Reflections on Baton Rouge Police Killings, When Words Escape

I was set to share with you my observations on spending a week on vacation in my hometown. I'm from Baton Rouge Louisiana.

As luck - however bad – or life would have it, I planned to go home to see my family over the Fourth of July weekend and stay a few days after work to spend time with them.  I arrived in Baton Rouge late in the evening of Friday, July 1.  A few days later, for those in Baton Rouge, the entire world turned upside down with the shooting of Alton Sterling and the reaction to it.

After holding off for a week, I thought I was removed enough from the incidents of the week before last to write about them objectively and calmly. The events of Sunday morning render any lack of emotion impossible.

In a nutshell, the pain I felt during my vacation has returned in full force. Only this time, because I'm not there, it's returned with a large amount of guilt.   I'm not there with my loved ones, experiencing the same pain. I wish I could,  but I have a job to do here in Central Texas. I've made a commitment to the people of Bell County and the Central Texas area.  And to be honest, I don't know if me being there would make all that much difference. The hurt is still there. The damage to the psyche of the people is still profound.

Right now, people in my hometown are hurting. I've learned very quickly that not only are Texans a mighty generous bunch, the peoples of both Texas and Louisiana see themselves as more than just neighbors. So many folks from each state have sought opportunities in the other that our gene pool is largely co-mingled.  In times like this, we can lean on each other, which makes us stronger. As Louisianans felt the horror of the incident in Dallas involving their police,  now all of Texas feels kinship with their hurting brothers and sisters in Baton Rouge.

The National Law-Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund transcends all jurisdictionalmboundaries.  Donate to them here.

Forgive me if I seem slightly reticent to talk about Baton Rouge these days.