Hurting Hard

Our neighbourhood is reeling after the shock murder of a local shopkeeper, the execution of a security guard and critically wounding another. First of all I would extend my deepest condolences to the families of Duncan and Sabelo. This heinous crime was totally uncalled for and should never have happened, not in our suburb, not on our watch.

Secondly, I want to bring up Social Media, the industry in which I work in. Social media can be good and bad, more good than bad, but this bombshell on our community sent shockwaves through and highlighted the particular social media problem of sharing before even the families concerned came aware. Also which was brought to our attention, is the possibility of the chain of evidence that can be broken by showing photos and videos online in the public. Trust the lawyers to find loopholes everywhere and how justice would not be served.

It is times like this, that I wish for some sort of dark avenger, a Batman of our very own, to track down these animals and give them what they justly deserve.

What they deserve? Uhmm how does the Christian part of me react to that? It is oh so easy to say we must forgive, but try wearing the shoes of the wife who has just lost a husband. A child who has just lost a daddy. Where do we even start to try process what has happened? And who do we lay the blame at?

We had a very full and vocal neighbourhood watch meeting this evening. People wanted answers. People wanted to know what to do and is it is going to be alright? Nick summed it up perfectly in his Inflamed Radio although his solution might not be for everybody, it is a way forward.

Eish so Nick describes me as one of those middle class white people desperately looking for answers. Oh and the shoes incident mentioned early on, well that was my neighbour and this is where I disagree with Nick. Yes we must be careful not to live in a bubble and not be aware. Help those around us but we should also be tolerant and be vigilant to problems around us. The shoes on the fibre cables normally means that there is a drug runner nearby and to have the shoes appearing suddenly after a neighbour’s party raises concerns. It could be a kid but we shouldn’t just shrug our shoulders and say that it doesn’t concern us because it does.

So to borrow from Batman, the city needs a hero and not the hero we deserve. So which hero is it going to be, a Dark Knight or as Nick suggests, Jesus?

A strong community is one that sticks together, no matter what religion we believe in, through thick and thin, and now is the time when things are hurting hard that we must stand together as one.