Some grief and grieving and anger and sadness that many of us are dealing with right now

These two photographs concern the death of Derrick Clark in Milwaukee, Oregon. A statement from
Mr. Clark's family reads as follows (slightly edited):

Derrick Clark Family Statement on the Grand Jury No True Bill of 11/29/22

The family of Derrick Clark is profoundly disappointed that Dan Ferguson and Zachary Cole will not face criminal charges; however, the family was well aware that it was unlikely they would receive justice through the grand jury.

Oregon, like most states, gives officers wide discretion to use whatever force they reasonably believe is necessary to make an arrest or to protect themselves, a standard that hinges on the officer’s perceptions of danger during the encounter.

The bottom line is Derrick Clark was running away from the police when he was shot and killed. He never shot at the police, nor does it appear he pointed a gun at them. A gun was found no where near his body. After shooting Derrick, they did not render aid for 2 hours.

It took the police 49 hours to inform Derrick’s family of his death, the weekend of Juneteenth, despite that Derrick had identification in his pocket with his mother’s current address on it. Family called police on Saturday morning, 6/18, inquiring if Derrick was the one involved in the incident, but were given a firm “no.” But, it was him.

We ask the public to focus their outrage on changing the criminal legal system, particularly in regards to the following:

1. Both shooters reviewed the incident footage prior to making statements. An antiquated process such as this allows officers to tailor their accounts to match the video. It is an extremely poor investigative practice. An officer who is involved in a shooting is under investigation, to determine whether the shooting is consistent with agency policy but also for potential criminal charges. Just as police do not show video evidence to suspects or witnesses before taking their statements, officers should be required to first make statements based on memory. This current practice impedes the search for truth and we demand change.

2. Clackamas County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police are the ONLY two agencies in the State of Oregon (out of 51) called out for racial disparities in their stop data by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. Is it mere coincidence that the shooters are from these agencies? We demand additional oversight and accountability when alarming data and failure of key metrics in stop data have been concluded.

3. Lethal force and pursuit policies are written to protect officers at all costs. This is unacceptable.

4. Our family had not been allowed to view footage of the incident prior to grand jury proceedings. Once again, policy insists on wide, subjective discretion with releasing footage in Oregon. We demand handling of officer worn body camera and dash camera footage in lethal force incidents is standardized in Oregon and families are allowed to view footage timely (within one week of the incident).
Although we will not be getting the accountability we were seeking this fight is not over.

We must DEMAND change.....
We must take it to the streets......
We must SHUT it down.......

The family is being represented by J. Ashlee Albies of Albies, Stark & Guerriero.

Please donate to the Justice for Derrick Clark gofundme if you are able, so his family can have the resources to continue this fight: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-derrick-clark?member=23588523&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined&fbclid=IwAR2mi0yhtsrivVZZqbpIgIiKbfFhrZBtGpjQHwgnd33qub_eY40yzvR750Y

The (Not So) Great Replacement

 

Healing & Being Rescued---You And Your Story Matters

 

I started the post thinking that the two posts above take different approaches to the same matter. But as I reflect on this I come to a point of thinking that rescuing and healing are sometimes different and sometimes not. I also come to a point of thinking that God took human form to heal and rescue us and that Christ gave or bequeathed these powers and the responsibility for using them faithfully for the benefit of all to human beings. It's clear to me that people can save and heal others: anyone who helps get someone into recovery is saving them, the folks who help immigrants crossing the borders are saving them, you may save someone today who is despondent or angry with a smile or an affirming word or a courtesy, the story of how you came to manage your depression or heal your anger and the people it hurt can save others.   

Carlton Pearson: Go Within or Go Without....Managing anger is the number one discipline and challenge for the human experience.

 

I screamed at God...

 

From "The Politics of Swearing" by Raj Bharat Patta & Posted on the Political Theology Network Blog

From The Politics of Swearing by Raj Bharat Patta and posted on the Political Theology Network blog:

Jesus did not try to pretend to sanitise his words for the sake of the religious world around him. This is what I call spirituality, where you can be your natural self, letting out your anger against injustice, expressing your intolerance against unjust practices without any pretense and verbalising your righteous anger against the person who exploits the innocent and kills those who speak against the powers. A spirituality of swearing lies in finding meaning and value in the so-called “irreverent.” Nadia Bolz Weber explains boldly that she seriously loves Jesus and she does swear a little, by which she navigates a deeper spirituality of her faith in Jesus Christ for herself and for folks out there who are comforted by ambiguity and who need a word of Grace which “is not covered in a strawberry syrup.”

(I'm only now discovering the Political Theology Network, but they look like they're doing a great job.) 

"...do not become anger..."

The following comes from Purification of the Heart by Hamza Yusuf (Starlatch Press, Bolingbrook, IL., 2004). The bookstore has a great selection of Islamic books, children's materials, CD/DVDs, and other Islamic media, just as they say. Everyone will gain from something there.

According to scholars, like Imam al-Nawawi and others, when the Messenger of God (PBUH) said, "Do not become angry," he meant do not allow anger to lord over oneself and cause the loss of one's comportment. In other words, do not become anger, its embodiment, such that people only see your rage. Instead, control ager and never lose control. Scholars have likened anger to a hunting dog: without training, it will never retrieve what its owner needs nor will it point a person in the right direction. So anger is something that needs to be trained, not abolished, for if people completely suppressed their sense of anger, many of the injustices of the world would not have been opposed and tyranny would have gone unchecked. Without anger, people would go around with complete impunity and commit heinous acts without resistance from the people. Corruption would cover the face of the earth.

And also see this and the brief and comprehensive commentary give here:  

Hadith 16. Anger



On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “Advise me” He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not become angry” The man repeated [his request] several times and he [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not become angry”.

Reported in Bukhari

Audre Lorde On Speaking Up

I think that this needs to be true in politics, in our unions and at work, in our families, in the courts, in the streets...and it is true in our prayer lives as well.

What would we have to let go of to be at peace right now?

I don't have political or social answers to these questions right now---the lists are so long and the subjects are so complex ad people who are much smarter than me write books about this. But on my individual level the list is pretty easy: ego, doctor's visits, bills that I can't pay easily, the grind that comes with having lived for 66 years in a world where my country has been at war and/or engaged in exploitation and oppression without a break for all of that time, these unending to-do lists, this oppressive daily busyness, certain unfulfilling commitments and many more that do help others and do fulfill but take energy and struggle.

What about you?

 

When you're incapable of praying or practicing your special virtues...

 

Maybe you're needing to slow down on judging....

 

Necessary doubts and struggles that we all have: "Tender Mercies" and a person on his way to salvation

"Tender Mercies" (Robert Duvall, Tess Harper--1983) has been mostly forgotten about, but the movie still holds up. I believe that you can watch it on Youtube, but I found it on DVD.

  

Prepare To Meet God and "Great Big Hand Of God" and "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore"

 

"Peacemaking doesn't mean passivity..."

From St. Alban's Episcopal Church on Facebook.

These are points worthy of discussion. My response is that if oppressed people determined a course of action that rested on confrontational honesty with our oppressors and if we were able to somehow disarm our oppressors by honestly insisting on social justice then they would be forced out of power and love could prevail. That would be so different then what we know that it is hard to imagine or plan for. In all honesty we would have to give up our self-loathing, self-deception, distractions, and all that the ruling class puts in our way to block and distract us. "Love your enemies" would have meaning a be applicable because the preconditions for love---equality, need, patience, kindness, honesty, common interests, sustainability, vulnerability, shared priorities---would be available to all. Until then there is no basis for enemies loving one another and antagonism is often an expression of dysfunction; We aren't so much building a new society in the shell of the old as we are playing roles and using socially acceptable means that don't lead to lasting wins for the oppressed. That is a "third way" as mentioned above, but it is also a fight. And I believe that Scripture may support my view. 

Yara Allen sings in remembrance of Middle Passage --- "Oh Freedom!"

 

Somebody's Hurting My Brother

 

The Need for a Mass Coming Together in This Moment of Crisis | William Barber II

 

Protect Voting Rights & Pass Build Back Better Now: The Poor People's Campaign In West Virginia

 You can hit the link and view this on Youtube. It's worth watching.

We do not endorse the position taken by the Anglican speaker in this video.

Louise Mosrie performing "Lay it Down" at WDVX---Good Advice!