Over the past decade … at least 70 people have died in law enforcement custody after saying the same words — “I can’t breathe.” The dead ranged in age from 19 to 65. The majority of them had been stopped or held over nonviolent infractions, 911 calls about suspicious behavior, or concerns about their mental health. More than half were Black.
– Mike Baker et al., “Three Words – 70 Cases – The Tragic History of ‘I Can’t Breathe,’” The New York Times, June 29, 2020.
On that evening in May, yet another man wheezed three words spoken to cop / a plea to keep on breathing. Though our grieving’s displayed, one might ask whether we who are woken to gospel (least of these) can see Him.
Elder John Ashbrook, September 2020