Why Christians must care about Kalief Browder

If you didn’t know, Kalief Browder is a young man who was held in a U.S. prison for three years without a trial for allegedly stealing a backpack. He spent a good percentage of that time in solitary confinement. He was sixteen years old. On Saturday, he killed himself.

People tell me because I have this case against the city I’m all right…But I’m not all right. I’m messed up. I know that I might see some money from this case, but that’s not going to help me mentally. I’m mentally scarred right now. That’s how I feel. Because there are certain things that changed about me and they might not go back. – From NPR

Kalief’s parents were unable to pay the $10,000 bail set by the court. So he languished in prison for three years awaiting a trial that never happened. His case was eventually dismissed by prosecutors in 2013. All told, he spent 400 days in solitary confinement over an allegation of stealing a backpack. Who knows what else happened to him at Rikers Island–besides the beatings?

Now, it goes without saying that Kalief’s family is probably not white and has likely never drank shade grown coffee or craft beer. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

Ok, why is this an issue for Christians to care about?

Justice for the poor and oppressed is such an obvious and consistent theme of the Bible that the very question is laughable and sad. Even the Christians who do read scripture (and I wonder if very many do) miss it like fish oblivious to the ocean they swim in.

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:8

You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. – Leviticus 19:15

When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. – Ecclesiastes 8:11

Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. – Ezekiel 16:49

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. – Matthew 25:35

Christians are right to call sinners to repentance–to hold up a biblical standard for marriage/sexuality and to call out the callous and murderous intentions of those who promote abortion. However, this must all be done within the sweet spirit of Christian love knowing that, but by God’s grace, we too would be spiritually blind–following our fleshly desires.

The true God loves justice and those who practice it. Even when death is proscribed for a punishment in the Old Testament,

A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. – Deuteronomy 19:15

Our entire legal system is based on these principles. May the Holy Spirit stir up the hearts of Christians to hear the cries of the oppressed.

I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey… – Exodus 3:6