Opinion: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" – CT Examiner

Dad, did you see that another black man got killed by the police?

Yes, I did. What do you think about that?

Its crazy, clearly he was down. People were standing there watching them telling them to stop. The other police was just standing there. It was crazy!

And so began another conversation about the realities of life with my fourteen-year-old daughter.

Hate is a strong word. I dont use it flippantly. But, I hate the abuse of power! Thats what we witnessed: bad police officers abusing their power. I like the police. I appreciate their service to our community. I dont like that there are bad police who abuse their authority. I know good police officers, and I know that they dont like bad police officers either. I know one good police officer who exposed the abuse of other bad officers on the police force and it cost him his job. That might be part of the reason why bad police officers stay in their positions. They seem to leave a wake of victims.

Abuse of power isnt unique to the police. If you give a person power, or authority, they might abuse it. Ive seen ministers abuse their power. Ive also seen congregations abuse their ministers. At some point, weve all been aware of a boss who was abusing power. Im in the middle of a political campaign. Good thing politicians dont abuse their power!

Edmund Burke once said, The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. As a black person this gets complicated, frustrating, infuriating. When a video like the George Floyd video emerges, black people get upset. When the response to our anger is excuses, deflections, and outright silence from our white brothers and sisters complication, frustration, infuriation. Sometimes I am asked if I would feel the same way if this kind of thing happened to a white person. My answer is, YES! Injustice is injustice. I have profound sadness that injustice happens more often to people of color. I dont want it to happen to anyone. I also dont understand how videos of abuse that seem to surface on a regular basis do not motivate people to do right, seek justice, work to weed out the bad apples, and call upon our authorities to police themselves.

Let me be clear, rioting is not the solution. Neither is blaming victims by pointing out their personal flaws, or the problems plaguing their community. I can attest that black community leaders speak out about the issues in their communities. Ministers, teachers, politicians, and community elders preach and teach the importance of education, self-respect, faith, and the Golden Rule. They do this when no camera is around. When a camera is thrust in their face, they cry injustice. The response they often receive is that they are shouting at the wrong people, and that they need to speak to their own people. They already have spoken to their own people and they will continue to speak to their own people when the camera goes away.

The argument becomes us vs. them, black vs. white, liberal vs. conservative. It is no longer about resolving an injustice, its about winning a debate. Edmund Burkes words become a prophecy fulfilled in front of our eyes: Good men do nothing.

If I was not running for political office, I would have thought these ideas and may have even put them pen to paper, but I would not have had a forum to share them. So while I have this forum, I will share. And I will conclude by asking a personal favor of you.

Never be afraid to approach me if you see me acting in an unjust manner. I understand that if I win this election, I will receive authority. I dont want to be corrupt. I want to help people, not hurt them. Sometimes even folks like me can be tempted to stray off track. So pray for me, and feel free to hold me accountable. I need it and you deserve it!

Brendan Saunders

Saunders is the Republican candidate for the 33rd District state senate seat for Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Portland, Westbrook and Old Saybrook

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Opinion: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" - CT Examiner