A Good Boy?

Philly news last night lead with a story that left me scratching my head.

The initial line was something like "stock market takes a historic plummet - but first, in Coatesville tonight protesters marched to the local police station."

So my first surprise (but not really) was that a sudden drop in stock value (nearly 10%!) was a runner up in the evening news. That's a big drop, but apparently made less newsworthy for the fact that the market also made up two thirds of its loss by the closing bell. Apparently, the already jittery market was tipped into panic by someone's keystroke error: a 'B' instead of an 'M' which does matter when it preceeds '-illion.'

But the top story, as mentioned above, centered around a local town and some of the events that went on there yesterday. We'll get to the protesters - first what happened.

Here's the shorty short version: Police in the neighborhood started following a car driving with its lights off. (around 11pm) When they ran the plates, it came back as a stolen vehicle. They attempted to stop the driver but he continued to drive. The news deemed it a 'low speed chase.' It ended with the car flipping over after it struck several other cars. The driver in the accident died in the crash. He was partly ejected from the SUV when it flipped, and it crushed him. Horrible.

The surprise here was that he was a local kid, just 13. The police thought he was trying to find a place where he could quickly exit the car and run away, avoiding capture. So he wasn't wearing his seatbelt, which undoubtedly would have saved his life.

Enter the crowd. Family and friends gathered together and marched in protest to the local police station. At this point the news showed footage of people being interviewed. Friends talking about how bad this was and that the kid didn't deserve to die...etc. The most forceful soundbites came from the tearful aunt, who said he was a good boy. He was just a good boy and he didn't deserve to die.

Some people claimed that they were shooting at the car and that they had run into it, prior to it flipping. One kid, tears flowing said "He was 13 years old - why did he have to die? Why couldn't they just stop the car? Why'd they have to kill him?"

And so there was a march, protesting the behavior of the local police. The two officers were put on administrative leave, pending the investigation.

First off, let me just say that yes - this is horrible. It's awful that this child died, and died in this way. It is tragic and my condolences to the family and friends. How terrible.

But there is something in human nature that's absolutely puzzling. What is it about us that always wants to pin blame and responsibility on someone else? I do it. I'll bet you do it. It's been going on since the beginning. We're inherently uncomfortable with being to blame, especially when we really are. It's as if wrong-doing goes against our very natures, yet we are wrong and guilty and lawbreakers at times and that feeling of 'this isn't what I'm supposed to be' persists. What seems to be the default then is to move that right blame to another person. Or circumstance. Or system.

Really, let's say you're a cop in this situation. Your job is to protect people, their property, their rights and their safety. Hold people to the laws.

While on patrol, you see a car driving through town, well into the night with no lights. Maybe they just didn't remember to put their lights on? We've all done that. So you follow him. Maybe there's more to it? So you run the plates and it comes back that this vehicle has been stolen earlier today. So you put your lights on, let's pull this guy over.

He doesn't pull over, he continues to drive. He's not speeding away, trying to outrun you, so you keep following them. No need for drastic measures yet. Call in for backup. Use the loudspeaker to tell him to pull over. Maybe he's violent and armed. Better be ready and call for help.

It seems he might be going slow so he can ditch the car and run into the night. Then the car sideswipes a couple others, reals out of control and flips over. You find the driver pinned under the car. He's a kid. A 13 year old kid.

From my perspective, I don't see anything critically wrong with the cops' behavior. Let's say they did bump him or try to stop him using their vehicle. I don't see a problem with that. Police are trained on how to make forced stops if needed. Did they shoot? Investigation says no weapons were discharged. Is there any hard evidence that they did, or just local hear-say?

And let's assume something here. From the police perspective, it's some person driving a stolen car. That person either knows it's stolen or he doesn't. If he doesn't, why wouldn't he pull over? All they know is that the car is stolen and the unknown driver is refusing to stop. What they don't know is who the driver is. Could be a violent criminal who is armed or a charmingly disoriented grandmother.

If the dispatcher came across the radio and said it was 13 year old boy, what would they have done differently? For those angry with the police, what do they think the police should they have done? Not pursued him because he was going slow? Just stopped?

Dispatch: "Pursuing officers: Be advised, the driver is a 13 year old"
Cop:"13?"
Dispatch: "Affirmative, he's just 13"
Cop: "Roger that, dispatch" then turning to his partner "He's just 13. We just passed a good coffee place. Let's turnaround for some caffeine. I need a pick-me-up. We'll worry about him in 3 more years."

Ridiculous. It's a stolen vehicle. If it was mine, I'd want them to get it back, and I'd want them to catch the guy who did it.

Perhaps emotions take over, and I understand that. I just wish news outlets would be a little more rational and fact reporting. Another quote they aired from the Aunt was "A car like that doesn't hit the curb and flip. They [the police] killed that little boy." "He didn't deserve to die like this"

Again, respectfully. No he didn't, and this is a horrible tragedy, but why are we so afraid to own responsibility? Little Johnny wasn't just a good little boy.

Maybe he stole the car, but I think that's irrelevant. He broke all kinds of laws. He was driving a car - at 13! He was driving a stolen car. (at 13) He refused to stop for the police.

Little Johnny (not his real name) made bad choices which, so sadly and tragically, resulted in his death. Good people don't steal cars, joyride in them, drive when they're 13 and run from police.

Am I saying he was a completely evil person and deserved what he got? Absolutely not. No 13 year old deserves to be crushed by a car. He may have been a great kid. I'm sure he was worthy of love and was lovable. But I'm also sure he was breaking good laws.

He, like the rest of us, was a mixed bag. Full of good, but capable of and practiced at breaking rules. His bad choices led to a situation in which he died - as a result of his own actions.

Let's say he was just joyriding, lost control at the same place and time and died in the same way. What would we say then? ( I wonder, really. ) Would people say that they intersection was too dangerous, or that SUV's tend to roll over too easily? Or that the car owners should have secured the vehicle better? The street should have been better lit? I hope not, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Johnny shouldn't have been in a stolen car. He shouldn't have been driving. He should have had his lights on and when the police tried to stop him, he should have. He didn't. And something tragic happened. What we should say is that he made choices that were wrong, put him in danger and he died as a result. And we're heart-broken, sad, regretful and disappointed to the utmost that his life ended like this. We loved him and we miss him terribly.

But isn't it interesting that when we do something wrong, it's only when the law givers or law-enforcers show up that we talk of guilt? And we often blame them. I do that.

I tend to turn everything in to a mirror to look at myself in. Maybe I'm a little too self-absorbed? But I do see a moral tale here - and a clear reference to a greater, but parallel story.

If there is a God, and he's a righteous law-giver, there's something to this pattern. We break the laws and think it's (for the most part) pretty fun to do so until we're faced with the unpleasant point when we must own up to our behavior. We're guilty, the laws are good (and for our protection, really) and justice must be served. When the light shines on our wrongdoing and shameful acts, we'll either run from the light, or, if there's no other option - fight. Deflect the blame to someone else - or in a real act of twistery, accuse our accuser.

And what's both crazy and beautiful about Christianity - and utterly unique, is that it makes an audacious claim; The lawgiver and law-enforcer is also our rescuer. And we, who are about to be crushed under the results of our defiance, are offered an exchange; own up to our defiance, turn from it and have Him knock us out from under the car - saving our lives at the cost of His. Or let the results of our lawbreaking come down squarely on us.

What a crazy notion. Could such a thing be true?

Meanwhile, we're mourn for that local kid.