By Amos Brown
The reprehensible, inexcusable behavior of the mob in Washington yesterday was the inevitable result of the reprehensible, inexcusable behavior of the supposed leader of our nation. As he has done since taking up residence in the White House, the President has behaved recklessly and amorally, actively encouraging and unleashing the worst of human nature and the systemic racism of America.
The violent mobs I saw on TV were frighteningly reminiscent of the scenes I saw as a young civil rights activist. The thugs gathered outside the Capitol, waving Confederate flags, erecting nooses and wielding clubs, were no different than the vicious gangs backing Bull Conner and George Wallace in the segregated South. The power of the systemic racism that poisons America was on display in the stark difference in how the police behaved toward the rampaging mob attacking the sanctuary of our Democracy contrasted with the peaceful Black Lives Matter protest last summer.
The blame and responsibility rest squarely and completely upon the shoulders of the President and his enablers, especially those white evangelical leaders who support him. The commitment to racism is evident in the attempts by the President and his party at voter suppression and then in questioning the legitimacy of votes in predominantly Black communities. He is abetted by the support of those pastors who assure their flocks that his lies are the truth – and who support policies like that of the Southern Baptist seminaries that have banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory.
The President has not only proven that he is utterly unfit to hold the office, but that he is a danger to the country. The nation cannot wait to suffer the ravages of another two weeks of racist, fascist violence. I echo the call of Sen. Schumer and others for the 25th Amendment to be invoked and the President removed from office immediately.
Moreover, we must be compelled to act by the words of James Russel Lowell: “Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side.”
Yes, we must not be on the wrong side of history. Let us stand for the good of all America and the survival of our democratic society.
Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown is pastor at Third Baptist Church of San Francisco and a board member of the local chapterof the NAACP.
