Jan 6th, 2021: Have Another Look



I read recently that both Seattle and Portland have experienced an unprecedented high number of police officers who decided to retire early or quit. These former officers are from different racial and ethnic groups as well. The data I read also tells us that the response time from the police is slower than usual. After a long summer of many protests that demanded to de-fund the police force in these two cities, the people of Portland and Seattle just got what they want, I guess.


We just lost an officer on New Year's Eve in our city when someone decided not to stop for a traffic stop and ran over him. He was a man who gave much of his life for the service of his country. He served in the military before joining the Calgary Police Service. His partner is expecting their first child. As I pray for him and his family, God reminds me that Sargeant Andrew Harnett died to keep us safe. Yesterday, it was a beautiful show of support to him, his family, and the Calgary Police Service as many Calgarians stood on the routes where a Police Van transported his body from the City Morgue to a Funeral Home.

Common sense and common decency seem to elude us. We fail to have the humility to appreciate those who serve us. When we blindly generalize and condemn a profession or a group of people because a small minority has taken advantage of their privileges, we have become equally unjust in our responses. I was involved with an organization that provides care for first responders and their families in Alberta, and I became very aware of the many sacrifices these folks have to take. I am not sure I would want their jobs.

Let us be diligent about protecting public trust while providing care for those who take care of the very same public. Let us not use jargon and slogans in dealing with complex human problems. When it comes to wrongdoings, none of us can really say that we are free from it. So go ahead and cast the first stone if you want. Just make sure that you have a place to duck.

Psalm 32:7-8 
"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

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