LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Racial injustice and capital punishment
In the book of Genesis, Chapter 9, verse 6 says, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Moreover, Romans 13:4 states, “For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”
Those biblical scriptures are presently being administered in court through the lens of racial bias and animus toward Black and brown people in particular. Without question, these two biblical passages have been politically skewed. Capital punishment stands juxtaposed to the legal administration of law, because the legal system is mired in racism.
In today’s America, capital punishment cannot deter, correct, nor provide retributive justice for the perpetrator or the victim. Capital punishment is primitive administration of justice and has been abused in America as nowhere else. Black people do not get fair trials, and exoneration is difficult when Black people are charged with killing Whites.
The racial animus, arrogance, and the inconsistent application of jurisprudence for African Americans is a moral outrage. The Pervis Payne case was conducted some 30 years ago in the same contradictory manner. Today, Black men and women are accosted, humiliated, challenged, hassled, detained, threatened, beaten, choked, and shot for simply being Black. Here in Tennessee, Pervis Payne is scheduled for clinical murder by this egregious penal system. We demand that he gets a proper hearing. George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery did not get a hearing. This list of names asserts that the American judicial system is estranged from principle and has lost the intrinsic quality of justice for all.
In closing, there has never been a lynching in America that police and judicial authorities did not approve of, in some respect. Our District Attorney is demonstrating callous disregard for Payne’s diminishing rights, life and hopes. The State can afford to review both the Payne case and his mental disabilities. His former court proceedings were filled with supercharged racial bias and dog whistle language. Give Payne the last measure of human dignity, a reprieve, and spare his life.
Bishop David Allen Hall Sr., Memphis
Respecting the work of police officers
I believe the Advisory Committee is a good idea when you look at how police departments have been villainized in the past few months.
However, since the members of the committee with maybe a couple of exceptions have no idea what a Police Officer goes through during his or her shift, the Advisory Committee needs to go through some training, too.
I suggest that all members be required to ride with a police officer for an entire shift on a Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Those three days of training will give them the opportunity to see police work up close so they have a better understanding of what it’s all about. Up to now, all they see or know is what they read about in the newspaper and that’s usually a one sided opinion and not always accurate.
I had the opportunity to ride in a patrol car with my brother, the late Jim “J.D.” Hall three times back in the late ’80s. I never realized what a police officer went through during an eight hour tour of duty and I never realized the cruelty of one human being towards another until I saw shootings, stabbings and beating up close and personal. Policemen don’t get paid nearly enough for what they do each day when their lives are on the line. Things have gotten so bad for police officers. With all of them being criticized for the bad actions of a few, I think the city is going to have an extremely difficult time hiring good, qualified men and women to fill all the open positions on the MPD.
The city council makes the job more difficult by refusing to allow the hiring of officers who live outside Shelby County.
Bottom line, if I have to call 911 because I’m being assaulted or worse, I don’t care if the officer answering the call lives in Arkansas, Mississippi, Fayette County or Tipton County as long as he or she is qualified and can do the job.
The city council has a lot to learn.
Joe Hall, Cordova