Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
The police have been getting distorted and biased press lately.
The country’s police forces often don’t get the respect they deserve. The mainstream media tend to blow up incidents of supposed police brutality and the shooting of “unarmed” black suspects, as if a suspect’s being unarmed means the police aren’t authorized to use deadly force. We’d like to see those same news outlets provide blanket coverage for this story.
A woman named Helen Johnson intended to buy a carton of eggs from a Dollar General in Tarrant, Alabama. She realized she didn’t have enough money, so she tried to steal them. Her family reportedly hadn’t eaten in two days. The store decided not to press charges, and a police officer who’d confronted her, Officer William Stacy, bought the eggs for her. Someone recorded the encounter and posted the video online.
Afterward, the Tarrant police department delivered two truckloads of food to her apartment. And there’s more:
That in itself, Johnson said, was a blessing. But those blessings now seem to have taken on a life of their own. Tarrant police said they’ve received calls from across the United States and world since hearing of Johnson’s plight. People have offered food, money and clothing.
It’s been so overwhelming, said Tarrant Police Chief Dennis Reno, he had to bring in a second police dispatcher to handle the volume of calls. Police officials today also set up a fund at People’s First Federal Credit Union on Ford Avenue in Tarrant to benefit the Johnson family.
“It’s growing and growing and growing,” Reno said. ” A guy called me from New York and just broke down. He said for two months he’s been angry with police, and he said this has totally changed his mind.”
Thanks to what this police officer did, people are helping this woman. We could write a book on how government dependency traps people in a cycle of poverty. But for now, we’ll just be glad that Johnson and her family will have food, and the children will have toys for Christmas.
I have nothing but respect for the police. My parents taught us to follow and have respect for the law or suffer the consequences for not doing so. I depend on our local police force for my and my family’s safety from those who have no respect for the law or for their neighbors. This is an example of the human spirit.