In Rotherham, England, 1400 girls were the victims of a sex ring carried out by Pakistani men over the course of fifteen years, from the late 1990’s to around 2014. Even though the civil authorities were aware of what was going on, they did nothing to protect the girls, to arrest the perpetrators, or to put an end to the ring. Those who investigated the matter reported that a fear of being labeled racist was at the root of inaction on the part of the police and civil authorities.

In Cologne, Germany, several women, possibly hundreds, were sexually molested by men, most of whom, according to police, were from North Africa or the Arab nations. Henriette Reker, the mayor of Cologne, responded to the matter by recommending that young women keep themselves at least an arm’s length away from any man they don’t know, and consider staying away from public events. Again, critics accused Reker and the national government of being overly concerned about being labeled anti-immigrant.

These cases, and others, reflect an unwillingness for civil authorities to take serious action against men who commit crimes against women and children for fear that the civil authorities will be labeled racist.

William Wirt Middle School in Riverdale, Maryland, has been in the news lately because teachers, parents, and students are complaining that the school is being menaced by MS 13 gang members. MS 13 is suspected of actively recruiting middle school children who have come to America as unaccompanied minors and are placed by social services with family members already in the U. S. These new MS 13 members have been accused of initiating and recording fights at the school (as a recruitment tool), selling drugs and, in at least one case, raping a fellow student. Teachers, parents, and students claim that multiple complaints have been lodged, and this is confirmed by The Washington Post, but that school and district administrators are doing nothing, ignoring the claims and insisting that there is little to no gang activity at the school. Some critics are accusing officials of being too sensitive to charges of racism.

Almost every student at William Wirt Middle School is Hispanic or African-American. The vast majority of the victims of MS 13 in this school are minorities, just as are the perpetrators. Hispanic and African-American students have started taking matters into their own hands and organizing themselves against their MS 13 schoolmates. Teachers report that at least three fights break out every day and some are so scared that they will not be alone in a room with their own students.

Protecting its citizens, especially the most vulnerable, is one of the basic duties of civil authorities. Yet, it seems that some in authority are willing to surrender this responsibility if acting on it puts them at risk of being labeled racist. It ought to be common sense that the race of a criminal and the race of his or her victim has no bearing on civil authorities acting to protect citizens and prosecute criminals. Racism has a long and horrid history in our criminal justice system, weighing heavily against minorities. This, however, does not exonerate civil authorities from carrying out their duty to protect the public, including citizens who are minorities, because the suspected perpetrators are minorities.

It is the measure of a just civilization that individuals are treated first and foremost as individuals, and not first and foremost as members of a group, whether racial, ethnic, religious, economic, or what have you. It is the goal of identity politics, however, that every individual be treated first and foremost as a member of a group, and any action taken against an individual who is a member of a minority group, even if just, is seen as an attack against the group to which they belong. Why this isn’t applied to the victims of crime who are members of minority groups is unclear. So, it seems, the Hispanic and African-American students who are being terrorized by members of MS 13 in their school will simply have to continue to suffer the violence, the drugs, and even the rapes, sacrificed on the altar of identity politics by those who claim to want to protect them from “the man.”

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.