An Interview with Olin Osborne, Jr. Olin is one of our church members and a Detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. During the recent protests, which sometimes turned into riots, he served many overtime hours. He shares his perspective, answering some questions:
What did you think of the death, by police ‘chokehold’ of Mr. Floyd?
I have spoken to many Police Officers of different shades and backgrounds and we all said the same thing. This was an unlawful killing of a human being. Regardless of what he could have done, or what crime he may have committed, he was entitled to equal protection under the law.
What disappointed me the most was that the other Officers who were also present did NOTHING to intervene. They had a DUTY to intervene but they chose to go along with what they knew was inhumane, illegal and contrary to any training a Police Officer received in the U.S. It was painful to watch Mr. Floyd lose his life slowly, and just watching this Officer keep his knee on his neck with willful and wanton disregard for the life of one of God’s children. “If you do it to the least of these, you have done it unto me.”
What was it like maintaining the peace during the protests?
Challenging. Very stressful. Just mentally draining. The events were very unpredictable. There were massive numbers of people, and massive numbers of law enforcement officers. Some of the people who were there had ideas that went beyond protesting. That made it very challenging, having to differentiate between the persons who were there to exercise their first amendment right and those that are there to deliberately break the law and cause destruction.
it was challenging because you have to keep in mind the protection of the rights of the people to demonstrate, but at the same time you have to keep control to make sure that no one interferes with the right to protest.
How should demonstrators act during a protest?
Generally speaking, just follow the law. You can make your point. You can scream and shout. You can even say very disrespectful words, which I heard plenty of while I was there. There is nothing against the law in doing so.
[Demonstrators] should follow the law and not engage in activities such as looting or physically attacking someone else because you disagree with their point of view. If you do that, then you’re going to have some interaction with the police.
[Demonstrators] should listen for law enforcement instructions. A lot of times the police will give you instructions as to which direction to move, and a lot of it has to do with your own safety because we identify a location that might be problematic and we want you to go a different direction. Some people want a confrontation but sometimes we do things for the greater safety of the greater number of people who are there.
[Demonstrators] don’t even have to be respectful, necessarily. A lot of people weren’t! But when exercising your first amendment right, being disrespectful is often part of that. But, just don’t break the obvious laws such as looting or attacking anybody.
Actually, Officers are trained to deal with being disrespected. It is just part of what we see on the job many times, so that really doesn't get to us.
What is it like to be a Christian and a Police Officer?
Well, I think that they are not in conflict with each other. Both require you to have a high degree of integrity. As both, you have to be able to be a leader. In both situations you are tasked with performing your duty, but as a Christian you’re tasked with the [living] the gospel. I don’t think they’re opposites; I think they go hand in hand. Being a Police Officer is a rewarding career (and the compensation is good). It’s similar to being a Christian in that you represent a higher authority. Being a Christian helps me because I encounter a lot of things, and I have had many letdowns. A lot of times, the only thing that keeps me going is my Christian faith. It allows me to keep moving forward despite the adverse situations that I might be encountered with.
You can deal with frustrations the way the world deals with them, or you can use the things are you were taught as a Christian. My faith shows me how to deal with frustration and negativity. It helps me be patient and thankful. We see so much negative things. Law enforcement officers have a tendency to have a negative view of society as a whole. But, as a Christian, we should be positive. We look for solutions to problems and look forward to each and every day. Christian faith helps me keep my balance and really, really keeps me going even in the worse situations
What do you make of the current situation?
People feel dehumanized because of police brutality as a whole. I feel their pain and I think they have a legitimate [complaint].
How can we be sensitive to those who feel dehumanized by police brutality?
Certain communities feel that they are more on the receiving end than other people.
Their feelings are legitimate, historically. My college degree is in political science, with a minor in history. So, I am well aware of the historical interaction of the police in minority communities. We’ve been deficient, frankly. There are some communities that are at the receiving end of brutality more frequently than others. It is legitimate that they feel that way. I believe their protests are valid.
Do Christians have a responsibility to talk about issues such as racism?
Absolutely! Yes, especially because, if we don’t, we would be missing out on a big, big chunk of our society, particularly the younger generations. They are not like the youth of before; the Youth of today want answers now. They want answers yesterday.
If we do not talk about these issues, they are going to feel, in essence, that our Gospel is dead; that it is not addressing the issues of humanity or of human society. I think that Jesus Christ always addressed issues as He saw them. He saw things that were not right, and He tried to correct them, showing people the right way.
We have a responsibility to do likewise because, if we don't, our young people are going to feel that this Gospel is dead, that it has no actual meaningful thing in their life. But Gospel should be very involved so when believers see something wrong they will speak up and they take corrective action.
We have a duty, as proclaimers of the Lord Jesus Christ, to speak when we see an injustice or a wrong. I don't think that there's a conflict between the Christianity and speaking out against wrong. For example, many of the leaders of the [slavery] abolitionists came from people of faith. Their gospel was very much alive. We need to do like they did.
How can our church respond?
We have to have a frank conversation in terms of the issue of race. I think that's probably true throughout the United States. I don’t think our church or even our community is racist. But racism is nationwide.
As a nation, we avoid having a frank conversation about race and how racial issues have been part of our history. We have to acknowledge our past, the good with the bad. Slavery, and it’s results, is a very sad chapter in United States history, particularly when you talk about institutional slavery and what it did. We might still be on the receiving end of it.
Slavery was long ago, but people are still being definitely impacted by it. People feel that it has not quite been acknowledged by the government nor by the people. We should acknowledge the wrong doing and how it has adversely impacted our society to this day.
Slavery’s impact was enormous and is still felt in families today. It effects how they view this country today. We have to be frank; we have to talk about it. We can’t avoid it. Racism has even impacted or filtered into religion. Talking about it may be difficult; it might hurt some people’s feelings. But we have to be honest and we have to talk about it or we will remain stuck in the same position that we’re in today.
I hope that this helps shed some light and perspective on some difficult topics.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied,
“Don’t extort money and
don’t accuse people falsely—
be content with your pay.”
Luke 3:14
Church is now open, albeit with various virus protection measures in place.
You can find the regular news items (Zoom info, meetings and times) atrhsda.org/news.
Unwelcome Guests! Usually, I like to say to anyone who visits our church grounds, "Welcome! Neighbors are always welcome here." They often stop by to see the view from our side patios. Sometimes they walk their dogs or even picnic on our lawn. Sometimes we strike up a little conversation.
I have made some friends of some of them. Inger walks back and forth, getting her exercise. Jodi plays fetch with her dog; Jeff also plays fetch with his 'labradoodle', Luna. Sometimes he brings his aged mother, Myra to watch the fun. Lisa and Tristan were regulars for a while. The dogs are usually small, but John brings his Great Danes. Kendrick and Abby are dating. Chris carries the small dog that refuses to walk away from home, but will walk back without a problem.
We always hope they will take our literature, on display between the parking lot and our front door. We have even added a 'brochure box' on the fence near our gate, about a foot away from the sidewalk. We put "Signs" magazine, the 'newsbox' edition, in it. This is especially put together for our friends.
So how could guests ever be "unwelcome"?
Late last night, it was dark and I was walking to my car with my flashlight in hand. I hadn't turned it on because I have good night vision and I enjoy looking at the moon and night sky with it's clouds and stars. The city lights also have an appeal.
But... maybe I saw some movement, or felt a little odd about something. So I turned on my flashlight. I quickly saw that I could have been assaulted! If I wasn't careful, there were three visitors that could have tangled with me. Even as big as I am, I wanted to run! For a moment, I was scared, very scared. My throat tightened, but I didn't holler. I didn't want them to be scared, too.
Thankfully, we left each other alone.
Skunks. Three cute, medium sized, 'polecats'! From now on, I'll turn on my flashlight when it's dark.
End of the Quarter
We've come to the end of our second quarter, so it's time for a new Sabbath school topic! Next quarter's lesson is titled Making Friends for God: The Joy of Sharing in His Mission, and we will be discussing our privilege and responsibility in sharing the Love of God with others, a.k.a witnessing, a.k.a. evangelism, a.k.a telling your friend about the next best thing you found in life, so they can get some too.
Sabbath School
Living by the Word of God—this past quarter we've studied about the Bible itself, so our final topic is how we apply that information. In research and discussion, we are often limited to focusing on separated parts of subjects, but in real life we must act in consideration of the whole subject. Since our knowledge of God and our relationship with God is inherently linked, let's discuss how we can use and increase our knowledge of God to deepen our relationship with God.
Meditate on this quote from the lesson: The truth as it is in Jesus can be experienced, but never explained. Its height and breadth and depth pass our knowledge. We may task our imagination to the utmost, and then we shall see only dimly the outlines of a love that is unexplainable, that is as high as heaven, but that stooped to the earth to stamp the image of God on all mankind. (Christ Object Lessons, 129)
We look forward to seeing you there!
Reach Your Pastor: I am forwarding the church phone (310/541-1819) to my home phone (424/206-2949) and though it often has bad reception you can call my cell phone (626/826-8448) or text me. Email works, too: albertfrederico@gmail.com
While our in-person visiting has been lessened, our communication with others doesn't have to, thanks to technology. This is the perfect time to share more uplifting messages online: if you have any social media accounts, follow and share post, messages, and comments with and from our church accounts on Facebook, Instagram, our youth Instagram, our local conference page. There are many people online who may not come to church, but may see a message that will encourage them to seek Christ.
A healthy body is the foundation for an optimally healthy mind that will also be the foundation for an optimally healthy spirituality. And optimal health is the greatest protection against COVID-19, which, unfortunately, is still out there. What is and how we can have this optimal health is a quest we will always be on in this world of imperfect understanding, so here are some new videos for you to keep learning from! Watch the latest videos from Modern Manna's online Health and Healing Crusade!
Online Giving: did you know you can return your tithes and offerings online? Adventist Giving enables us to return our tithes and offerings online easily.Go to Adventist Giving
24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied. 25 He said to them,
“Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
