Listening for Justice

Good morning.

I wish us all a good morning not in the confidence that our mornings are all equally good right now in this country, but rather in the hope that one day, with sufficient repentance and labor, they might indeed be good for all.

We are in a very difficult period as a national and religious community. The racism being protested by thousands in the streets is not about individual morality—not about pointing fingers at “racists”—but about seeing and changing the racist biases built deep into our systems of economy, housing, education, law, justice, and policing. This means that we, especially those of us who are the inheritors of whiteness, must engage in some very difficult conversations about justice and liberation.

---

As American-Christians, we have a mixed legacy when it comes to these conversations.

Our country was begun by men rioting and looting in protest against an unrepresentative government that was not responsive to its people, and it came into being through a civil war fought against that government’s military to ensure “liberty and freedom for all.” Yet from our founding documents through the next few centuries of ensuing history, it is clear that this freedom was only guaranteed to a subset of humanity. All women, the poor in general, and most espe- cially people of color, are treated as subhuman even today in both the creation and enforcement of law. It is no accident that our modern police force serves the interests of wealthy white men and large corporations above all else; this is, after all, what they were originally formed to do in the 1800’s by plantations controlling slaves in the South and industrialists combatting unions in the North. It is ironic that the very actions justified by our founders in the name of freedom are so aggressively condemned today when “the wrong people” employ them.

As for Christianity, our founder was a destitute Palestinian Jew of color, a man of disgrace even within his own marginalized and occupied nation. In his last week, he entered the capital in a demonstration march directly opposing established political authority, led a calculated riot destroying property and disrupting commerce in the Temple in protest of injustice under the noses of the occupying Empire, was arrested by the temple police and tried by both religious and political authorities who twisted the law to suit their needs, and then was publicly and shamefully executed by torture as a criminal insurgent threat to “law and order” in a partnership between religion and empire. The religion subsequently formed in his name was built on a scandalous claim and attracted what were thought of as the dregs of society because of the radical equality in economy, rights, and value it offered in the name of Jesus the persecuted. Yet the centuries of church history that follow contain innumerable uses of Scripture and religious authority to endorse slavery, force inequality, and condemn movements of people working for in- dependence and freedom from oppressors.

---

Today we are launched into our discussion as a church by two of our lectionary passages. The first is the magnificent origin poetry which proclaims that all humankind is created equally in the image of God. The second is what is often called the Great Commission in Matthew, in which Jesus tells his followers to continue the work he began, teaching following generations to “obey everything that I have commanded you” and promising his presence to the end of the age.

The question before us today is: will we take these passages seriously? Do we believe in the full equality of all, and will we obey Jesus in doing the work of justice for all that he calls us to?

The first step of repentance is listening; not to ourselves, but to those directly affected. So I’m going to stop talking and turn over the mic to the Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart. She is a black woman, a retired police officer and professor of criminal justice, and now serves as an Episcopal priest and police chaplain in DC. This interview was recorded in 2016. During the 8 minutes and 45 seconds that she talks, matching the time that George Floyd was pinned under the knee of the police who killed him, we will mourn 35 people whose deaths have inspired the Black Lives Matters movement. Please join me in mourning and remembrance.

Thirty-Five Deaths Mourned:

1. Trayvon Martin killed on February 26, 2012
   Teenager (17) killed in the street by man training as police. Murderer acquitted by the courts.

2. Yvette Smith killed on February 16, 2014
   Woman killed by police officer, shot with AR-15 on sight. Murderer acquitted by the courts.

3. Eric Garner killed on July 17, 2014
   Father of six killed by police using chokehold in 30th harassing arrest. Murderer never put on trial.

4. Michael Brown killed on August 9, 2014
   High-schooler shot six times by police days before starting at college. Murderer never put on trial.

5. Laquan McDonald killed on October 20, 2014
   High-schooler shot in back 16 times 30 seconds after new police arrived. Police lied for no charges initially.

6. Tanisha Anderson killed on November 12, 2014
   Mentally-ill woman killed by police after family called 911 for a doctor. Murderers never tried or even fired.

7. Akai Gurley killed on November 20, 2014
   Young family man accidentally killed by poorly trained police in his own apartment building.

8. Tamir Rice killed on November 22, 2014
   Middle-schooler playing in park killed by police with no warning. Murderers never tried or fired.

9. Jerame Reed killed on December 30, 2014
   Killed by police during traffic stop as he held his hands above his head. Murderers never tried or fired.

10. Natasha McKenna killed on February 8, 2015
    Mentally-ill mother of a 7-year-old was killed by police using stun gun in jail. Murderers never tried or fired.

11. Eric Harris killed on April 2, 2015
    Shot in back by untrained 73-year-old donor to sheriff acting as “deputy.” Murderer imprisoned 17 months.

12. Walter Scott killed on April 4, 2015
    Shot in back by police who engaged in cover-up before video emerged. Murderer eventually convicted.

13. Freddie Gray killed on April 12, 2015
    25-year-old arrested without cause, killed by severed spine in police van. Charges against all officers dropped.

14. William Chapman killed on April 22, 2015
    18-year-old killed by police officer, his second killing of an unarmed person. Murderer served 2 years.

15. Sandra Bland killed on July 13, 2015
    Young woman arrested without cause dies mysteriously in prison. Officer convicted of lying, fired.

16. Darrius Stewart killed on July 17, 201519-year-old shot twice by police during a traffic stop for headlights. Murderer (27) given retirement.

17. Samuel DuBose killed on July 19, 2015Man shot in head during traffic stop; police lie about encounter. Murderer’s case is dropped.

18. Janet Wilson killed on January 17, 2016
    Mentally-ill woman shot five times by police, ruled a homicide. No charges filed against murderer.

19. Calin Roquemore killed on February 13, 2016
    Scared 23-year-old shot in the back 7 times by police. No charges filed against murderer.

20. Alton Sterling killed on July 5, 2016
    Mistakenly being arrested, police shot him 6 times at close range. No charges filed against murderer.

21. Philando Castile killed on July 16, 2016
    Shot 7 times without provocation in front of his young family. Murderer acquitted by courts.

22. Joseph Mann killed on July 11, 2016
    Two officers attempt to run over homeless man with car, then shoot. No charges filed against murderers.

23. Terence Crutcher killed on September 16, 2016
    Incapacitated but non-threatening father and choir member shot by police. Murderer acquitted.

24. Chat Robertson killed on February 8, 2017
    Young father shot in back by police over smoking pot. Murderer acquitted.

25. Jordan Edwards killed on April 29, 2017
    15-year-old freshman killed in car with his brother by police without cause. Murderer sentenced, appealing.

26. Aaron Bailey killed on June 29, 2017
    Father of two killed when police shot 11 times at his stopped car. No charges filed against murderers.

27. Stephon Clark killed on March 18, 2018
    22-year-old shot 20 times in the back by police without threat. No charges filed against murderers.

28. Danny Ray Thomas killed on March 23, 2018
    Mentally-ill man needing help and no threat instead killed by police. Murderer acquitted in courts.

29. Antwon Rose killed on June 19, 2018
    Honor roll high schooler shot 3 times when fleeing police. Murderer acquitted in courts.

30. Botham Jean killed on September 6, 2018
    Accountant shot in own apartment by officer mistakenly entering. Murderer sentenced to 10 years.

31. Atatiana Jefferson killed on October 12, 2019
    Aunt gaming with her nephew shot by police in her own house. Murderer awaiting trial.

32. Michael Dean killed on December 2, 2019
    Father (28) shot in temple seconds into minor traffic violation stop. Murderer awaiting trial.

33. Ahmaud Arbery killed on February 23, 2020
    Jogger shot by retired officer’s son uncharged until video when public. Murderers now awaiting trial.

34. Breonna Taylor killed on March 13, 2020
    EMT killed by police breaking into home without warning, shooting. No charges filed to date.

35. George Floyd killed on May 25, 2020
    Non-threatening man killed by police kneeling on neck for 9 minutes. Charges filed only after protests.

AMEN.