Let’s start with the obvious. George Floyd’s death was avoidable, unnecessary, and criminal. If you aren’t sure, watch the whole tape. His death stoked the fires of years of oppression and not valuing black lives. Also, most police officers are good, decent, caring people who want and do the best for all of their citizens. We thank them and honor them. Next, protesting is needed to ensure justice, and to express grief, outrage, and solidarity. Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr. set the American standard for peaceful protests that included civil disobedience.

This Pastor’s heart prays that we can agree with those simple truths. But from there this gets very complex.

I have personal experience and some inside knowledge, from being a Pastor in St. Louis City during Ferguson, about how these things go down. I think it’s important for me to share this so that the central message of justice is not lost in the hype, though, we should remember that Jesus turned over the tables in the temple to protest injustice (Matthew 21).

What you may not know is that many of the fires and broken windows for looting are not being started by the actual protestors but by disruptors, some anarchists, that are there to escalate the conflict and care nothing about George Floyd. It is often people who have disdain for the black community who intentionally turn a peaceful protest to violence.

I saw this, with my own eyes, when I was a clergy de-escalator at 44 and Grand during Ferguson. I saw, with my own eyes, white anarchists dressed in black, with backpacks on, walking down the alleys, setting dumpster fires, and pushing them out into the streets.

The group protestors were exercising peaceful resistance with civil disobedience, things like blocking the street and chanting. The anarchists, and other disruptors, came in to start fires, and break windows to incite looting, in order to delegitimize the actual protest and to escalate the conflict. It is an attempt to make the oppressed look like the perpetrators and remove the power from their message. At best, it is a distraction that works every time. At worst, it ensures reform never happens and it costs lives as it heightens the already tense race relations.

This is complex. Deeply felt. Let’s remember that a man’s life was choked out of him by an abuse of power. Let there be justice for all that brings peace for all.

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” (Psalm 103:6)

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.” (Isaiah 1:17)

“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24)