The recent story of the North Miami Beach police officers using mug shots of African Americans as target practice has sparked national outrage, and it has inspired a number of human rights activists, Florida residents, and, most especially, members of the Lutheran clergy to speak out.
In December, Sgt. Valerie Deant went to a shooting range in Medley for an annual weapons qualifications training when she noticed something off about one of the targets that had been used by some of the officers who used the range before her. It was a 15-year-old mug shot of her brother, Woody Deant, punctured with bullet holes. There were several other mug shots along with it, and all of them depicted African Americans.
“I was like ‘why is my brother being used for target practice?'” Deant said in an interview. “There were like gunshots there, and I cried a couple of times.”
Though the head of the North Miami Beach Police admits to his officers’ irresponsibility, they do not view this as a racial attack against any of the African Americans in general. Deant’s family (among others) does not find this flimsy excuse valid, and they are justly outraged by the whole ordeal, especially Woody Deant, who served four years in prison and is now living a humble, married life.
As this story has gained traction, some citizens and experienced members in military service have voiced out their anger toward the situation through interviews and their social media accounts. But it’s really the stand of the Lutheran Church that has caught everyone’s attention.
Through Twitter, members of the clergy put their money where their mouths are, starting the hashtag #usemeinstead. Along with the hashtag, they’ve included pictures of themselves looking as if they are offering themselves to the police to be shot instead of the mug shots that they are currently using. Some have even posted pictures of themselves with targets on their heads to further drive the point home.
“Maybe we ought [to] make it harder to pull the trigger, and volunteer to put pictures of their family up,” Rev. Joy M. Gonnerman said in an interview with the Washington Post.
With Gonnerman leading the cause, things have really taken off. She has set up a Facebook event that motivates other members of the clergy or of any other religious sector to support this movement.
This just goes to show that all it takes is for one person to speak up, to show compassion, and to inspire others. This movement could prove a powerful tool to change people’s perspectives and prevent future racial discrimination. However, we’ll only know if this movement is successful when people are willing to accept this type of change. It is a two-way street, after all.
Either way, these clergy members are to be commended for standing up against injustice and racism, and we can only hope that it will inspire lasting change.