Senator weighs in on Charleston church shooting

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Manning Times asked Sen. Kevin Johnson Saturday to provide his thoughts on the tragic shooting Wednesday night at a black Charleston church, which led to the deaths of nine people, including Sen. Clementa Pinckney, a friend and colleague of Johnson. Johnson initially posted this on Facebook Sunday morning. I haven't publicly weighed in on the massacre that occurred at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. It has been hard to comprehend the fact that you are meeting with and serving with a colleague and friend one moment and then a few hours later he is gone as a result of a very tragic and horrific event while he was doing what he loved must, making disciples of others, as he has done since his childhood; teaching and preaching and being a great example for the rest of us to admire and emulate. We also can never forget the other Christian souls who were murdered along with Senator Clementa Pinckney, affectionately known as Clem. Without knowing them personally, I know that they were outstanding and God fearing people, first of all because their faith in and dedication to God is what caused them to remain for Bible study even after it was suggested that the class be cancelled after an earlier meeting at the end of a long hot day. Indeed, they were the faithful few. And secondly, the attitude and comments of their family members during the bond hearing is a testament to the quality of people that loss their lives during this senseless crime. While many of us would have responded to this hate with even more hate they expressed a sincere love and forgiveness for the shooter. I must say that I am very disappointed in every person who has stated or implied that this was not a crime that was motivated by hate and race. I am even more disappointed in the leaders who feel this way, while at the same time I am proud of others, black and white, republican and democrat who have boldly and publicly called it what it is. Every law enforcement official on every level that is directly involved in this investigation has said, without hesitation that this is a hate crime, motivated by race. The friends and family members of this young man has said as much. Even the killer has voluntarily stated that he went to the church to kill black people and that his goal was to start a race war. That is very compelling. The manifesto that is on a website that he supposedly owns is very telling, both in his words and by the pictures that he posted. In order to heal and in order to move on, we must begin by being honest about what has happened here and throughout our communities. Thankfully , despite this senseless and tragic event, I believe that the vast majority of all people are decent and strive to do the right thing by each other. That fact cannot be disputed. To that end, I join with them and others in saying that it is time to remove Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse. While the flag may represent history and heritage for some, it represents hate and hurt for others. It has divided our great state for far too long and it now overshadows all of the great things about South Carolina. We have an outstanding State Museum and I share the opinion of others that the museum is the most appropriate place for the flag to be displayed. That being said, the thoughts and prayers of my family and me remain with the families of the victims, their communities, our state and nation. As the old hymn says, "We Will Understand It Better By And By."