Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
Double Homicide Tonight: Racism Reigns in Texas

Double Homicide Tonight: Racism Reigns in Texas

Last updated on: March 19, 2014 at 11:48 pm by Jeff Hood

Double Homicide Tonight: Racism Reigns in Texas 2014-03-19T23:48:42-06:00 Jeff Hood

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

New York Daily News

Texas Department of Corrections

The State of Texas killed Ray Jasper tonight. Before his execution, Jasper wrote a letter describing what it was like to be a black man in the United States. The statistics are startling. Although black people make up 12.6% and white people make up 72.4% of the U.S. population according to the 2010 U.S. Census, black people currently make up 41.71% of the death row population according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Large questions of fairness with regard to race litter the justice system and specifically death sentencing processes. I do not think Jesus would have executed anyone…and much less sent them through a system to be executed that is biased against them due to their race.

Most of our government officials responsible for what happened tonight claim to be Christians. With regard to the death penalty, I will be in prayer that Jesus spiritually storms their temples and wakes them up out of the injustice that they keep perpetuating. You cannot love your neighbor and kill them.

Ray Jasper was not the only homicide that took place tonight.

I participated in a vigil for Crystal Jackson and Britney Cosby. The black lesbian couple was murdered between Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, Texas sometime between March 6 and 7. In the New York Daily News, Britney Cosby’s mother claims that Britney’s father James Cosby murdered the couple because he did not like that Britney was gay. Regardless of the circumstance of the death, this was a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. The response from most LGBT non-profits and activist organizations has been timid at best. GetEQUAL Texas organized the vigil I participated in tonight and a few others throughout the state. These vigils have been one of the few organized reactions to the death of Crystal and Britney.

There were four people at the vigil I participated in. One of the participants declared that a second homicide had taken place. The many other state and local LGBT organizations in the state had killed her faith in them. “They only care about murders and beatings when white bodies are involved, ” the participant declared. Someone else questioned, “When are people going to understand that you can’t trade one oppression in for another?” There was undoubtedly a sense of betrayal in the air tonight…because we all knew there would have been hundreds of people present if a white gay couple had been murdered.

I have known for a long time and was deeply reminded tonight that racism reigns in Texas from the left to the right.

I pray that Jesus storms all of our temples, ends the reign of all of this racist shit and turns all of our hearts to love.

Amen.

fresh writings

theology from death row

death penalty information center

Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

vigil

white folks

Previous Post

March 16, 2014

Prayers for a Child of God

Next Post

March 20, 2014 Jesus Enraged: Overturning Purveyors of Injustice

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Danny & Jeff fresh writings latest poetics north texas fellowship of reconciliation Sermon theology from death row Thoughts Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Mark's Gospel is the shortest of the four Gospels.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE