Statement on Killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center by Police
Minnesota Council of Churches Statement on Killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center by Police
Minneapolis, MN – (April 12, 2021) – Presiding Elder Stacey Smith (President), Rev. Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung (CEO), and Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs (Director of Racial Justice) of the Minnesota Council of Churches, issued this statement:
The prophet Jeremiah cried out:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more” (31:15).
Mourning and weeping are heard once again from Minnesota. With the killing of 20 year old Daunte Wright by a police officer in Brooklyn Center another child is no more. Another baby is destined to grow up without a father. Another mother cannot be comforted. Another Black body unnecessarily killed by a law enforcement officer.
In moments like this our resolve is tested. In our neighborhoods and in our cities we have not yet processed our grief from last May when George Floyd was killed in the public square, and today the wound in our Black communities is made raw once again.
In this moment, we ask the faith community to respond through:
Prayers – As people of faith we must pray for the family and friends of Daunte Wright who are mourning and weeping. They are mourning for their child Daunte and weeping for his now fatherless child. We must pray for our neighbors in Brooklyn Center where this injustice occurred. We must pray for African Americans and People of Color who are once again feeling fear, rage, grief, and hopelessness. And we must pray for justice in the ongoing trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin who killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. We must pray for racial justice and equity in our city, state, and nation.
Presence – Prayers must become presence. In moments like this, outrage is a natural part of grief, which is best processed in community. We invite you to stand with African American church leaders and members in this moment. Stand with the NAACP, Urban League, and other black-led civil rights and community organizations. Stand with courageous young activists who have relentlessly pressed the issues through the senseless police killings of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, George Floyd, and now Daunte Wright.
Prophesy – Presence must turn into prophesy. Refuse to be comforted. Refuse to rationalize this killing. Speak truth to power. Call for police accountability. Call for Minnesota legislators to take action on proposed police reform bills. Call for a system-wide transformation of policing in Minnesota.