Zion must rise together in show of true character

True character is seen in times of crisis. It is at those times that we are able to absorb the worst of what the world has to offer, analyze it, process it, and use that trial as motivation to come together to create a brighter future and better community.

With the officer-involved shooting of Justus Howell, our character has been tested in a way that no one asked for and none of us wanted. But the reality is, here we stand today, in a circumstance far from ideal, but one where we have hope because we stand here together as one community with the solemn promise before God and our neighbors that we will be better because of how we come together through this.

A year ago, we pledged that we would do our part in developing our Community of Character, starting with identifying core values that we want to describe our community. If this is a test of that pledge and those values, our answer must be that we will rise together, and even when we fall together, we as the Zion-Benton community must always get up and get back to work - together.

Why? Because that is the only option that will make our community better.

Ours, like many other communities, is affected by the challenges of diversity, but as a Community of Character, our goal is to see those challenges as the strengths that they are and create a community that works for every one of its citizens regardless of race, religion, economic status, or checkered past.

Everyone must feel like they have something to gain by offering their better selves to this community in the hope that we will one day be the city that each of us deserves.

How fitting it is that the community word for this time period is "Perseverance." What word better describes what it is that we must do to see this case through to its just end and rebuild what has been damaged?

Perseverance comes on the heels of faith because we cannot weather a storm until we truly believe the storm will end. We have to truly believe that a community whose foundation stones are Respect, Perseverance, Responsibility, Safety, Integrity and Kindness can see a day when every citizen can proudly say these are also the cornerstones of their character.

This is the challenge that we face together today.

Too many times have we seen great opportunities for healing overshadowed by the emotions that come with a tragedy like this.

The emotions are understandable and expected. What we cannot accept is that the life lost and the damage to the families involved will be in vain. Everyone must recognize that this circumstance is unacceptable. We must see that unless all elements that have contributed to the final outcome are discussed, appreciated and planned against, little will change and this tragedy may haunt us again and again and the aspirations for our community will drift farther and farther away.

We pray that everyone reading this message is ready to look internally and ask what we can offer to make their community better in the fullest sense of the word. Not just in terms of security. Not just in terms of civil rights, but holistically, spiritually, culturally better.

We've traveled a long way down the road of division. Now let Justus offer us an alternate route.

We commend those who have been involved in seeking justice and raising awareness of deeper issues for doing so in a way that exercises our democratic rights in a peaceful manner and reflects the values we have chosen for our community. We hope this constructive dialogue and productive action will continue.

As our community processes this tragedy, our reactions should be guided by the values that we have chosen to describe the community we want to be; A community of Respect, Perseverance, Responsibility, Safety, Integrity and Kindness.

As the authors of this letter - an African-American Muslim and a white Christian - come together to write this, we humbly pray that we can serve as an example to the community of being deliberate about working together, joining forces with people who may be outside of our usual circles, and focusing on what we have in common rather than on what divides us.

Junayd Latif and Chris Kubic are Zion residents active in the movement to build a Community of Character.