March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 48 F

AIMA releases statement condemning murder of NYPD officers

AIMAThe Annapolis Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (AIMA) condemns in the strongest possible terms the murders of NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos yesterday.  A response of violence that many of us feared, but dared not speak aloud has now happened, thus it warrants a response.

Any Homicide/murder for anything other than self-defense is immoral and wrong!  All lives matter! We grieve for the families of these officers — their wives and Officer Ramos’s 13-year old son.  While the searing grief that many have been feeling and protesting about around the country has now touched the police in an indelible way, perhaps it can become a moment of connection, on a human level, that transcends title, occupation, political ideology or any of those labels we tend to hold onto that are utterly irrelevant at a time like this. 

That Ismaaiyl Brinsley used the grief being felt in many communities around the country to justify, in his tortured soul, the murder of two human beings is unthinkable and wrong.  At the same time, the legal, peaceful protests for human rights against the homicides (as ruled by the medical examiners) of Eric Garner and Tamir Rice are not “to blame” for this incident.  This was Brinsley’s decision alone and one with which we unalterably disagree. 

However, we can and must use these unfortunate incidents in our nation’s history as an opportunity to turn to each other and not on each other.  We must try to do something we do not usually do — to try to hear and really listen to one another and to feel each other’s pain.  Mrs. Liu, officer Liu’s wife of 2 months has lost a husband.  Mrs. Ramos has lost a husband.  Officer Ramos’s son has lost a father. And all of us have lost two brothers in these officers.

Yet, too, Mrs. Garner has lost a husband and her children have lost their father.  Tamir Rice’s parents have lost their child and the children of John Crawford III have lost their father.  This is not a time for “dueling grief” to see who is the most devastated.  Any family that lose loved ones are devastated beyond words.  We extend our prayers and our hearts to each of these grieving families and pray that moral people will make moral decisions and encourage others to do the same in the future.  Enough senseless blood has been shed!

It is our hope and prayer that reasonable people will come and reason together to prevent any more senseless acts of violence in our nation.  Dr. Martin Luther King’s prescient words ring especially true on this sad day.  “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”  We choose to live, to come together, to do the hard work of meaningful conversation, reconciliation and community-building.  We pray we are not alone in those heartfelt aspirations, and invite you to join us in prayer and dialogue and work toward this God-given goal.

Source: AIMA

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