Gospel Changes the Life of Former Inmate and Black Panther Affiliate

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Kylie Ravsten

Joined: May 2014

The following article was written by Jason F. Wright for Deseret News.ย 

John Johnson held a gun to the sleeping officerโ€™s head.

His finger tickled the trigger.

Johnson had been searching for this manโ€™s car. Heโ€™d hunted him. Heโ€™d craved the opportunity to shoot point blank and serve justice. In Johnsonโ€™s eyes, the officer, also a black man, was the worst kind of enemy in racially charged 1984 Louisiana. The officer was a powerful figure with a reputation for beating up other black men and enjoying it.

As the officer slept in his cruiser, Johnson breathed deep and prepared to end the bullyโ€™s life. He heard a voice cheering him on. โ€œShoot, shoot, shoot,โ€ it said. โ€œKill him.โ€

Instantly, the atmosphere around him changed. Even now, three decades after that pivotal scene, he struggles to describe the moment. He wasnโ€™t afraid because he didnโ€™t recognize the voice; he was frightened because heย did.

โ€œI knew the voice,โ€ Johnson told me during a recent telephone interview. โ€œAnd I realized then that I had developed a personal relationship with the adversary.โ€

Read Wright’s full article at DeseretNews.com.ย