The Process of Making Peace

Our United States are not so united these days.  As I write this, we are in our twelfth straight day of mass protests in cities large and towns small.  Not that this is the first time we have seen unrest in this country.  We are a nation of protesters.  From the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution, through the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s we have been and still are a nation of fight cats!

What we are witnessing in the current problem is most disturbing.  I fully support the call for social and racial justice.  I am appalled by the violent response of our police forces, the National Guard, or whoever those black-clad storm troopers are that have been attacking our citizens.  As a reporter on NBC observed the heavily armored forces have no insignia on their uniforms.  It is difficult to know just who or what they are.  But their actions give them away.  Anyone who would shoot rubber bullets, tear gas and flash grenades unprovoked at their fellow citizens cannot possible be in their right mind.  It is painful to watch American “law enforcement officers” mercilessly beating American citizens with clubs, kicking them repeatedly, driving vehicles into unarmed crowds, or shoving a 75 year old man backwards to the pavement, crashing his head on the concrete, watching him lying motionless while blood is pouring from his ear, and refuse to make any effort to help him or check on his condition.  Anyone who is not disturbed by such behavior cannot call themselves an American.

I denounce violence of any kind.  When a person joins a peaceful protest and begins throwing bricks or other objects at anyone, they are wrong, and I oppose them.  If someone thinks they can break into a store and steal merchandise just because they are surrounded by chaos, they are wrong, and I condemn them!  Likewise, when an officer believes he or she has the right to inflict violence against an unarmed American citizen who is exercising their First Amendment Right to peacefully protest, that officer is wrong ,and I condemn them.

The issues behind these protests are real and legitimate.  The First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution guarantees the right for people to demonstrate and protest.  The murder of George Floyd was wrong – plain and simple.  It was abuse.  It was injustice.  But above all, it was murder!

The size, magnitude and duration of these protests have been remarkable.  I am stunned and outraged at how the protestors have been bullied and beaten by the very forces intended to protect them.

I first became involved in criminal reform in 1984.  At that time, I was Pastor of the Bedford Church of the Brethren in Bedford, PA  I was also chair of the District Witness Commission.  One of our projects at the District was working with CentrePeace, Inc, a prison ministry organization working with Rockview State Prison near State College, PA.  There, I sat with numerous inmates for listening sessions, Bible Study, and non-violent intervention classes.

Prison reform is sorely needed.  According to the Equal Justice Initiative for every 9 inmates on death row that are executed there is one who was proven innocent and released.  This speaks to the problems confronting our judicial system and calls into question the use of the death penalty.  One has to wonder how many innocent lives were ended prematurely and unjustly because of the Death Penalty.  The United States General Accounting Office reveals some disturbing facts.

“In 82% of the stud­ies [reviewed], race of the vic­tim was found to influ­ence the like­li­hood of being charged with cap­i­tal mur­der or receiv­ing the death penal­ty, i.e., those who mur­dered whites were found more like­ly to be sen­tenced to death than those who mur­dered blacks.”

            A report from the ACLU concurs:    

“While white victims account for approximately one-half of all murder victims, 80% of all Capital cases involve white victims. Furthermore, as of October 2002, 12 people have been executed where the defendant was white and the murder victim black, compared with 178 black defendants executed for murders with white victims.”

           

These are just some of the reasons for the protests found throughout this country these days.  It was brought to a head with the police murder of George Floyd, but the reality is this has been happening for a very long time.

In the early 2000’s I was serving as a pastor in Pottstown, PA.  The church was located on the corner of York and Fifth Streets, in the heart of what was commonly referred to as the Numbered Streets, a ten block by four block section of the city.  The Numbered Streets were once a solid blue-collar residential neighborhood of hard-working families.  That was when Pottstown was a bustling industrial town.  Beginning in 1714 Pottstown was the home of numerous iron forges.  Later, several steel plants took over, most notably Bethlehem Steel.  Pottstown became famous for producing steel that was used in constructing the Panama Canal and the Golden Gate Bridge.  There was an abundance of other industries as well, including Firestone and Dana.  The Stanley Flagg Co. was a successful foundry known as the world's first manufacturer of malleable iron screwed pipe fittings.  Flagg was once the largest employer in the area.  There were also textile factories and brick yards.  Later, Pottstown became the home for Mrs. Smith’s pies, too.

None of this industrial boom could have occurred were it not for the Reading Railroad main line that ran through the heart of town.  This connected Pottstown with the suppliers to the west and north as well as the markets and ports of Philadelphia to the east.

However, the post-industrial era took its toll on Pottstown.  One by one the industries closed or dwindled to a slim image of what they once were.  By the 21^st Century Pottstown was in major decay.  Unemployment was high and only surpassed by the crime rate.  In fact, Pottstown has one of the highest crime rates for any community in the United States, at 42 per 1,000 people.  The Washington Street corridor was the worst section of town.  The Numbered Streets were a close second.  The drug traffic was especially rampant, but so was prostitution, theft and vandalism.  When my family moved there in 2000 we intentionally chose to live in the Numbered Streets as a way to connect with the neighborhood.   We bought a house on Fourth Street, about two blocks away from the church.  I was struck by how the members of the church had generally moved out of the neighborhood.  We were warned not to go out at night and to always watch our backs.  The congregation did not want activities in the evening out of concerns for their safety.

Shortly after I arrived in Pottstown I met a young man named Bob.  He and his wife lived in the numbered streets.  They were not members of the Church, in fact Bob was really turned off to Christianity due to some bad experiences growing up.  But he was very committed to his hometown and wanted to do something to turn things around.  Together we brainstormed some ideas.  It was Bob who suggested forming a Town Watch chapter.  However, he wanted to avoid any sense of authority or policing.  His desire was to build positive relations and trust.

Before long we had organized a group of half a dozen locals committed to walking through the numbered streets three nights a week.  Because the Town Watch label seemed heavy-handed, we desired a more welcoming name.  Bob’s brother, Richard, is the one who came up with the name “Neighbors In Numbers”.  I saw it as a perfect representation of the human element – “Neighbors” – and respect for the neighborhood – “Numbers”.  My goal was to get the congregation behind it.  In my mind it was the perfect mission for an inner-city church founded on the principle of service and social justice.  A few members who still lived in the numbered streets became excited about the idea and joined our group.  Unfortunately, that was a small number.  Most of the congregation thought it was a good idea but seemed to be afraid to get involved personally.

We stuck with it, though, and soon our little group grew to nearly twenty people of diverse backgrounds.  We had so many participants that we held multiple walks on the same nights.  We had Brethren, Lutherans, Catholics and atheists.  We were a multi-racial, intergenerational group with a heart for our community.  We worked closely with the local police.  From time to time we invited them to speak on various topics at community meetings which we held, covering such subjects as home safety, drug awareness, emergency response and Q & A’s.  We even had the K-9 unit give a demonstration on one occasion.  The goal of these meetings was two-fold: to provide educational opportunities and to build more positive, one-on-one relations with the police.

After about one year we decided to join the National Night Out by holding a block party.  The National Night Out is an annual event that addresses crime prevention and drug abuse.  We invited the fire department, the local police, a few politicians and a host of civic organizations.  Again, the intent was to build positive relationships while meeting human needs.  With permission from the city we barricaded York Street, from Fifth to Sixth Streets, and used the church parking lot as center stage.  We hired a band to provide music, had games for the families, info booths featuring local civic organizations, offered free food and soft drinks and held door prizes.  It was a huge success.  Over 200 people came the first year and it grew each subsequent year.  Ours was just one of three National Night Out celebrations in the city.  Within four years we had an estimated 600 people share in the activities at our location.

I like to think our efforts paid dividends.  The numbered streets did see a decrease in crime.  Over time, as we walked the streets, the local residents looked forward to seeing us.  Through this process we were able to become better acquainted with a good number of our neighbors, share in conversation and establish stronger ties.

I realize none of this quite compares to the current issues facing our country.  While we had a few murders in the numbered streets of Pottstown, we did not have any instances of police shooting unarmed persons.  Still, I believe there are some lessons to learn.  For example:

1.       It is vitally important to build relationships.

People need to work at getting to know each other in non-threatening ways.  Through community events and disseminating information we can slowly tear down walls that divide us, one brick at a time.
But we need to go further.  It is imperative that people get to know their local police, and the police get to know them.  I like to think this approach may be one reason why did not have any displays of police intimidation or violence.

We have a son with autism and intellectual disabilities.  He has numerous behavioral issues and when he was younger, he demonstrated considerable fear of unknown situations.  Like most people with autism he likes his routine.  Whenever we moved to a new community one of the first things we have done was to take him to the local police station and introduce him to the officers.  He loved it, and so did they.  They always gave him a tour of the building and made a big deal of welcoming him to town.  By doing this, relationships were being built and fears were held in check.  On a few occasions we have had the need for police intervention, but when we did, there was already a certain rapport established.  Essentially, our son trusted the officers and they understood how to approach him.  As a result, the problem could de-escalate more quickly. 

2.      I am a firm believer in non-violence.

Not everyone is in agreement with me.  But I have found there are several ways to deal with a challenge or a fear, and violence always escalates the problem.  Talking and listening are far more effective tools.  But even these must be rooted in respect.  We can disagree – and even do so vehemently - but it is still possible to maintain a level of respect for the other person or group.  Somehow, we need to reach a point where we can separate the person from the position.  You may not like me sitting with a convicted felon, or marching with civil rights activists, but even in your opposition to such positions can you still treat me as a person and show some respect, rather than going straight to name-calling, intimidation or violence?

3.      I firmly believe it is better for authorities to rely on local police rather than militias or the national guard.  I understand at times there may be a need for reinforcements or possibly even equipment that may be beyond the local police capacity.  But these options should be kept in reserve when possible.  If such measures are needed, I feel it is far better for local authorities to remain in charge.  Let outside units be subordinate to the local officials who know the community and, in many cases, the people.  Mayors and police chiefs must plan ahead for every possible scenario and communicate with their subordinates before incidents arise.  I have seen too many reports recently where violence was used against peaceful, law abiding citizens and only after such instances did the mayor or other officials find out and take corrective measures  This raises the question of who is in charge of riot control units and what is their intent.

4.      It is vitally important that elected officials, government personnel and police forces tone down the rhetoric.

Words are powerful motivators and can easily incite violence and injustice, especially when repeated time and again.  This needs to stop, and it must begin at the top.  Donald Trump and his surrogates are doing more harm than good.  They are empowering the ones who resort to violence on both sides of the debate.  This must end immediately.

5.      In the few moments when local police may need support from the State or Federal levels, it is important that all armed officers be clearly identified.  I do not understand why some of the riot-control forces engaged in many cities are clad in unmarked uniforms.  This would not be allowed in international conflicts, where it is required that soldiers be identified regarding what unit or nation they represent.  There is no excuse for anonymous troopers engaging violently against our own citizens.  When this happens, it is impossible to hold anyone accountable for any and all injustices inflicted.

I stand with Black Lives Matter and all who seek justice and criminal reform.  I recognize that blacks are discriminated against by far too many law-enforcement officers and by the judicial system.  I oppose the excessive and unprovoked use of force by law enforcement and the military.  I further oppose the use of the United States military against United States citizens. 

The Sermon on the Mount was perhaps the “Christian Manifesto” that should become the handbook of operations for those of us who are believers in Christ.  Jesus began this powerful sermon with what is commonly referred to as The Beatitudes.  They read like this.

³  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
⁵  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
⁶  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
⁷  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
⁸  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
⁹  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹  “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
¹²  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

We are witnessing the unfolding of a new era.  It may become an era of needed change and improvement.  Or, it may lead to the destruction of our country.  The outcome will likely depend on us.  Can we  become peacemakers who actively dedicate ourselves to the difficult process of bringing about positive, peaceful and constructive change in this otherwise chaotic era in which we find ourselves?  Jesus proved it is possible.  It is our duty to make it happen.

G. D. Gehr