Love Thy Neighbor, Know They Neighbor, See Thy Neighbor

It’s been a while since I’ve addressed social issues head-on here, but the latest incident of horrific police brutality to make national headlines is weighing heavy on my heart.

I believe this qualifier is important: the latest … to make national headlines. It would be naive to believe that every act of police brutality gets captured on video and make the evening news. And that weighs even heavier on my heart.

Love Thy Neighbor, Know They Neighbor,
See Thy Neighbor

Last Sunday in church, we prayed for Tyre Nichols, for his family, and for all who are hurting—including police. But before we got to our prayers, we heard a sermon about “neighbors.”

We’ve all heard the Bible verse, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Many also know the story of The Good Samaritan that asks us to reconsider who our “neighbor” is. The sermon touched on our tendency to classify people as “neighbors” or “other”. We more readily welcome “neighbors” into our communities and out lives, while we ask “others” where they came from and what are they doing here. To follow Jesus means to treat everyone as a “neighbor,” with love, kindness, respect, and compassion.

The preacher didn’t take the sermon there, but I couldn’t help but think that at the root of racism and discrimination of every kind is treating someone else as “other” rather than “neighbor.” Police brutality ignores not only the “neighbor”-ness of the victim, but also their very humanity. For the love of God, how could you treat a fellow human-being that way?

Before we can love our neighbor, we have to know a person as a neighbor—we have to see the person as a neighbor. As “one of us.” Compare how Tyre was treated to how Bryan Kohberger was treated.

For this comparison, we can even assume that Tyre was driving recklessly, because Bryan was pulled over twice for reckless driving (speeding and tailgating) as he drove across the country from the scene of the crimes to his father’s home. If you’ve seen the police body camera footage of the second stop, you know the State Trooper saw Bryan as a neighbor. Not only is he treated with politeness, but he is let go with a warning.

According to this ABC news report,“The Trooper, having learned the two had been stopped minutes before by a Deputy from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, who he knew was working just down the interstate from him, used his discretion and released the two men with a verbal warning.” Can you imagine the story that would have been told if Tyre had been stopped minutes before? That would have made him an even more “dangerous suspect,” not someone to be “let go” with a “warning.”

As I ask myself what can I do, I know I can continue to support organizations that fight for racial justice and continue participating in my firm’s pro bono efforts. But more personally and fundamentally, I can make sure I see people as neighbors, so I can know them as neighbors, and love them as neighbors.

For a different look at how we choose our neighbors, check out this episode of Hidden Brain which I heard before church on Sunday. It delves into our tendency to “surround ourselves with people like us” and the far-reaching socio-economic impact those choices can have.