Prejudice requires repentance

On Sunday, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called the death of George Floyd a sin.

“The killing of George Floyd was senseless and brutal, a sin that cries out to heaven for justice. How is it possible that in America, a black man’s life can be taken from him while calls for help are not answered, and his killing is recorded as it happens?” Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said.

The following day, President Russell M. Nelson released a long plea for mutual respect in which he said, “The Creator of us all calls on each of us to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children. Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!”

The exclamation point was his. (Read his entire statement here.)

He also said church leaders “abhor the reality that some would deny others respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or her skin.”

The strength of the words used in both statements — “sin,” “abhor” and “repent!” — were striking. These two important, respected national and international religious leaders made very clear, unmistakable statements about racism.

America faces an immense challenge. The danger right now is that some of us will focus on the riots. That is dangerous because it obscures the underlying issues.

Take Minneapolis as an example.

The city where George Floyd died because, according to the autopsy, a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, has a mayor and black police chief who implemented changes to avoid a death like Floyd’s. But the police union opposed some of the changes, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Since 2012, people filed 2,600 complaints against Minneapolis police. Twelve resulted in officer discipline. The most severe penalty was a 40-hour suspension. The officer charged with murder in Floyd’s death had 18 complaints. Two resulted in discipline.

So, in what practical, doable ways does America move forward? How do Christians and Latter-day Saints respond?

“The one thing Christians cannot do is to look away,” one church leader said in a story published today by my colleague, Kelsey Dallas, “As protests erupt, Christians ask: What would Jesus do?”

Another leader said Christians should use every resource at their disposal to create appropriate change, including peaceful protest.

America’s problem is structural and requires a structural response, Journal columnist William Galston wrote.

So, what might structural reform look like?

The conservative columnist suggested:

1. Strengthening federal criminal and civil laws against police misconduct and enforcing them vigorously.

2. Strengthening state and local laws similarly, including requiring police officers to restrain or arrest other officers who illegally use undue force against people.

3. Reducing the power of police unions to curb disciplinary action.

Others have suggested creation of a national database to track police misconduct.

Of course, many people feel like contributing to those changes is out of their reach. What can a single person do?
First, register to vote.
Second, vote.
Third, the fact that every city’s police department has a different policy on the use of force creates an opportunity. Do you know yours?

“During the Savior’s earthly mission,” President Nelson said in this statement on Monday, “he constantly ministered to those who were excluded, marginalized, judged, overlooked, abused and discounted. As his followers, can we do anything less? The answer is no! We believe in freedom, kindness and fairness for all of God’s children!”

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