent protest.
You may have seen this picture or some other angle of the same scene:

A young woman in a sundress being arrested by police in riot gear.  I will not read more into this than is necessary, but the contrast of men in armor against a girl in a wispy dress does not say good things about where we are as a society.  This also is a plumb line.

Look at the body language of the people in this picture though.  She is defiant and stoic, they are on guard and I would guess more than a little terrified of what is happening.  What you don't see is the mobs of people that have brought all those police in riot gear out to the scene.  They are not afraid of her, they are afraid of the thousands of people who are with her (not pictured).

What I have heard, and I am listening, from the law enforcement side of the equation, is that most police officers are just trying to do their job and make it home at the end of watch.  I fully support them in that duty.  I have great respect for police, firefighters, soldiers, EMTs and all people who put themselves in dangerous places for the good of our society.

I also know what it's like to wear a uniform.  I have one you know.  It's black, with a little white tab in the collar.  I don't wear it all the time, but I put it on for funerals and times when I know I'll need others to know what I'm up to, like visiting a hospital at odd hours or when I need to get to see someone in ICU.  When I wear it, I get called Father, I get treated with deference, and sometimes I get looked at a little funny.  Because, like police officers recently, some people who wear my uniform have broken the trust they were given and have hurt the people they are supposed to be helping.  It actually goes even deeper than the uniform, there has been so much non-Jesus like behavior from Christians over the years that I often have to explain why I'm not "that kind" of Christian.  Why I try not to be judgmental, why I have no problem with science or evolution, why gay people getting married doesn't bother me... name your favorite Christian rage topic.

I don't really enjoy these conversations, any more than the good cops and ex-cops I know would enjoy explaining how they never actually shot anyone in cold blood, or beat someone up for talking back.

When you put on a uniform, you are joining a group of people who are, for better or worse, identified by their corporate actions.  You are given authority, you are respected by the community (don't let the horror stories fool you), the majority of the citizenry, white, black and otherwise, is glad you're doing what you do.  We see when you do nice things, we see when you do hard things, we catch a lot of it on our little video cameras.  But dangerous weapons are a part of your uniform, a mistake with a gun is not one that is harmless or easily taken back.  Pulling a trigger multiplies any fear and anger you might have in a split second into a catastrophe.

When you put on that gun, and in some cases that helmet and that armor to protect yourself, it's hard to see you as anything but a terrifying danger rather than as a human being who would rather be home playing with his or her children.  I hear people supporting police by reminding everyone of the fact that cops are, in fact, human beings.  I get it, it's not a pleasant feeling to be dehumanized...

You see where I'm going with this right?

Since many in our country would seem to like it if we lived in Mayberry back the 1950's, let's think for a second about Sheriff Andy Griffith.  Did you ever see Andy draw his gun on anyone?  It may have happened somewhere along the line, but the behavior that sticks in my mind is Andy dealing with the people in his community with a sort of long suffering patience and a calmer head than everyone.  You know who was always pulling his gun? Barney Fife, Don Knott's bumbling, cowardly stooge of a deputy.  Andy Griffith was the picture of law and order because he knew his people, and he wasn't afraid, and he was calm when other people lost their head.

I want to be able to trust my law enforcers to better than the average bear.

In my line of work, it is often up to me, the one in authority, to live to higher standard.  If I catch myself being a gossip, or trying to manipulate a person or a situation in my favor, I need to repent of that.  If I catch myself abusing my position in any way, I need to repent of that, and on some level I need to repent of and learn from the ways in which I see my fellow clergy fail. It is a false sense of security that tells me that I'm somehow above making the same errors in judgment.

The rules of professional conduct, for anyone who occupies a position of authority, are that the person in authority is more responsible for their conduct than the person who is subject to that authority.  Parents have to be the grown ups, a boss should abide by a higher standard of accountability than an employee, a priest or minister has to demonstrate a commitment to service and holiness, a police officer ought to always be beholden to the law and to justice, a politician ought to have the best interest of the society in their sight.

As Stan Lee so wisely integrates into his Spider-Man series: "With great power, comes great responsibility."  I'm just going to leave it at that for now.