Time to talk: Starting dialogue here might prevent a future tragedy

What is happening in New York City and in Missouri might seem very far away for those of us who live in Wayne County, N.C.

After all, something like that could never happen here, right?

We hope that if there ever was a question about police conduct, this community would keep its head and seek the truth in a fair and responsible manner.

We hope that if there was a police officer who was clearly acting in a manner that was racist and dangerous, that there would be justice.

We hope that we could see beyond race and admit that sometimes, there is a reason for deadly force -- that there are police officers who face danger and lose their lives every day because of the criminals they encounter.

We hope that we could evaluate a situation based on the individuals involved and not expand to a generalization -- about the police or a racial group -- that fosters misunderstanding and misplaced guilt.

We hope that if protesters ever decided to express their opinions, it would be done peacefully and not with vandalism and looting.

And we hope that this community could come together to talk about the realities of not only crime and punishment, but the factors that cause them -- and then work together to find a solution.

We hope.

But the events of the past couple of weeks have been scary -- not only for those who live in the affected cities, but for those of us who wonder what might happen if the same circumstances occurred here.

And there is a lesson to be learned -- and an important one.

We absolutely must talk -- not just amongst ourselves and not just with people who look like we do.

We have to open up a dialogue that allows both sides to share their experiences and to discuss ways to bridge gaps and to right wrongs.

We have to have leaders who are not going to wait until there is a tragedy here to start those discussions -- and who are prepared not to pander to one group or another, but to encourage an honest exchange that accomplishes something.

And we have to be prepared to stand up against those whose agenda brings them to a community in which they have no stake and whose goal is to foster distrust rather than to bring people together.

And all of that is a very tall order.

There is no easy answer to preventing unrest and mistrust. And there is no guarantee that a controversy like the ones that have been centerstage these past few weeks will not happen here.

But one thing is for sure, irresponsible rhetoric and an unwillingness to work for the common good do nothing but tear a community apart.

And if there should be one goal in this community, it should be to make darn sure that does not become the reality here.

Published in Editorials on December 27, 2014 10:39 PM