[E-rundbrief] Info 1987 - FOR-USA on violence and racism in the USA

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief Info 1987 - Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson, 
FOR-USA-Fellowship of Reconciliation: Statement (on systemic, 
institutional violence and racism in the USA).

Bad Ischl, 3.6.2020

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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FOR-USA STATEMENT JUNE 3, 2020

The Fellowship of Reconciliation honors the righteous rage, agony, and 
despair that has fueled a renewed global uprising against the powers 
and principalities of racist policing and punishment in recent days. 
This rebellion, rooted in a deep desire for justice and respect for 
the inherent human dignity of all persons, has been treated with 
contempt and fury by the White House. Indeed, rather than seeking to 
repair and unite, the office of the President has emboldened and 
escalated repressive policing and poured salt on the festering wound 
of systemic, institutional violence and racism.

On June 1, 2020—in the midst of a pandemic that has left over 100,000 
people dead in the United States, and while protests gripped much of 
the country over the unjust killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, 
Tony McDade, Desmond Franklin, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black 
civilians throughout the nation in recent weeks—the President of the 
United States effectively forewarned martial law by threatening from 
the Rose Garden to deploy U.S. military forces in local communities 
nationwide.

He then walked across Lafayette Square, opposite the White House, 
which had been viciously cleared of peaceful protestors by the use of 
rubber bullets, flash bang grenades, and tear gas, to the historic St. 
John’s Episcopal Church for a photo op in which he held up a Bible, 
like a prop in an absurdist drama of his own making. For an 
administration well-practiced in the arts of disinformation and 
dog-whistles intended to inflame its political base, President Trump’s 
photo op was a sickening new low that further demeaned the office he 
has spent nearly four years degrading and debasing.

The fact that as tens of thousands of Americans were dying from 
COVID-19 Mr. Trump resisted invoking special powers to save lives, but 
was swift in committing federal troops to the militaristic occupation 
and policing of cities to protect property, isn’t ironic, it is 
soul-crushing and tragically true to form. This is an administration 
that has shown no interest in healing wounds and fostering unity among 
people; it is abundantly clear that its default posture is instead to 
fan the flames of hate and division for political gain.

As an international, interfaith organization, the Fellowship of 
Reconciliation has worked for over a century to promote peace and 
justice among people. Our membership includes Baha’is, Buddhists, 
Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and other faith practitioners, as 
well as those without institutional or religious affiliation. For the 
president to hold up a sacred text in front of a house of worship 
while ordering a brutal crackdown on democratic, peaceful protestors 
is an affront to every religious, moral, and human value we hold. Who 
is this God he wishes to invoke? It clearly is not the God of justice, 
peace, and love revealed to humans over millennia.

In the words of the Right Rev. Mariann E. Budde, Episcopal bishop of 
Washington, whose diocese includes St. John’s parish: “He did not 
pray. He did not mention George Floyd, he did not mention the agony of 
people who have been subjected to this kind of horrific expression of 
racism and white supremacy for hundreds of years.”

The systemic inequities baked into America’s social and economic life 
will continue to lead to violence and death if unabated. We call for 
fundamental policy changes focused on reparative justice and healing, 
such as defunding policing, deconstructing our carceral state, and 
demilitarizing our federal budget. This fed-uprising must be a wake up 
call to Americans. There will be no peace without justice. There will 
be no reconciliation without truth and repentance.

In peace and justice,

Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation

Important Resources:

     List of Bail Funds for Protesters Across the Country (compiled by 
the National Bail Fund Network): https://bailfunds.github.io/

     Black Visions Collective (Black-led movement in Minnesota working 
for community-led safety and transformative justice): 
www.blackvisionsmn.org

     Movement for Black Lives Week of Action (June 1-7, 2020): 
https://m4bl.org/week-of-action/

     Militarized Response Tracker: #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd (prepared by 
the War Resisters League): 
https://www.warresisters.org/militarized-response-tracker-justiceforgeorgefloyd

     "Why So Many Police Are Handling the Protests Wrong" (June 1, The 
Marshall Project): 
www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/01/why-so-many-police-are-handling-the-protests-wrong

-- 

     Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
     Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
     Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
     Wolfgangerstr. 26, 4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
     fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
     Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at