On Sunday, Stuart and Martin County demonstrated that it could come together and embrace a unifying message of peace and love. Hundreds of our residents of all faiths and colors gathered to protest the sickening scourge of race hatred still alive throughout this country.  Law enforcement marched in solidarity with the citizens to show that a despicable action like the one in Minneapolis will not be tolerated here.

Yet while that act of brotherhood was going on in Stuart, throughout the United States often peaceful protests were disintegrating into rioting. America has a need to come together and not be drawn apart.

There are those who are looking to further a political narrative by sacrificing the principles of equality and justice that we should cherish. A stain is on the American soul that will not be gone until each American sees only another American and not his skin color.

We are all responsible for the continuation of the American sin. There are no innocents. As a society, if we allow men and women in their official capacities to see and treat others as less than human, that original American sin continues. There should be no place in today’s nation for racial prejudice to be perpetuated.

Yes, the officer that murdered George Floyd was arrested, but is that enough? I predict at any moment the other three police officers who acted as accomplices will also be charged. This may provide justice for Floyd’s family. We need to prevent any more families for having to seek this justice.The grief for Floyd’s family will continue. We must remember that Floyd’s family is part of our American family.

What will prevent this from occurring again? Floyd’s death was not an accident. The death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia was not an accident. The deaths of countless more were not accidents.

I remember legal segregation when I visited my grandparents in Florida as a kid. For me, the inexplicable idea that a black person could not eat here or use the bathroom there made no sense. I grew up in an integrated New York neighborhood, yet we still were segregated by choice if nor geography. Has anything really changed?

We have never been more divided and leaderless as we are today. There is no liberal or conservative doctrine that espouses the right to kill another person because of race. Can someone actually claim that Democrats or Republicans believe that there is an inherent constitutional right to riot and murder?

What we saw with our own eyes in the death of Floyd happened because Derek Chauvin had a willful disregard for that man’s life. Would Chauvin had acted similarly if Floyd had been a 6’6” white man?

One cannot claim to espouse the name of Jesus and then ignore his teachings. Whether when we pray it is to Jehovah, Allah, or God there is no place to claim His love and then be hateful in word and deed. In Proverbs 31:9 we are told to: “Open your mouths, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and the needy.”

America needs to stop the hate. Our political leadership from the president on down needs to cease using division as a tactic to secure their election victories. If you believe in American exceptionalism, then we have a moral responsibility as Americans to lead our lives righteously. The United States alone was founded not by people of the same tribe, race, or blood but by all adhering to a doctrine of civil faith.

We entrust police officers with the power to arrest and detain their fellow citizens. Our society gives the ultimate authority and discretion to a law enforcement officer to take a life if necessary. This is a solemn responsibility. In no way was the taking of George Floyd’s life by Derek Chauvin and his accomplices justifiable. It was murder.