THIS COLUMN WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN WRITER’S BLOCK IN THE JANUARY 16, 2019 EDITION OF THE CHRONOTYPE, RICE LAKE, WISCONSIN.
Every light casts a shadow. In the shade of celebration and praise for the homecoming of Jayme Closs lies comments filled with vitriol and damnation for the man who abducted her and cold-bloodedly killed her parents.
Social media posts like, “Hope he gets shanked so my tax money doesn’t have to support him.” “Wisconsin NEEDS the death penalty.” As with most sinister criminals, Jake Patterson will be hanged by the community long before his true sentence is delivered and carried out. His one life isn’t close to enough for the two he took. The public wants vengeance and to inflict all the pent up pain and grief onto the person who caused it all. To many, that’s justice.
And as smug and unremorseful as Patterson eerily seemed on that screen during his initial appearance, there is another image I can’t get out of my mind. A video of Patterson’s brother and father leaving the courthouse. Described as “inconsolable” at one point during the proceedings, Patrick Patterson and Erik Patterson had their heads bowed low and shoulders hunched to avoid the cameras. More than that, they looked like they were carrying the remorse, pain and regret that didn’t show up anywhere on Jake’s face. When asked if he knew, Jake’s father just slowly shook his head from side to side and simply said “no.”
We say that we’re to love everyone, show grace to the most insufferable of us all. How many of us sit in church and reiterate those lessons every weekend? Yet, we are tested more today in those lessons than maybe ever before. If you subscribe to it, we are supposed to love Jake Patterson. Not what he did, not the evil that lives and breathes through him, but him—the floppy mopped 14-year-old pictured in a freshman photo. The quiet kid who had a difficult time relating to others. Somewhere, as a unit, we failed to love another among us. And he failed to receive it.
Please don’t get me wrong. Jake Patterson is absolutely responsible for his actions of the night of Oct. 15 and in the 88 days since. I am confident that our justice system will see to it that justice is served.
What we are responsible for is each other, each and every person we touch in this lifetime. Each and every word we post and say. If you knew healthy love growing up, maybe becoming a mentor and spending time with kids who live in the margins now could save two lives a decade from now—possibly save a 13-year-old girl from horrific trauma and forced orphanhood. I don’t know.
I just know that the silos we construct to house the people who deserve love and prayer and the ones that house the wrongdoers, the evil and unjust, will continue to churn out more of the same if we don’t start delivering goodness to everyone.
Do you think anyone is bringing a casserole to the Pattersons during this time? Offering them gas cards to visit their loved one in jail? I’m guessing not. They are guilty by blood.
The anger is so great, we want to exact pain onto anyone whom we think is deserving of it. I feel angry and sad too. This story has imbedded itself in my heart as a journalist, a member of this community and especially as a mom. We all want to know WHY?
That anger becomes fiery hate if not dealt with. It’s apparent in the cycles of abuse and addiction that plague this county. It’s the same hate that drives violent murder and kidnapping. But what if, instead of adding to the hateful, angry mob, we churned out creative solutions with the anger that fuels us? What if we helped create more miracles?
While that very strong 13-year-old girl has a long road of recovery and reentry ahead, let’s remember another family involved in this. I think the Pattersons could use a massive amount of prayer transferred their way now. Pain is pain. We shouldn’t judge if they deserve it or not.
And if there’s one thing this community does extremely well, it’s pray and hope for a better tomorrow for everyone.
Gently Rise, Softly Call 