A Murderer Was Set Free Today
Dear Believers of Freedom and Justice:
Today we witnessed a breach of justice once again as the state of Wisconsin failed to indict and hold a murderer accountable for his actions. Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum were murdered and Gaige Grosskreutz injured – at the hands of a racist extremist in the name of self-defense. As Anthony, Joseph and Gaige marched as allies for Black and Brown lives and as advocates for human dignity and inclusion; the person acquitted today crossed over state lines brandishing a firearm, and intentionally misrepresented himself as a trained medic. Yet, he is acquitted because he states he felt his life was endangered. What a dangerous precedent established today.
Albeit stand-your-ground laws or a new version of self-defense, we have witnessed these claims before in the murder of a young child, Trayvon Martin, and now in real time in the trial against the murderers of Ahmaud Arbery. What does this signal for the safety of Black and Brown lives in America? What does this signal for the integrity of our judicial system when the pendulum is swayed in favor of lawlessness, a biased judge’s courtroom outbursts, and a system’s failure to hold someone accountable when video evidence clearly and indisputably illustrates his wrong?
The evidence of racial bias and disparities in our society are tremendous as it is not lost on me that Henry Montgomery was released this week from prison after being sentenced to life in prison as a juvenile, at the age of 17 years old. He was convicted of killing a police sheriff in Louisiana in 1963 and served sixty years before being recently paroled. The murderer of Huber and Rosenbaum was also a minor when he shot them dead in the streets. He violated his conditions of house arrest and he will not serve a day in prison for his crimes against humanity. This breach of justice impacts each of us not only as it is only a short distance away from the state of Illinois; but as believers of freedom, justice and righteousness. Dr. King in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963, eloquently reminds us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This holds true with great urgency today.
A murderer was set free today. Our hearts are heavy and remains with the families of Anthony and Joseph and all impacted by their deaths. Our hearts are with the family of Ahmaud Arbery and the community of Charlottesville as jury begins deliberations in its civil trial against the extremists in the 2017 rally that left Heather Heyer dead and dozens injured. In that trial, the extremists brazenly mock the courts with hate speech and the use of neo-Nazi propaganda in the courtroom.
Now more than ever, the work of our Organizing and Policy Team is critical as we work diligently to hold systems of systemic and systematic oppression accountable. I urge you to learn more and join us in our life-saving work.
“I am deeply troubled and infuriated by this verdict. It reminds white men that they are able to commit acts of violence in public view and can expect to not be held accountable. While court rooms are not always sites of justice and accountability, today’s verdict can be seen as an invitation to all of us to deepen our commitment to build a Justice system that holds those who do harm accountable and provides restoration for those who have suffered,” states Keron Blair, CRS Manager for Organizing and Policy.
Now more than ever as communities of faith, we must be voices in the wilderness for change and call out moral injustice as we witnessed today. CRS vision is to be the Beloved Community where all God’s children flourish and live in dignity.
Where is the dignity for the wrongfully murdered? Where is the dignity for those stolen for us like Trayvon, Ahmaud, Anthony and Joseph – and Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year old from Chicago who was lynched in Money, MS in 1955? The men who murdered him were as brazen then at their hearing as the Charlottesville perpetrators are today. The men who murdered young Emmett lacked remorse and accountability, too. Those murderers were protected by a breached system of justice then and they were not brought to justice.
When will this pattern of protecting racist, white supremacist culture under the guise of self-proclaimed vigilantism end? We are witnessing a glorification of a culture of violence and a normalization of hate crimes, bigotry, racism and the like. We cannot afford the comfort or convenience of silence. We invite you to join CRS in our commitment to expose these cowardly acts and dismantle systems that protect the cowards.
Community Renewal Society remains deeply devoted to eradicating racism and a culture of violence in all of its forms. We remain deeply devoted to embodying the principle of agape love. We call out the moral injustice we witnessed today and remain steadfast in the work of our member congregations and volunteers to address systematic and systemic injustice. To further quote Dr. King, “…We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, effects all indirectly.” We cannot look away.
Towards Liberating Love,
Rev. Dr. Waltrina N. Middleton
Executive Director