More strong families needed in Baltimore (and America)

This week, John Stonestreet of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview and I talked about the distrust that exists between law enforcement and poor, urban communities. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced today the Justice Department will investigate potential civil rights abuses by the police department in Baltimore. The police probe follows the death of Freddie Gray, who was injured in police custody, and a subsequent riot in Baltimore. A state of emergency in the city was lifted Wednesday.

One of the roots of the problem, Stonestreet said, is fatherlessness in the United States.

“We don’t train responsible citizens—and that means we don’t train responsible police officers—without strong, mediating institutions that can cultivate virtue, mostly the family,” Stonestreet said. He said the influence of the family on children was evidenced by a viral video of a mother slapping her son publicly for participating in the riots.

“There’s the show of what, at so many levels has been the most stabilizing influence in the African-American community, and that’s moms who love their kids,” Stonestreet said, adding that strong families are essential to training responsible citizens and police officers who don’t abuse their power.

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