Today the movement once noted for being a class act has been hijacked. The tragedy of Ferguson, Missouri is not the injustice in the death of Michael Brown or support for his family in their grief, but a means of feigning outrage to gain power. Is there any surprise that Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson are in forefront of the television cameras? There are golden opportunities in death and tragedy. Politicians such as Attorney General Eric Holder have shown up to remind us of the old political adage that it is never smart to allow a good crisis to go to waste. Their behavior while regrettable is at least predictable. It is the Episcopal Church with whom I am so very disappointed. At a time when a genuine Christian Witness is so desperately needed we have chosen instead to offer the same old warmed vacuous rhetoric. The Presiding Bishops' suggestion that Michael Brown's death is a "sacramental offering" is too pandering to be taken seriously.

A young man has died tragically and another man's life is forever ruined regardless of race. It is fascinating that the presiding bishop has chosen to speak out on this issue while ignoring so many others. How tragic to overlook incidents such as the murder of Kelly Hunnewell in Columbia, South Carolina. Kelly was a thirty three year old single mother of four who returned to South Carolina following the breakdown of her marriage. Taking a third shift job in a local bakery in order to be home with her children during the day, she was in the words of an African American neighbor" the only white lady on the block and she let those kids mingle and play. Those kids loved everybody." Others noted that she brought home treats from the bakery and shared them with her neighbors. There were no racial barriers.

She was shot to death July 2, 2013 one morning by three teenagers attempting to rob the bakery where she was working at 3:00 am. The fact that they happen to be Africa-American is not what is relevant but the fact they are thugs. Two of the murderers were out on bail in spite of having recently committed violent crimes of robbery and kidnapping. There were eleven shots fired and as one witness testified "I can't describe the terror that was in her voice." As she bled to death she pled "please have mercy."

(One killer got life without parole and the second will be sentenced on December 12th. It was just horrible but mostly ignored outside Columbia SC.)

Left behind were her four children ages 6 through 13. As one neighbor Shontell Green observed Kelly's attempt to fight back was no surprise. She "almost certainly fought off her killers out of a love for her kids." There were obligatory expressions of horror and outrage by local officials, but as writer Kevin Fisher notes, not much else. There were no protest nor riots and certainly no notice from the usual public figures including the leadership of the Episcopal Church.

Here was a young mother who could have been the poster child for what the Episcopal Church currently professes to believe. She was inclusive, tolerant, white and living in an African American neighborhood in harmony with her neighbors. Yet her plight and that of four children are conveniently ignored.

So shame on all the silly statements and self-serving expressions of outrage from our leadership. If racism is as rampant as is continually preached then it must be addressed across the board. Just in case we are having difficulty in discerning how this is done perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from one who knew a little something about racial injustice:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." --- Martin Luther King, Jr

The silence is deafening.

Ladson F. Mills III is a retired priest with over thirty years pastoral experience. He lives with his wife in South Carolina. He currently serves as Scholar in Residence at the Church of Our Saviour , Johns Island. He is a regular contributor to "Virtueoneline."