The Truth about Freddie Gray, Remembering the Beirut Blast, A Climate Change Gamechanger
KTF Weekly Newsletter
Hi everyone,
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And now, let’s get to this week’s highlights!
Sy’s recommendations:
In a new book, Baltimore journalist Justine Barron argues that the story most people believe about the end of Freddie Gray’s life is wrong. Gray’s death due to injuries he sustained in police custody sparked protests across the country in 2015. The media and the prosecutors who brought the criminal case against the responsible officers said that the cause of Gray’s injuries was the officers’ failure to properly strap him into a police van before a “rough ride.” The much more likely story according to Barron is that officers intentionally threw him headfirst into a vehicle while assaulting him, causing the neck injury that killed him. She also contends that the prosecutor’s office never comprehensively investigated the circumstances of the case, accepting the officers’ own statements as truth. This was at least in part because any more violent story than the one the officers were telling would have aggravated the protests. Christians should be consistently committed to truth seeking, and I thank God for the unfortunately small minority of reporters who question police accounts. You can read an interview with Barron about the book and more of the details she uncovered here.
In 2020, Oregon decriminalized all simple possession of drugs and opted to spend marijuana tax revenue on recovery programs and other services for people who use. This long piece from Esquire dives into the results thus far. It’s nuanced and does not shy away from the challenges. But it also argues that the criminal legal system has completely failed to prevent drug trafficking or use for decades, without repercussion, despite the untold sums of money we have poured into it. The article profiles people both using and doing outreach (many in the latter group used to be in the former) on the streets of Portland. The recovery programs are making a difference in many people’s lives, and we should pray they would receive the kind of massive financial and political backing the criminal system has enjoyed for so long, just maybe this time with a little more accountability. Followers of Jesus must insist on compassion, humanity, and policies that address people’s real needs when others argue only for judgment and punishment.
Tamara Saade is a Lebanese journalist and photographer who recently wrote this powerful piece recounting the stories of several people’s experiences on the day of the massive explosion in Beirut three years ago. Her own photography scattered throughout, Saade openly states her purpose in writing the article was to heal herself by facing what happened head on, instead of continuing to try and avoid the pain of it. The result is a raw and poignant reflection on tragedy that struck a country already reeling from an economic crisis and political corruption. And Saade’s example is one to emulate for those of us who follow the incarnated man of sorrows—immersing ourselves in the sadness and brokenness, when we are ready and able, confident that the truth will set us free somewhere on the other side of the journey.
Jonathan’s recommendations
My heart breaks for those who have lost so much in Maui. Often it is difficult to see or hear the humanity of those suffering when the scale of the tragedy is so large. But this interview (audio and transcript available) from the New York Times is worth your time and energy. A young man, his neighbor, and a stray dog braved wind that burned flesh, embers falling from the sky, hours on rocks in the ocean among flaming boats, and more. As you listen, I encourage you to turn to Psalm 13 to lament, Psalm 84 to intercede, and Psalm 88 to bring all the brokenness to our good father who holds all things together. He is faithful, even amidst the direst of circumstances.
Last week, a Montana judge ruled in favor of a group of young climate activists challenging the state’s ban on considering climate change effects when making decisions about new energy projects. She found it violated their right in the state’s constitution to a “healthy environment.” Experts call the decision a “gamechanger” that could lead to other rulings in states with comparable constitutional provisions. Several similar suits are already under way. Delta Merner, a scientist and environmental activist said, “The case in Montana is a clear sign that seeking climate justice through the courts is a viable and powerful strategy”. And in a week where heat, fire, and tropical storms highlighted our need for collective action around global warming, I pray that more accountability and action like this is successful for the sake of our neighbors today and tomorrow.
Sha’Carri Richardson is a Black American woman and sprinter who is now a record-holding world champion in the 100-meter. She posted a blistering 10.65 seconds last week in Hungary. Two years ago, the dominant narrative about her surrounded her ban from the 2021 Olympics after she tested positive for THC at the Olympic trials. Smoking weed is legal in Oregon where the trials were, but the World Anti-Doping Agency does not permit its use. Blackness, athletics, drugs, and punishment are a volatile combination in our society. Richardson has become someone the Black community was pulling for on and off the track, and someone some pundits were rooting against. Richardson says she had smoked to cope with the grief of losing her mother. She is [SH1] now back on top of the sport and thriving on and off the track. We join her friends and family in celebrating that reality.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy