THE CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTING: AN UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY

It’s bad enough the world heard of senseless crimes like the cinema shooting in 2012, the massacre of several school children that same year, the loss of lives in September 11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013.

 There was the senseless deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown but their killers were acquitted; causing civil unrest. In the case of Trayvon, he was mistaken for a criminal because of what he was wearing that fateful day- a hoodie. Brown was no angel but he was unarmed so didn’t deserve to be shot like a dog. And then there was Walter Scott, another unarmed African American man who was shot and killed but his killer is presently behind bars. Now, the world heard of what happened in Charleston, South Carolina three days ago- a young man killed several worshippers in a church… including the pastor. Not only did he do this terrible thing but actually admitted it was racially motivated- he actually wanted to cause a race war.

 Should one call racism ignorance or a vice? Definitely a vice because it’s a terrible thing to be prejudiced against a person because of race and colour but thank God, there are people who don’t see the colour of skin or which country a person is from. Racism is deep blind hatred and those who have this evil vice feel they are justified to feel how they feel towards people that look different from them and go out of their way to show it. Some racists deny they are racists, even when it is more than obvious. And if racism continues to run its destructive course, how on earth is the world supposed to progress at all; in terms of peace and universal love?

Why discrimination at all… why hatred and what is to be gained from such blatant hatred of people from different races? If the civil rights match taught America and the rest of the world anything, it was that every man and woman had the right to life, to equal rights, the right to be one and not divided in any way. A person’s race- be it African, African American, Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian and what have you- is no justification of hatred, prejudice and discrimination… or murder.

Dylann Roof did a terrible thing that day, killing those innocent people and in a place of worship. For him to do such a thing and admitted why he did it, he is a monster with no conscience, no humanity in his body. Charleston is in mourning and the world is mourning with them. I still can’t believe how any person could carry such hate in their heart, motivating them to murder innocent people outside their race. Racism is evil and brings about terrible repercussions.

To the families and friends of the victims of the Charleston Shooting, my heart goes out to them and may God give them the fortitude to bear this great loss. And it is the hope that this sad incident will not cause a huge divide.

And let’s not forget Dylann Roof; may he get the punishment he deserves.