North Beach Miami Department: #UseMeInstead

Emily Newton

After a photo featuring the mug shots of six black men was discovered to have been used as target practice by the North Miami Beach Police Department, a group of Lutheran clergy came up with the #UseMeInstead social media message. The idea originated in January and when pastors, “motivated by our service to Christ and his call to love our neighbors”, decided to take an active stand in #BlackLivesMatter and send in their own photos to the North Miami Beach Police Department for target practice. Reverend  Joy M. Gonnerman states the purpose of #UseMeInstead:

“It’s such a desensitization thing, that if you start aiming at young black men, and told to put a bullet in them, you become desensitized. Maybe, to change the picture, it’s you know what, dare ya, shoot a clergy person.”

The movement has gained widespread support of people of all races and religions and the hash tag #UseMeInstead has since been used thousands of times on Twitter.