Bishop LaTrelle E. Easterling (STH’04) issues Statement on Morgan State University Shooting
The following is an excerpt from the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church article “Message from Bishop Easterling in Response to Morgan State University Shooting” published on October 4, 2023.
As we come to grips with the horror of the shooting that took place at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD, our hearts break and we pray for those most closely affected. Once again violence has shattered lives and we, as a faith community, struggle to make sense of senseless violence. Five individuals were shot, four of them students, on Tuesday evening during what should have been a time of celebration and festivities.
Morgan State began as a Methodist institution. Its identity is intertwined with our own. The gun violence that broke out at the homecoming celebration reverberates in other incidents throughout our region and nation. While fear is the natural response, we must not allow that fear to paralyze us. Nor can we become so unfazed by these tragedies that we turn a deaf ear to the pain, brokenness and devastation such incidents cause. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. We must respond as if those young people were our children, our flesh and blood, because when any are hurting, all are hurting. United Methodists must take action to curb the epidemic of gun violence. This pain must be our call to action.