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Asbury UMC Burned
A tweet photo captured the burning of Asbury UMC's Black Lives Matter by banner by pro-Trump protesters Dec. 12 in Washington, D.C. (Photo Courtesy of Baltimore-Washington Conference)
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Proud Boys at Asbury
The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., released photos of some of the suspects, identified as Proud Boys members, who carried the Asbury United Methodist Church’s Black Lives Matter sign and lit it on fire in the street. (Photos courtesy of Religion Unplugged)
UPDATED Dec. 17, 2020
Two historic African American United Methodist congregation and two other predominantly Black churches in Washington, D.C., were vandalized Dec. 12 by participants in a pro-Trump march that turned violent.
Proud Boys, a loose-knit organization identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, tore down Black Lives Matter signs at the churches. In the case of Asbury UMC, the sign was burned and a video of the burning posted on Twitter.
Initially Asbury was the only United Methodist congregation identified because of a Twitter video. Three days after the incident, however, Religion Unplugged report that Mount Vernon Place UMC also had been vandalized.
The Associated Press reported in a story published by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the Mount Vernon Place UMC pastor urged more attention be paid to the two historically Black churches where Black Lives Matter banners were torn down and burned.
The AP's Elana Schor wrote: "The nearby Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church reported that vandals slashed a banner printed with colors supporting LGBTQ rights and rejecting 'acts of hate or violence' against others, pastor Donna Claycomb Sokol said.
"She added that the episode at her church was 'incredibly minor compared with what happened to our neighbors' and urged that attention be paid to the damage at Asbury and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, both historically Black institutions.
"'People need to denounce it and call it an act of racial violence,' Claycomb Sokol said. "'People who have been really quick to be silent need to wrestle with what actually took place on our streets on Saturday, and how silence can actually be a sign of support, of complicity.'"
Two days earlier, Religion Unplugged reported: "In addition to Asbury, protesters destroyed Black Lives Matter signs at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, the cathedral church of the AME denomination, Luther Place Memorial Church and Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. In videos shared on Twitter, protesters identified as Proud Boys, the far-right group with ties to white nationalism, marched in the street with a Black Lives Matter banner on fire, cheering and shouting, “F*** anti-fa!” The late-night protests ended with four people stabbed and 23 arrested."
Ianther Mills
The Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills, senior pastor, Asbury United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C. (Asbury UMC Photo)
The Rev. Dr. Ianther M. Mills, senior pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church, issued a statement Sunday via the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference website:
“Last night, demonstrators who were part of the MAGA gatherings tore down our Black Lives Matter sign and literally burned it in the street. The sign burning was captured on Twitter. It pained me especially to see our name, Asbury, in flames. For me, it was reminiscent of cross burnings. Seeing this act on video made me both indignant and determined to fight the evil that has reared its ugly head. We had been so confident that no one would ever vandalize the church, but it has happened.
“… Sadly, we must point out that if this was a marauding group of men of color going through the city, and destroying property, they would have been followed and arrested. We are especially alarmed that this violence is not being denounced at the highest levels of our nation and, instead, the leaders of this movement are being invited to the White House.”
In reporting the vandalism, Dr. Mills recalled Asbury’s history as a force against racism.
““Since 1836, Asbury United Methodist Church has stood at the corner of 11th & K Streets NW, in Washington, D.C. We are a resilient people who have trusted in God through slavery and the Underground Railroad, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement, and now as we face an apparent rise in white supremacy.
“…We are a people of faith. As horrible and disturbing as this is for us now, it doesn't compare with the challenges and fears the men and women who started Asbury, 184 years ago, faced. So, we will move forward, undaunted in our assurance that Black Lives Matter and we are obligated to continue to shout that truth without ceasing. We are assured that our church is surrounded by God's grace and mercy.
“Asbury United Methodist Church abhors violence of any kind. We call upon all to join us in prayer for our community, church, and the people who are responsible for this hateful behavior. We believe this is a wakeup call for all to be more vigilant and committed to anti- racism and building a beloved community, and we invite you to join us. Our congregation will continue to stand steadfast— 'we will not be moved.' We press on in the name of the Lord!”
The Washington Post characterized the rally as “Thousands of maskless rallygoers who refuse to accept the results of the election turned downtown Washington into a falsehood-filled spectacle Saturday, two days before the electoral college will make the president’s loss official.”
The Post reported: “At least four people were stabbed near Harry’s Bar at 11th and F streets NW, a gathering point for the Proud Boys, a male-chauvinist organization with ties to white nationalism.
“The victims were hospitalized and suffered possibly life-threatening injuries, D.C. fire spokesman Doug Buchanan said. It was not immediately clear with which groups the attackers or the injured might have been affiliated,” the Post article continued.
“The violence escalated after an evening of faceoffs with counterprotesters that took place near Harry’s, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Franklin Square, and other spots around downtown,” the Post article said.
“… Each time a fight was de-escalated, another soon began in a different part of town.”
Fox News Channel 5 in Washington, D.C., reported that 33 people were arrested as a result of the violence. In addition to the four men stabbed, eight police officers were injured.
As Dr. Mills noted in her statement, the protesters were egged on by President Trump in a tweet, according to the Washington Post:
“As the Proud Boys appeared at rallies earlier in the day Saturday, Trump cheered on all of the supporters who showed up to falsely claim that the election was stolen from him, tweeting ‘Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal. Didn’t know about this, but I’ll be seeing them! #MAGA.’”
Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling issued a statement Monday morning condemning the violence.
December 14, 2020
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
-- 1 Corinthians 13:1-2, 13
Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling
Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling
"The criminal vandalism that was perpetrated on the properties of Asbury UMC, Metropolitan AMEC, and Luther Place Memorial on Saturday evening is without question ungodly and unpatriotic. Once again, people trespassed upon church property to engage in acts of intimidation and destruction. By removing the Black Lives Matter sign and burning it in the street, the vandals engaged in a historic practice of using fire to threaten the agency, autonomy, and advocacy of Black people. The victims of this hate crime are being preyed upon for a much larger anger, disappointment, and perceived loss of power by the perpetrators. Again, this is not new to our history and belies a deep-seated belief of superiority and a false sense of justification that perpetuates the scapegoating of Black and Brown people.
"While the Constitution of the United States of America affords all citizens the right to peacefully assemble, to engage in non-violent protest, and to have their voices heard, it does not afford the right to engage in acts of intimidation and hatred. Unfortunately, these actions are arguably the direct result of racially coded language, often referred to as dog-whistle politics, that further divides our nation. It cannot continue.
"As United Methodists we have agreed through our baptismal vows to resist injustice and oppression. We have also committed ourselves to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Although we denounce in the strongest terms the vandalism that occurred at Asbury UMC, we still seek to be in conversation with all people to work toward understanding, reconciliation, and peace. We take this posture, not out of naivety or acquiescence, but because in the words of Dr. King, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." We choose love.
"As the bishop of this conference, I fully support all faith communities who advocate for the marginalized. I also affirm their right to proclaim that advocacy through signage. It is consistent with our mission and ministry, and it is protected as free speech by the Constitution.
"We in the Baltimore-Washington Conference are in prayer for the Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills and the Asbury community as they have endured this act of vandalism. We share in their grief and outrage. We also lift Metropolitan AMEC and Luther Place Memorial in prayer. As the pastor of this historic congregation, Rev. Dr. Mills has offered a brilliant response to this grievous act, and I encourage all to read her letter and respond accordingly.
"Our collective response will be of one unity, peace and prayer. Details for how we will come together to show our support will be forthcoming. Until then, may we pray for our leaders, our nation and our communities."
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.