Police Brutality

Do you need more evidence that our country is shifting toward fascism? Here is evidence: our police have been claiming increasing rights to use deadly force, to brutalize, terrorize, and humiliate, without justification or provocation.

A few days ago, my son was arrested in New Orleans. He was walking home from a Mardi Gras parade with three other young men and was picked up by police because they had a report "that four white guys were making trouble." Here was a handy group of "white guys," obvious out-of-towners, easy marks. I believe that the police chose this group of young men because they knew they'd get no resistence, there would be no weapons . . . only fear in their eyes and polite protests.

My son was handcuffed, thrown against a car, and brutalized, and kept in jail without being allowed to make a phone call, and without being formally charged. In jail with no one knowing where he was, given little food, sleeping on the gound, no toilet paper, witnessing beatings.

After three days, he was missed by his friends, bail was paid, and he was out and able to call me.

Although New Orleans has a shocking history of police brutality and corruption, reports from cities across the country show increasing levels of police violence against citizens. Young men, especially young black men, are being shot and killed with impunity. Others are being tortured, tormented, and beaten. Why should police be immune from the law?

And my mother's heart cries, "Why my son?" Why any mother's son? When I see violence that is random and cruel, it tears at my faith and makes me wonder why we are here on this earth at all.

Please pray for the safety of Ben and his band mates. They are determined, he told me, to stay on and continue volunteering with the local rebuilding efforts, as they had been doing for several weeks. He has more love in his heart than I do.
Sadly,
Lilly