The Withered Rose of Spelman

An exceptional Spelman student (GPA 3.8) Jasmine Lynn was killed by stray bullet walking the campus of Clark Atlanta last week. Not knowing, not understanding, not deserving, not even being involved, simply walking, with the world as a vast stretch of graph paper which she stepped on the wrong square of to her death.

Clark Atlanta's campus is located less then a block away from ramshackle housing. A fight had broken out, according to the AJC between students and non-students to one edge of campus. A shot was fired, and hit none of the combatants but went flying straight to its random point where a non-entity, a non-involved, a speck of dust drifted along the edges, awaiting impact. In no time at all, she was every bit as much of an object as they likely saw her to be.

We all know that these neighborhoods have been through rough times, and much despair has been seen and felt, but despair is a part of life. We all know that the solutions for these neighborhoods are not simple, but that doesn't mean they and City Hall have an excuse not to try. Maybe they should look at their zoning, and maybe consider creating real jobs for these people instead of just giving them housing cheap. Maybe they should consider bringing more heavy industry back in to the city core; there are some good railroads near there - erect a siding and rezone the land. Just because it don't look pretty doesn't mean it isn't needed.

Further, I would say that all who engage in gang violence, and then excuse themselves with previous racial injustice, have salted their peoples wounds and spit in the face of those who have made progress. As long as no one can walk in your neighborhood, business cannot take root, and especially not the pedestrian level Main Street type development most likely to be owned by locals and hire locals and create a real sense of community and place in a neighborhood. As long as you humiliate your people by fulfilling their stereotypes, the stereotypes will continue. I'm not excusing those responsible for the stereotypes, I am merely stating the cold hard facts, and you can't control them, even if such were just. And as long as you make it you versus everyone else, we will continue to wither more flowers in despair, and no peace will be found, as kleptocracy and theft cannot create peace of any sort.

The students at Morehouse University, across the street, have distributed a shirt saying "Brotherhood, Sisterhood, Livelihood, Neighborhood." This action is very kind and graceful, and emotionally supportive, but the message may be too soft and ambiguous to even put a dent in the problem. To dent the problem, and eventually, break it, a clear consensus and ATTACK on the root of the struggle must be made, and what it comes down to is lawlessness, self-righteousness, and the inability of certain malefactors to understand or be responsible for their own actions. They don't even see that they are traitors, claiming to be at war for their side, but stabbing them in the back with their actions.

The love of violence is hated by Christ, as is the love of lawlessness, and with good reason. Authority is to be respected for the love of God and the love of others. Authority doesn't always do what's right, or do what's fair, or do even what is decent, but it will always exist, and the more you try to procrastinate in handing the reigns of government over, the more arbitrary, warlordish, and unjust it will become, until the good sheriff faces three brutes escaped from prison alone, only life doesn't work like a Hollywood Western. It works like Spellman and a beautiful young scholar named Jasmine Lynn, whose works on this earth will never be seen, and whose warmth and love will be unheard of now and forever on this here planet. Rest in Peace my lady. Rest in Peace. And the Lord be with you. And may those who ended your short but beautiful life in some way, either through punishment or through their own words and acts, help bring an end to this bloodshed, division and treason.