“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” (James 1:19)
4Tucson’s leadership and staff have been deeply engaged in discussions on the horrific and tragic death of Mr. George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Our whole staff agrees that racism is a real problem in our culture. We also agree that any death of a subdued individual at the hands of people who have been sworn to protect the lives of all is unacceptable. Furthermore, we agree with the decision to expedite the investigation of those who had physical control of Mr. Floyd leading up to his death.
Within days, we watched over a dozen major cities join Minneapolis, Minnesota with one voice lifted for justice to be served on behalf of Mr. Floyd and many others who have lost their lives as a result of police brutality. 4Tucson supports the publics’ constitutional right to protest.
The nation watched shameful and deplorable behavior as rioters took the opportunity to exploit protected liberties with the intent to cause civil disorder such as in the incident of Mr. David Dorn, a retired black police officer who was violently beaten to death by rioters while trying to protect his community.
At 4Tucson we believe racism is real and we will not be satisfied with the status quo. We believe God when He says, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord.” Romans 12:19
We believe God will use the tragic events of the last few days to stir something great in our city. But we cannot do that talking at each other, but rather talking with each other. On June 18th we will host a zoom discussion on “Race”. We welcome your feelings, thoughts and insights. We desire a healthy and constructive process for our city.
Leading up to the June 18th discussion, 4Tucson has several ways for us all to prepare for the dialogue on Race. As registration forms are set up, the buttons below will go live. You can visit our Facebook page for updates on registration links for all the upcoming events.
Mark Harris and LaKisha Deon
4Tucson