Don't tell them its coming Idren, but here is the sneak preview of the letter I will be sending:
Greetings in the name of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah and Light of this world,
I am writing to express my concern for the wellbeing for a young Rastafari brother you are currently holding in your facility on the grounds that he is mentally infirm. Although I have never met the man in flesh, I and I (we) have been in contact for some time over the internet, and as a (very much sane) Rasta youth who is actively involved in the upliftment of young people in the community here in England, I am deeply concerned that you are neglecting to nourish this young man’s spiritual development and are, out of ignorance, stifling his progress towards personal upliftment and self improvement. His plight has moved me to the point where I have taken it upon myself to write to you in an attempt to ease the tribulations I know he is being subjected to under your care.
Although I don’t doubt that you have the best intentions at heart, I understand from my Reasonings with this young man that there is a profound lack of sensitivity to and understanding of his Rastafari faith among the staff, and this has led to actions being taken that I must admit I find highly disturbing and shocking as a Rasta. Among other things, he has described you coercing him to cut the locked hair that symbolises our sacred covenant with the Most High and is a powerful expression of our cultural and spiritual identity. Although I understand that your actions on this matter are motivated by a concern for the young brother’s employability prospects when he leaves the facility at 21, the trials and tribulations that inevitably follow from letting the locks grow are part and parcel of the burden that I and I as Rastafari carry in this modern day society, and although it is certain that the locks will impact negatively on his employment prospects, that is absolutely not a valid reason for him to cut them. Doing so again will cause further severe and unnecessary emotional and spiritual distress. Please understand that the locks are sacred and consecrated to I and I to such an extent that for many Rastafari, even touching them while they are covered without permission would be considered an offence. To cut them is considered to be an extreme assault, and sadly, many Rastafari people both past and present have been subjected to this degrading humiliation at the hands of people who would discriminate against their fellow man because of the length of his hair alone.
As champions of equal human rights among the human family and restorative justice, I and I are ever weary of those who would infringe on our rights to Live our faith, and although I am not as familiar with the American legal system as I am with the British one, they share a similar foundation and I am fairly certain that the US constitution grants every citizen the right to Live and practice their faith without prejudice or outside interference. I ask only that you respect this young Rastaman’s rights while he is in your care and allow him to seek the spiritual nourishment and upliftment that will prove the surest medicine for the severe traumas he has experienced that have led him not only to your facility, but also to seek solace in the teachings of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I and Yeshua, the Man many call Christ. I implore you to take a little time out of your busy schedule to do even a little research into the Rastafari movement, so that you might better understand the young man in your care so that you can better help him to address the issues that have led him to this point in his life and guide him towards reaching his full potential as a Rastaman. Please do not allow any personal perceptions you may have to colour your perceptions of him. I say this as a young man of 21 who has faced the same prejudices and perceptions as this brother and have trampled them through the powers of the Most High Jah RastafarI to reach the heights of university education and self employment as well as community upliftment, though I am still so materially poor that I had to save up to mail this letter to you.
Give thanks for taking the time to read this letter.
One Blessed Love
EDIT: Does the facility have a ZIP or postal code by the way?
Blessed
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