Charleston’s Faith-Based Response to Evil

A model for all communities

By David Palmer

On the night of June 18, Dylan Storm Roof, a deranged 21 year-old white supremacist, shot and killed nine innocent black parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The response of devastated families and friends of the victims, was to forgive him. “I forgive you; my family forgives you. We would like you to take this opportunity to repent,” said Anthony Thompson whose relative Myra Thompson was killed. It was an incredibly mature response, shared by the families of the victims, and in its wisdom it precluded the senseless destruction of property and lives evident in Ferguson and Baltimore earlier this year.

In the days since the murders there have been no riots, no looting and no incitements to violence. Al Sharpton made only a brief appearance calling for a national day of prayer and offering a reward for apprehending the killer. What Roof did may fall under the categories of  “hate crime” and “racially motivated,” but the focus should remain on something concrete like the fact that he is a mentally ill drug addict who perhaps could have been treated for his illness. Charleston’s faith-based response of prayer and forgiveness has been an inspiration to all communities which is where we must begin, at the grassroots level, to solve our race problems and our mental health and addiction problems.

The federal government has been contending, mostly ineffectively, with the drug problem for over 100 years, focusing mainly on reducing the supply of drugs. It hasn’t worked, and it won’t work. The fact is, the outstanding success of the last century was the God-centered Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program founded by two alcoholics and men of faith, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in 1935. AA, along with other 12 Step programs (NA, CA and others) focuses on reducing the demand for alcohol and other drugs rather than the supply. Millions have sobered up and changed their way of living. The mainstream media is not much help in illuminating the facts about drug abuse. Drugs were a major factor in the recent riots at Ferguson and Baltimore, but most of the media focused on allegations of police brutality and racial divisions and ignored drugs.  The facts are that Ferguson’s Michael Brown was a drug abuser and probably dealer, and in Baltimore, Freddie Gray was a convicted drug abuser and dealer with a number of arrests. Their deaths are related to the lawless lifestyles they chose to live. There were other choices they could have made.

Drug abuse is a major national problem, but it must be addressed locally—community by community—like AA, which has meetings in communities all over the world. But AA by itself is not enough. Good sponsors can help with jobs, family dynamics and other issues, but even the best sponsors can’t cover the necessary ground. Christian churches, it is heartening to note, are becoming much more proactive. Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in California is a good example. And it is the churches that should take the lead. Every community seeking to address the drug issue must help its citizens gain access to six essential resources. Many communities, Little Rock, for example, have these necessary resources. Many others do not and will need to collaborate with larger neighboring communities for help. The needs include:

1. Medical treatment for mental health problems (i.e. anxiety, depression, PTSD and schizophrenia).
2. Christian churches and other Christ-centered organizations offering addiction recovery programs and associations with others.
3. Twelve Step meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous and as well as Alanon for spouses and others affected by the drug abuser.
4. Hospitals and drug treatment facilities which offer detox, counseling and inpatient services.
5. Special resources for high-risk populations like teens, veterans and inmates.
6. A law enforcement and prison system that can keep order and also prepare inmates for life on the outside.

I founded One Day at a Time, a nonprofit company, in 2004 to persuade those suffering from alcohol and other drug addictions that there was a better way to cope with life’s problems. I had been an alcohol and prescription drug addict, and with 25 years of sobriety coupled with the near death of a grandson in a drug related car wreck, I felt both qualified and compelled to share my experience, strength and hope with him and others. I promoted my recovery message in a free quarterly newspaper, mostly in the Little Rock area, and was supported by advertising from churches, treatment centers, and others and by many generous donors.

In the face of rising printing costs and the fast evolving trend toward digital, I dropped the publication in 2011 to focus on developing our web site and participating in the social media. I also wrote a book, “Pathways to Serenity. Overcoming your addictions one day at a time” which is available on Amazon. In charting a new direction which would focus on one community, Little Rock, and would take advantage of the history and ample resources of the city I turned mainly to two strong allies—Fellowship Bible Church (FBC) and City Connections CC—for guidance. What emerged from these conversations was the idea of forming a community “roundtable” made up of perhaps a dozen local citizens of varying qualifications who’s mission would be to reduce alcohol and drug abuse by promoting awareness, prevention, and treatment availability in the following ways:

• As a catalyst for fundamental change in public attitudes toward substance abuse
• Putting a face on the benefits of recovery
• Implementing various initiatives to help citizens successfully address their addiction problems with special attention on teens and young adults, military personnel and prison inmates

The “Roundtable” of literature appeared in the late 12th and early 13th century, where it became a symbol of chivalry and flourished under King Arthur. Some say it was created as an imitation of the table of the Last Supper. It had twelve seats and one empty place to mark the betrayal of Judas. A contemporary version of the Middle Ages model is the Business Roundtable (BRT), an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies focusing on promoting sound public policy and a thriving economy. As a practical matter, the roundtable format also discourages the formation of hierarchies by order of seating. As presently conceived, the initial responsibility of the roundtable will be threefold:  (1) begin to measure community public opinion relative to substance abuse and recovery through available data coupled with opinion polls. (2) Define and inventory available resources: medical, churches, AA and other 12 Step programs, law enforcement, programs for teens, vets, prison inmates and other vulnerable populations (3) Develop programs and protocols for dealing with substance abuse problems.

Conversations with possible candidates will soon begin.