Conscience and Justice Council Issues Statement on Jacob Blake Shooting
Editor’s Note: The following statement was issued by the Conscience and Justice Council has issued the following statement on the Jacob Blake shooting. It appears in full below:
We, the Conscience and Justice Council, are deeply saddened, angered, and appalled at the recent senseless shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers in Kenosha, Wis. Mr. Blake, a young black father, was reportedly shot seven times in the back after attempting to break up an argument between two women and walking away from police. This blatant disregard for the sanctity of life by those who are sworn to protect and serve us must come to an end.
The Conscience and Justice Council addresses issues of public affairs and religious liberty, and wants to be unequivocally clear that we stand against these repeated instances of police brutality and systemic racism in all its forms, and will agitate through “good trouble” as inspired by the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis, educate, encourage our members to peacefully protest, and do whatever is legally necessary for the guilty to be brought to justice.
The Word of God, which is our rule of faith and practice, makes it clear that those who are guilty should be brought to justice (Proverbs 18:5). It is with this premise that we humbly, yet firmly, demand that those who are guilty of this heinous act be prosecuted, without disparity, for this crime.
We extend our prayers to Jehovah Rophe (The God Who Heals—Exodus 15:26) to bring healing and full restoration of health to Jacob Blake. We also want to lift up his children and family in our prayers, as they navigate through this difficult time in their lives. May God give us all the strength and courage to always do the right thing in the name of justice and fairness for all.
Edward Woods III, Chairman PARL Director Lake Region
Elton DeMoraes, Vice President Southwestern Union
Jerome Hurst, Vice Chairman PARL Director Allegheny West
Jackson Doggette, Jr., PARL Director Allegheny East
Martin Lister, PARL Rep. At-Large
Cryston Josiah, Secretary PARL Director Central States
Moses Edwards, Sr., PARL Director South Atlantic
Nicholas Miller, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary
Amireh Al-Haddad, PARL Director Southern Union
Paul Goodridge, PARL Director South Central
Kingsley Palmer, Regional PARL Rep. Pacific Union Conference
Dedrick Blue, School of Theology, Oakwood University
Kerwin Jones, PARL Director, Southwest Region
Zdravko Plantak, School of Religion Loma Linda University
Mark Brown, PARL Director Northeastern
Orlan Johnson, PARL Director, North American Division
Melissa Reid, North American Religious Liberty Association
Mark Brown, PARL Director, Southeastern
Derek Lane, Regional PARL Rep. North Pacific Union
Image Credit: Becker1999 on Flickr.com, used and modified under creative commons license.
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