A Call For Peace: Reflections On The DC Sniper Shootings
by Walker Lindley
Just a few hours ago, John Allen Mohammad was executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia for his role in the DC Sniper shootings in 2002. He was, most surely, a deeply angry and disturbed man who committed truly atrocious acts. I hope his death brings peace and closure to the family and loved ones of his victims. However, I also wish that Tim Kaine, the governor of Virginia had stayed the execution.
I lived through the terror of the DC Sniper shootings just 3 months after moving from Oklahoma City to Washington, D.C. It was a scary welcome to a new city and made my seriously reconsider if I wanted to go to high school in a place where something like that could happen. However, the response of the people in and around DC was uplifting. Everyone banded together and did everything they could do to support each other. So that time was simultaneously a time of hope and fear for me and many in the area. Obviously, though, we all wish that these tragic murders had never happened at all.
I understand that for many, executing the person responsible for the death of their loved one is comforting and helps them come to terms with that death. It’s not a sentiment that I can imagine feeling myself, but I know that it’s important to others. I think there are a lot of great arguments against the death penalty, everything from its enormous cost to the discriminatory way it’s often applied. More importantly, though, I think we as a society lose an essential part of ourselves when we come together to condone the killing of a member of our society. After the series of violent slayings committed by Mr. Mohammad, we have chosen to respond with more violence instead of with grace and peace. I hope in the future we can stand up as a community and denounce violence in all its forms, whether it’s committed by individuals or collectively.
So I ask everyone to light a candle tonight and, if it’s within whatever your spiritual tradition you follow, pray for John Allen Mohammad, Lee Boyd Malvo (the kid who worked with Mohammad), and the families and loved ones of the victims and the perpetrators. I hope they can all find peace and comfort tonight.
November 12th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Sure, denouncing violence is a good thing. I’d like to denounce bad weather too, but I suspect it’ll have as much effect.
Yes, enforcing the death penalty says something about us as a society, but it seems we generally agonize over each decision. For the most part, this same society seems to be satisfied with using tax money to keep a good number of creeps alive in jail for the rest of their miserable lives. The death penalty is certainly no deterent to violent crime, so the only rationale appears to be ridding us of these violent types through, yes, more violence. Is it retribution for their crimes? That’s one way to look at it, and indeed, that would seem to perpetuate violance, notwithstanding the ostensibly humane approach employed in ending the criminal’s life. But is there really any acceptable alternative?
I don’t know that having and enforcing the death penalty reflects our violent tendancies as a nation, but maybe so. It would be nice to believe that lighting a candle can help provide enlightenment at many levels. The reality is that there a fraction of a percentage of our society that gives the rest of us all these issues to grapple with, and we like to think that we as a society are sufficiently advanced and our moral compasses so dead-on that we know what to do. Should we have better and more proactive public health programs to deal with the warped and violent? Sure. Should there be less violence on TV? Yep. Should we, as a nation, be more responsible and less arrogant citizens of the world? You betcha! (Sorry for the unintended Sarah Palin expression). Should we finally address the gun control issue? Duh. And please don’t send any lame “guns don’t kill, people kill” or “right to bear arms” responses.
No one wants to live in a violent society, but in many places, it’s a runaway train, and the only way to stop it is to shoot out the tires (mixing metaphors, I know). We are our best when we band together, but I fear the only times we tend to rise up is in response to some tragic, violent event.
I’ll light a candle — everyday if it would help — and I’ll remain hopeful that the collective light of all our candles will provide the illumination we need. But I’ll also remain skeptical that an easy solution is just beyond the light…
Reply
Walker Lindley Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Let me be more clear: I don’t believe for a moment that lighting a candle and praying is going to change a damn thing. I do, however, think that they’re both good ways of practicing the discipline of reflection. I believe the decision to end another human being’s life is one that we should not take lightly and one that is worthy of extensive reflection. So I was asking people to stop and think about whether or not they agreed with the execution of this man.
I’m more than happy to talk about your points such as whether or not it’s humane, but I think that misses the point of the article. I agree that violence seems like a runaway train in many places, but I think there are many great examples of peaceful people taking a stand, sticking to their convictions, and turning a violence into peace (for example, Gandhi and Martin Luther King). I think you’re right that we’re much more likely to band together in the face of violence and adversity, but I believe we can and do need to learn to band together to solve all the problems that confront us as a people. It’s not an easy thing to do, but I believe it can be done if people are willing to take a chance on peace.
Reply
Anonymous Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
…and I agree, and wish there were more people out there like you.
Reply