An Opportunity to Come Together

Friend,

Two weeks ago, we lost one of our own.

George Floyd was born in Fayetteville. He was our neighbor. And for believers like me - he was our Christian brother.

Like everyone, I was sickened and angry seeing the video of his arrest and I was saddened to learn his horrific and tragic killing is being mourned by members of his family in our own community. We demand swift justice in this case and I have been encouraged that those responsible are being held accountable.

Two weeks following his death, my thoughts remain with the family of George Floyd and the pain his killing by a Minneapolis police officer has caused to so many. The outrage and heartache I feel is shared by millions of people across this country.

I feel it as a father of a young boy. I will never have to worry about him losing his life at the hands of a rogue police officer. But I realize that is a fear felt by many parents in the African American community and Hispanic community every time their child leaves the house. That is an unacceptable reality.

The police officers I have spoken to are as angry about what happened as anyone. Most cops are good cops. These brave men and women put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve us. That's why the images of cops being injured or killed in recent riots is also tragic. Our country is having important and needed conversations regarding race and equality. But violence and destruction take away from justifiable anger and calls for justice. It is just as important that we all stand together in the quest for justice as it is that we all stand together and condemn violence.

Equality is a goal our nation has strived for since its inception. The Declaration of Independence, the very starting point of our nation, states that we are all created equal and that we "are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." This is our Nation's highest ideal, and the basis for our system of laws, but a test we are still trying to pass.

It is clear that some of our neighbors feel left behind by our system of justice. Right now, we have a real opportunity to come together to listen to each other, learn from one another, and bridge the divides that exist between us. The murder of George Floyd does not need to be only a dark stain on the history of our great country—it can also be an opportunity for us to achieve the ideals laid out for us by our founders.

However, we cannot let emotions get the best of us. Pent up anger and frustration are powerful emotions, but they can lead to violence and violence will only further divide us. We should channel these emotions into dialogue and let that dialogue lead us to understanding and common ground. Through understanding, we know we can effect change.

We must find our way forward as a nation. I am committed to listening to you and my colleagues, working together and finding solutions to forge that path. I've already begun to reach out to many local leaders and will continue to listen and seek out answers from our community. This is the only way we can address the problems that plague our country. We owe it to our neighbors – and to the memory of George Floyd – to come together, listen and learn.

I can't pretend this will be easy. I can't promise this problem can be solved overnight. I think that's why Abraham Lincoln referred to "a more perfect union." As humans, we are all guilty of sin, and maybe a "perfect union" will elude us. But we owe it to our children and grandchildren to never stop working to make our community better for all of us.

Let's get to work and continue to pray for healing for the Floyd family, our community and our nation.