I still stand by my opinion; if he was really "anti" he very easily could have brought out the tried and true "guns should be banned" tripe that we tend to hear from "Reverend" Al or "Reverend" Jesse, or "Reverend" Pfluger; he didn't. I disagree about him trying to imply anything other than what he said. Why would he need to? Would any of the panelists or guests argued with him if he had...no. Would people be upset with bringing race into it...no, it's what people would expect. I actually think it was about as positive regarding OC as he could be without actually advocating OC for people who would follow his advice with no thought to potential consequences. Many people in our country, whether they be African-American, Latino, European-American, etc accept what a minister/priest says without question, right or wrong. I think his response was said in acknowledgement of that responsibility.
I also think we need to promote OC among those who are often faced with overzealous police tactics. Assuming his vignette is true regarding the young man in his neighborhood, I think the next "phase" of OC in Michigan should be expanding the message to ALL those who live in our state's more urban areas. I am not saying that we haven't been accepting of others who don't match our SES, and fully realizing that people tend to associate more or less with those who share similar backgrounds and experiences, I think it is incumbent upon everyone who is willing to go to Birmingham to also be as willing to advocate for individuals as represented in the Reverend's story. Has anyone closer to the Detroit area even enquired of the Reverend if he has any further information regarding the young man or asked him if he would be willing to find out more and pass it on to us so that we can follow up with the DPD?
