Police Line Do Not Cross
Photo Courtesy of Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
A United Methodist Insight Column
We can’t give any more comprehensive update on the crises facing us than these two paragraphs from The Media Today column by Lauren Harris, Columbia Journalism Review, “The crises are (still) happening (again)”
“A glance over the news of the last week feels like being stuck in a time loop. A Minnesota police officer killed a Black man. Protests broke out. A man took a gun into a public place and killed eight people. Newly released video footage showed that a Chicago police officer had shot and killed an unarmed child. Health officials in Colorado warned of a new potential surge in COVID-19 infections. Polls show that many Republicans are hesitant about getting vaccinated. People are dying from COVID-19. Though each of these stories felt dismally and predictably repetitive, the stories themselves are new, bearing fresh violence, fresh tragedy, and fresh grief. In many ways, individual cases of state brutality, public protest, gun violence, coronavirus infections, and political misuse of a public health emergency are part of the same old story; at the same time, they’re each singularly meaningful. The repetition reflects broken systems and ongoing crises; the stories are unique. And the press is responsible for placing individual stories in context even while allowing each story its own particular relevance.
“News outlets continue to grapple with the challenge of connecting the dots between incidents that are unique but not isolated. The New York Times reported on Saturday that police officers have been responsible for the deaths of more than three people per day since the first day of Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd. In another story, the Times reported how a Chicago police officer killing seventh-grader Adam Toledo has brought back memories of Chicago police killing seventeen-year old Laquan McDonald in 2014 (in both cases, city officials attempted to obscure video evidence). The Washington Post reported that “the coronavirus pandemic in the United States has turned into a patchwork of regional hotspots, with some states hammered by a surge of infections and hospitalizations even as others have seen the crisis begin to ease.” A Times investigation found that counties that had voted for Donald Trump in November’s election had lower vaccination rates, on average. On Friday, CNN published a map noting the forty-five mass shootings that had taken place within the past month. More shootings have been reported in the two days since CNN’s map was released. On early Sunday morning, a gunman in a Wisconsin tavern killed three people and injured two more; later that day, another gunman killed three people in Austin, Texas.”
These reports tempt us to despair, but what secular news doesn’t show are the ways that United Methodists are quick to respond to the deep soul needs around these events. I recommend reading two excellent annual conference articles and a bishop’s blog that bring both balance and hope to the distressing news reports.
After shooting at school, United Methodists grasp for answers by Annette Spence, Holston Conference
Healing the hurt in Brooklyn Center: How you can help by Christa Meland, Minnesota Conference.
Mass murder every day by Bishop Peggy A. Johnson
Churches serving as vaccination hubs
United Methodist congregations in the North Texas Conference are benefitting their communities by serving as vaccination hubs, reports communications director Matt Jacob.
St. Luke “Community” UMC in Dallas has been holding regular events to serve the Black community. First UMC in Sachse, northeast of Dallas, partnered with a local pharmacy to bring vaccinations. Other churches that have held vaccination events include First UMC Sulphur Springs, First UMC Electra, Hamilton Park UMC in Dallas and Wesley UMC in Greenville. Read the story.
Agencies sponsor Prayers for Societal Injustice
Four United Methodist agencies – Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century (SBC21), Native American Comprehensive Plan (NACP), The Upper Room, and Discipleship Ministries – are holding online prayer sessions in response to waves of mass killings and other social injustices, especially those affecting Asian-American Pacific Islander, Native American and Black communities. The next event will be Wednesday, April 28 at 11 a.m. CT: Live from the Chapel with Dr. Ron Bell and Rev. Tyler Sit, hosted by The Upper Room.
Media Mentions as of April 19, 2021
Faith leaders across US join in decrying voting restrictions – ABC News
North Charleston church looks to expand ministries with new homeless shelter – Charleston Post Courier
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.