Native American Rights: Acknowledge the Occupation

Emblem of Ohlone Costanoan-Rumsen-Carmel tribe native
to the land that is now the Monterey/Carmel area of California.

A growing trend is that people in the US who work for the rights of occupied people elsewhere in the world first acknowledge the American occupation.

As we work to #decolonizelutheranism, we need to be explicit about how concrete the colonialism is.

Maybe the "kairos moment" lies in recognizing that we took this land at the point of a gun . . . and nothing will change until we meaningfully repent of that original sin.

Map of Native American tribes in what is now California.
(Source: Costanoan Rumsen Carmel tribe website)

This sank in recently when I attended the Friends of Sabeel NA (FOSNA) conference on the occupation of Palestine, held in Santa Cruz. The proceedings began with a statement recognizing that the very spot we were sitting in had been taken by force from Native American people:

While we are gathered here today to raise awareness about the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, we need to first acknowledge the genocidal origins of OUR nation’s history of ethnic cleansing and occupation. The very ground that we are now standing on was once the homeland of the Awaswas and Ohlone people, which was ripped away from them by the Spanish conquistadors and used for building missions and settlements. Our nation as a whole however, took part in and was founded upon the ethnic cleansing of countless Native American peoples. To focus solely on Israel as a war criminal complicit in ethnic cleansing would be hypocritical, as we continue to reap material benefits from the slaughter and marginalization of the Awaswas and Ohlone.

This land was not left to us peacefully. It was stolen. It was expropriated. As we are clearly not the rightful inhabitants of this land, it would do us well to shed our sense of entitlement. We need to realize that we are an intrinsic part of this process of genocide and until we act to concretely and directly abolish it here, our actions to bring justice in occupied Palestine are hypocritical and reflective of our underlying white supremacist attitudes.

This wasn't the first time I had attended an event that began with this recognition -- for instance, I remember similar statements at an anti-drones conference, a conference on police crimes, and the installation of a UCC leader -- but perhaps because I am new to this place, I paid close attention.

I would encourage everyone who welcomes this recognition to go the next step: take a minute now to go online and learn about the people who lived in the place you now occupy, back before someone came and took over. Do you know the names of the original occupants of the land you now claim as "your" home?


Related posts

How do you observe Indigenous Peoples Day?

(See Reflections on Indigenous Peoples Day 2015)











"Missa dos Quilombos" asked for forgiveness and sought healing for the legacy of slavery in Brazil. Dom Helder celebrated the Quilombo Mass. He said: "Mariama [Mother Mary], we aren't here to ask that today's slaves be tomorrow's slave masters. Enough of slaves! Enough of masters! We want liberty!" The beating of the drums was overpowering, they exploded like the screams of our souls!

(See Hélder Câmara and Liberation Theology 101: Where? When? Why? Who? )


Sun Raid is a searing reminder that people in the US have always been happy to welcome immigrants to help make their businesses profitable and make sure they had cheap stuff and cheap labor . . . . but how dare they expect to be treated like people!

(See WELCOME MAT USA: Come in! Come in! (Get out! Get out!))











Can there be any more clear illustration than the one at left to remind us that the work of the Church is liberation?

(See Christian "Church"? How about Christian "Liberation Organization"? )

Empire, Chinese Style ("Why the Leung Face?")

"Look Left"
Since Hong Kong uses a British-style left-hand driving
set-up, flaneurs are grateful for ubiquitous reminders that can
save pedestrians from being blind-sided -- e.g. by a double-
decker bus barreling down the narrow streets. (Do those
signs foretell HK's future political orientation as well?)

I'm right there with the protesters in Hong Kong - in my mind, anyway.

I traveled frequently to Hong Kong during the '80s and '90s, and the streets the demonstrators are currently occupying are some of the most familiar to me in the world. I look at the online maps showing the main areas of the occupation, and I can summon up the details of these places, block by block, from memory.

Back in those days, I often stayed in a hotel on the Kowloon side, and I loved starting the day by walking the few blocks to the ferry pier. The Star Ferry boats shuttle back and forth continuously between the Kowloon and the Hong Kong side, and it's exhilarating to take the short 5-minute ride that weaves through the fantastic harbor traffic and deposits you in Central. You walk out of the ferry building on the Hong Kong side, and you're looking up at the futuristic Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Building - symbol of British colonial control of the territory.

50 HK Dollar note, featuring the Norman Foster-designed HSBC building
Currency in Hong Kong is supplied by banks as bank notes. During the period
of British control, the notes were supplied by the two large British banks
in Hong Kong - Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Corporation, and Standard
Chartered Bank. Today there is a third supplier: the Bank of China.

Next to the HSBC building is the old Bank of China building - once the center of the People's Republic of China presence in colonial Hong Kong, and now superceded by the new BoC building by I.M. Pei, several blocks to the east. (The old building now houses the "China Club" -- a celebration of all things Chinese, from retro Shanghai style to Mao nostalgia -- conceived shortly before the 1997 handover by Hong Kong impresario David Tang.)

A few steps to the west . . . well . . . you get the picture . . . . With each step, you're traversing ground rich with meaning.

As I say, in my mind, I'm traversing those same blocks with the demonstrators.

I've thought about it and I have one thing to say about the current protests, as well as a few questions to ask. 


One Thing: "The emperor is far away . . . . "

Like everyone else, I am concerned about what is going to happen in Hong Kong, and I worry that there may be violent repression as there was against the student demonstrators in Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

I'm holding out hope that this situation is different because of geography. Although it may seem like an arbitrary distinction, I think it is, in fact, significant to the leaders in Beijing that this group of students is far away in Hong Kong and that other group of students was right in their faces in the central square of the seat of power, Beijing.

A truism from Asian History 101 is conveyed by the expression, "Heaven is high and the emperor is far away." In other words, China is a big place, and it makes a difference whether you're at the "center" or in some relatively distant corner of the empire.

Broadly, this translates into a sense in traditional elite Chinese culture that south China is almost like another country. (This was reinforced by the elaborate centralized government bureaucracy that enabled the development of an "inside-the-Beltway" mentality in China long before Washington was born.)

Occupy Hong Kong, October 2014
This gathering centers on the government buildings of the Hong Kong
administration. The building in the near distance (right rear) with the glowing
triangle outlines and twin antennae is the Bank of China building.

Substantial scholarly effort has been devoted to analyzing the characteristics of "empire, Chinese style." I have found the collection of essays edited by John K. Fairbank, The Chinese World Order: Traditional China's Foreign Relations, to be especially helpful. To summarize, the historians observed that in many different examples of relations with (nearby) neighbors, traditional Chinese rulers exhibited little interest in outright control or even material advantage, but did angle successfully to obtain nominal submission, accompanied by explicit, universally readable symbolism. The classic form this took was the tribute mission, in which ambassadors came and offered gifts to China -- frequently resulting in the receiving of substantially greater gifts from the rulers of China. (Hey, it's the thought that counts.)

I think this is particularly valuable as we watch what happens in the months and years ahead in numerous areas of China, as China seeks to hold its empire together.

It also bears comparison with what we observe in the months and years ahead about how the United States behaves as it seeks to hold its empire together.


Some Questions

There are questions that are worth thinking more about and discussing.

What is the relationship between Occupy Hong Kong and the U.S. occupy movement? Are they siblings? Cousins? Or is this OINO ("occupy" in name only)?

What's with those Hong Kong students? I have known lots of young Hong Kong people, and I always knew they were smart and sophisticated. And worldly. So how did this current crop of students -- en masse -- get so political?

"HK you are not alone!"
"A student protester walks past umbrellas with words of support
written on them at the pro-democracy protest site near the
government headquarters in Hong Kong on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The protesters' use of umbrellas — among other equipment — to
shield themselves from the potential pain of tear gas and
rubber bullets has helped earned the movement the name the
'umbrella revolution.'" CBCNews (Wong Maye-E/Associated Press)

What's the 100-year plan? Great Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Most Westerners applied a Western approach to understanding what this meant: "Well, that's over with." China, on the other hand, stated that it was the beginning of a process. Maybe now would be a good time to try to imagine how they are seeing things.

Make that "100-year plans" (plural). As indicated above, there are numerous areas of China that are contested territory (physically and politically). I touched on one of them -- the Uighur area of Xinjiang -- in a recent blog post. How can we get our heads around what governance means for a China that has a half dozen pots on low boil?

What's the U.S. role in all this?  I was startled to see an analysis from Russia and other sources suggesting that the U.S. had instigated the student protests in Hong Kong. My own experience has always led me to believe that the last thing the U.S. cares about is political rights in any part of China - it's all about "what's good for business." (See "Remember June 4") What's the truth?


In the days and weeks ahead, we have an enormous opportunity to better understand how people in one of the most important places in the world think and operate. It is tempting to get caught up in the momentary play-by-play -- What will Hong Kong Chief executive C.Y. Leung's next move be? (Is he just a tool of Beijing?) -- but what would be truly valuable would be for us to convene many more conversations about the underlying issues, and the big emerging directions.

"Students march to the Government House in Hong Kong to push Chief 
Executive C.Y. Leung to acknowledge their grievances, Sept. 25, 2014."
 The banner translates as "Hope lies in the people" (The poster of Leung -- bearing
vampire fangs -- requires no translation.) Source: Radio Free Asia

Related posts

Can you think of a concrete symbol of a social protest movement that has gained as much traction?

(See HONG KONG'S UMBRELLA: An Icon for the Ages )












Large protests in Hong Kong have been occuring in Hong Kong for decades. Street demonstrations at the beginning of 2010 exhibited a new high in diversity, expression, and energy.

(See #0101hk: Visual Imagery of Hong Kong Protests Jan 1 2010 )






"The idea of following up their momentary contact hardly crossed his mind. It would have been inconceivably dangerous even if he had known how to set about doing it."

(See When Did "Free Assembly" Become "Inconceivably Dangerous"? )

It may be difficult to see today that the success of our movement in the future will depend on Chinese activists having the same freedoms that activists in the West enjoy. But, I predict, that is precisely what will make all the difference.

(See What is the US Peace and Justice Movement Doing for Dissidents in China?)




Doesn't politics and diplomacy call for the deft engagement with figures such as Ilham Tohti, in order to find breakthroughs that accommodate everyone, rather than a scorched earth approach? One answer that comes to mind: power holders in China are much more familiar with other ideas about how to "send a message."

(See CHINA: Where Minority Nostalgia is One Thing, Minority POLITICS Quite Another )

Flies in the Ointment and Plumb Lines for Israel

I've developed a new practice recently. I've been thinking a lot about the meaning of "evangelism" -- "good news-telling" -- and I've decided that for Christian evangelism to make any sense the "good news" has to be audible to people who haven't already formed ideas about what the Christian idea of "good news" is.

So the question I've put myself is: what am I hearing on Sunday that helps me understand how to be with the people that I meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday? How can it help me be a bearer of something that sounds like "good news" to them?

In other words, I look at the texts for the day and listen to what's being said about them, with the attitude that "there's gotta be some fairly direct pointer to a better reality in here -- focus on that and carry it forward this week!"

With this new attitude, I start to notice things that I don't think I would have paid attention to in the past.

Good News for Modern Man
The New Testament in the Good News Translation

I even listen to the Old Testament lessons now and think about them! I used to be a gospel snob -- thinking that the only stuff that mattered in the Bible was the part about Christ's life and passion. (Hey -- I'm a child of the '60s and Good News for Modern Man -- I came by it honestly!) Now, I pay more attention to a lot of materials, and not just those in the Bible . . .

Anyway, this past week I saw a passage in the story of the Old Testament prophet Amos that grabbed my attention:

Then the LORD said,
"See, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass them by; (Amos 7:8)

This was interesting to me for two reasons. First, the idea of a "plumb line" being put used to wake people up and make obvious to them where they had gone off kilter is very vivid. It reminded me of my friend, Ron, whose favorite protest sign is one that talks about being "the fly in the ointment."

Have the courage to become 
"the fly in the ointment"!
OCCUPY!

Like a full-service prophet, Ron often has to be his own interpreter and explain to people what the expression "fly in the ointment" means! However, when he shows them his sign, with the big gross fly on it, they intuitively understand the role of social critic in making people uncomfortable and pointing up the need for change. And they understand that the role is not always welcomed.

The picture above shows Ron at the corner of LaSalle and Jackson in Chicago, the locus of the Occupy Chicago movement and protests.  The entire Occupy movement has been a "fly in the ointment" and a "plumb line for Israel" -- creating an un-ignorable presence in the midst of our all-too-busy lives and reminding a lot of people that some things have gotten badly out of whack.

An important part of spreading the good news, I believe, lies in suggesting how it might be possible that this universal, un-grasp-able power that we call "God" may actually find its expression in the midst of our lives through plumb lines, flies, and prophets like Ron and Occupy Chicago.

(I'm watching you)

That idea is further suggested by the promise, "I will never again pass them by." Some people may hear that as, "I'm done with you," but I've read it over and over again, and I feel pretty sure it means, instead, "Clearly, I haven't been watching you closely enough." Or perhaps, "You're not getting a pass from me on this."

To be sure, we need to wonder if that is a threat or a promise.  It's sort of like when your father says, "I've got my eye on you." Outwardly, we may say, "Leave me alone!" But inwardly, don't we say, "At last!" ?

The ultimate good news in this, then, is that someone cares too much to "just let it go . . . " !

It may not be immediately apparent that Ron (the fly in the ointment) has anything to do with God, and God's relationship to humanity; to be sure, some people may find the notion unreasonable. (Even annoying!) Ultimately, there is room for all kinds of opinions about the significance of that fly and how it came to be there -- and perhaps that's the greatest good news of all . . . .


P.S. - The great thing about thinking about how these words apply to our lives is that it leads to more and more exploration, and more and more insight. For instance, writing this has led me to look up the expression "fly in the ointment," and that has led me to realize that Ron has exposed a whole new side to it. The evangelism continues . . . .


Related posts

Can saying SHUT UP! be an act of love?

(See More war? "PUT A MUZZLE ON IT!" )












Faced with chorus of voices saying, "Isn't it time for you to tone it down? Can't you be more reasonable? What is it you want, anyway?" Jesus kept right on doing what he was doing. And that was a sign to us about how to live our lives . . . .

(See WWJD? Occupy! )

Does "God" "care" that the ultimate outcome of the damage to the Earth's climate may lead to the end -- not of the Earth itself, nor of life on Earth, but of the existence of the human species on Earth?

(See Does "God" "care" about the climate crisis?)

I believe Easter is God's gift to humanity of victory over death, hopelessness and frailty, and I believe that God is alive and in our midst. The witness of the Guantanamo lawyers has confirmed me in those beliefs.

(See Easter Victory: The Guantanamo Lawyers )

Occupy State and Jackson

Federal Plaza in Chicago has always been a place for public protest and public discourse. Last year, the Occupy movement reclaimed State and Jackson and the plaza at Michigan and Congress as places that citizens can come together and talk about what needs to change.

The hunger strike that is now in its 101st day at Guantanamo has precipitated a new occupation -- gatherings at State and Jackson where people publicize the continued abuses of the U.S. government, and determine ways to organize for change.

Chicago protests as Guantanamo hunger strike passes Day 100.

Yesterday, a rally and march in the Loop publicized the 100th day of the hunger strike. It was one of dozens of solidarity protests occurring around the country and around the world.

Protests will continue at State and Jackson every Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Many people have been working for a very long time to end the atrocities at Guantanamo -- some of them were speakers at the rally yesterday. For many of these people, the failure of the U.S. government to close Guantanamo, free the dozens of men they've already declared blameless, and make reparations is mystifying. At times, it feels like there is nothing more we can do.

What have the hunger strikers taught us? First, that the atrocities of the U.S. government just don't stop. Second, that everyone -- even those most oppressed -- has means at their disposal to resist.

So . . . see you at State and Jackson. The U.S. government can be counted on to continue supplying the atrocities. It's up to us to bring the noise.


Related posts

Can there be any doubt that Obama and his administration, who think it is their right to wage war in secret, kill anyone they want to, and destroy whole societies, took their cues from Kissinger and Nixon and their "Imperial (and criminal) Presidency"?

(See No Statute of Limitations for War Crimes (Henry Kissinger in Chicago))

Some of us wear orange jumpsuit and black hoods, while others talk with people on the street. As each day passes the more urgent the situation for the men still remaining becomes. The only way to ensure the health and safety of these men and end the Hunger Strike is that the 86 cleared for release be released and the rest be charged and given a fair trial. It is on us to keep the hunger strike and the humanity of these men in the public eye.

(See Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo: "Weekly Vigils to Shut Down Guantanamo" )



Chicago was the site of major protests against U.S. detention practices in Guantanamo, as well as in Bagram, other prisons throughout Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the world, on and around January 11, 2012. We called for an end to indefinite detention, unfair trials, and torture.

(See Chicago Protests Guantanamo Detention)

Occupy Food Justice!

Below are comments I made at the Occupy Palm Sunday! event in Logan Square on Sunday, April 1, 2012.

* * * * *

If you look around today, you'll see signs with the words, "I was hungry and you gave me food." (Tuve hambre y me disteis de comer.) -- part of that simple description in Matthew 25 of what is asked of us.

Pastor Erik Christensen, from St. Luke's Logan Square, is the person who shook my conscience with this simple statement: "We believe that the thing about food is: it's just this thing that we GIVE to people." (Creemos que lo que pasa con los alimentos es la siguiente: es algo, una comida compartio entre la comunidad, que compartimos con el pueblo.)

The Gospel witness is full of feeding and eating.(El testigo del Evangelio esta lleno de testimonios de alimentar y comer.)

"People! You don't have a PRODUCTION problem ... 
you have a DISTRIBUTION problem!"
"Mi Gente! Usted no tiene una problema de la PRODUCCION.... 
tiene una problema de DISTRIBUCION!"
Joe Scarry speaking at the first "Occupy Palm Sunday" in Logan Square
(Photo courtesy FJJ)

Probably the story most familiar to all of us is the story of the loaves and fishes (la historia de los panes y los peces). What happened in that situation? The disciples came to Jesus and said: "LOOK AT ALL THESE PEOPLE! How are they going to get enough to eat???" (Mira cuantas personas! Habra suficiente comida?)

Jesus said, "It's cool ... what have you got? ... okay, so go pass it out ...." (Esta bien! Que te pasa? pues, comienzan a distribuirio ...)

And when it was all said and done, the disciples said, "Huh! What d'ya know? There was more than enough!" (Eh! Podria imaginar? Habia mas que suficiente!)

Jesus came along at a time when society in his part of the world was going through a transition, and people were struggling to figure it all out. Part of what they were struggling with was a set of old ideas about the control of resources, especially the fruit of the land. They had gotten to a point where there WAS enough to go around ... if only they could figure out how to live together in community.

I believe that the heart of Jesus' message was: "People! You don't have a PRODUCTION problem ... you have a DISTRIBUTION problem!" (Yo creo que el corazon del mensaje de Jesus fue: "Mi Gente! Usted no tiene una problema de la PRODUCCION.... tiene una problema de DISTRIBUCION!")

God's old covenant with his people -- the Old Testament -- looked like this: "Here's the deal: You be loyal to me, and I'll make sure the earth produces enough food for you." Jesus came along to say: "Here's the new deal: God loves you enough that there's enough for everybody, AND he's given you what you need to figure out how to share it." (Dios nos ama suficiente y hay suficiente para todos, y el nos hay dado lo que necesitamos pero nuestros tenemos que encontratr la manera de compartirio.) That is the new covenant -- the New Testament.

I was hungry and you fed me
Hambre y me disteis de comer

And so, when we worship, the heart of our service is the part where we first take an offering -- "what have you got?" -- and then we have a shared communion meal.

As Pat Kuhlman, one of the people who has been volunteering for decades at the "Elijah's Pantry" food pantry at St. Luke's told me, "Elijah's Pantry is an extension of our communion table -- a meal shared among the community. (El Pantry de Elijah es una extension de nuestra mesa de comunion -- una comida compartio entre la comunidad.) "At the end of our worship every Sunday," she continued, "the congregation turns to follow the cross as it is carried down the aisle and out the front door. That symbolizes for us that the faith we profess does not stop at the front door, but governs our actions outside."

At St. Luke's, we couldn't follow the cross out the door without The Greater Chicago Food Depository. GCFD is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 678,000 adults and children in Cook County every year.

Doug Schenkelberg, Vice President of Advocacy and Outreach at GCFD, has suggested that one way we can help achieve food justice is by calling our state legislators to sign on in support of two resolutions that call for a strong federal Farm Bill. As explained on the Illinois Stewardship Alliance website,

Illinois Senate Resolution 530 urges Congress to adopt a farm bill the supports and promotes local and regional food systems and is sponsored by local food champion Senator Dave Koehler. SR 530’s counterpart House Resolution 734 has the exact same language as the Senate version and is being sponsored by Representative Kelly Burke.

Local food systems are good for farmers, good for customers, good for the economy, and good for the environment. When people buy locally-grown food, their money goes right back into the regional economy--not to some other state, and not overseas,” Koehler said. “They get to develop relationships with local farmers and learn where their food is really coming from. They also help out the environment by reducing shipping costs and making it easier for farmers to grow a variety of different crops.

Doug from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the people at Illinois Stewardship Alliance encourage us to take action: Call your Illinois State Representative Now and ask them to co-sponsor HR 734!

Spanish translation courtesy Laura Leon.


Read about Community Dinners at St. Luke's


Related posts

Think back on everything that has happened in the last year. Is it time for things to quiet down? To have a "nice" spring? To sit back and be entertained by the usual presidential campaign circus?

(See Occupy Palm Sunday in 2016)




Chicago, March 29, 2012 -- Members of congregations from across Logan Square and Humboldt Park streamed from their respective houses of worship to the Logan Square monument at the end of services on April 1 to Occupy Palm Sunday! Participants sang and chanted songs of protest and praise as they occupied the green space at Kedzie, Milwaukee and Logan Boulevard . . . .

(See Occupy Palm Sunday! in Logan Square)










On the heels of a December 10, 2013, community meeting that brought over 400 people out to demand an immediate opening of unused units to people in need of housing, on Saturday a coalition of churches, community organizations, and residents associations will hold a holiday Posada -- a Latin American traditional re-enactment of the search by the parents of Jesus for hospitality -- that does double-duty dramatizing the plight of people left in the cold by Chicago housing policies.

(See POSADA 2013: Is there room at the inn at the CHA’s Lathrop Homes? on the Remedy for Violence website.)


I believe when Jesus broke the bread and poured the wine and said "Remember me this way," he was much more interested in encouraging us to keep having conversations -- conversations that really matter -- with others . . . and finding ways to be in relationship with our neighbors  . . . all the while reminding us "never underestimate the power of food"  . . .

(See Get Outside Your Comfort Zone and Have A Conversation Today (Welcome to the Ministry))

Occupy Palm Sunday! in Logan Square

Contact: Joe Scarry
Pastor Erik Christensen (St. Luke's Logan Square)
Pastor Bruce Ray (Kimball Avenue Evangelical Church)
Pastor Ramon Nieves (Humboldt Avenue United Methodist)

Sun April 1
11:45 Congregations March to Logan Square Monument
12:00 Arrival at Logan Square Monument (Kedzie/Logan/Milwaukee)
12:30 Speakers & Potluck

See full PHOTO GALLERY below!

Four Chicago Congregations Converge in Logan Square to Occupy Palm Sunday!


Chicago 3/29 -- Members of congregations from across Logan Square and Humboldt Park will be processing from their respective houses of worship to the Logan Square monument at the end of services on April 1 to Occupy Palm Sunday! Participants will be singing and chanting songs of protest and praise as they occupy the green space at Kedzie, Milwaukee and Logan Boulevard.
The event will feature a series of teach-ins on topics reflecting the real needs of our neighbors in Logan Square and the ministries of our congregations. Specifically, we’ll be presenting news, information and opportunities for service and advocacy on matters of healthcare, housing, hunger and immigration. Community members are encouraged to attend, and bring a dish to share. All are welcome at this public event, regardless of faith background or religious identification.

Sponsoring congregations:
First Lutheran Church
Humboldt Park United Methodist
Kimball Avenue Evangelical Church
St. Luke's Logan Square

Endorsing organizations:
Occupy the Northwest Side

"Join" on the Facebook event page for Occupy Palm Sunday! in Logan Square
Read details of the program for Occupy Palm Sunday! in Logan Square

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

Scarry Thoughts: Occupy Palm Sunday!
Scarry Thoughts: WWJD? Occupy!
The Messenger: Occupy Palm Sunday!
Scarry Thoughts: Occupy Food Justice!
CBS Chicago: Logan Square Residents ‘Occupy Palm Sunday’ To Call For Immigration Reform

PHOTO GALLERY


Members of St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square process to the Occupy Palm Sunday! event


WELCOME! Pastor Bruce Ray from Kimball Avenue Church at Occupy Palm Sunday


Jesus Loves Immigrants! Members of Humboldt Park United Methodist, together with seminarian Bill Novak and Pastor Ramon Nieves


Laura Leon from St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square talking about the need to provide health care for all


Singing around the Logan Square Eagle at Occupy Palm Sunday! - Pastor Ramon Nieves, Pastor Erik Christensen, seminarian Francisco Herrera, members of their congregations, and other members of the Logan Square community


Andy Willis from Kimball Avenue Church on the need to provide shelter for all!


Joe Scarry from St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square: Occupy Food Justice!

Occupy Palm Sunday! poster art: Andrew Willis
Photos: FJJ


Related posts

Think back on everything that has happened in the last year. Is it time for things to quiet down? To have a "nice" spring? To sit back and be entertained by the usual presidential campaign circus?

(See Occupy Palm Sunday in 2016)




God's old covenant with his people -- the Old Testament -- looked like this: "Here's the deal: You be loyal to me, and I'll make sure the earth produces enough food for you." Jesus came along to say: "Here's the new deal: God loves you enough that there's enough for everybody, AND he's given you what you need to figure out how to share it." (Dios nos ama suficiente y hay suficiente para todos, y el nos hay dado lo que necesitamos pero nuestros tenemos que encontratr la manera de compartirio.) That is the new covenant -- the New Testament.

(See Occupy Food Justice!)

I've been thinking about the Occupy movement and what it has to do with Christian witness. The conclusion I've come to is: a lot! In fact, I think it's central to our understanding of what Christ's life and death meant.

(See Occupy Palm Sunday! )




One place I've focused my activism is my church community. Last fall, at the time of the Afghanistan invasion anniversary, I posed the question, "Where is the Church?" In the weeks and months that followed, I realized that I, myself, had to be part of the solution of giving direction to the Church.

(See Obama? NO! Activism? YES! )

Limbering Up for May

Yesterday afternoon, Occupy Chicago sprang back to life at LaSalle and Jackson. It was wonderful to turn the corner onto Jackson and hear the drums and the chants!

The occasion was a nationwide day of action to STOP! the Suppression of the Occupy Movement. Chicago was one of the major action centers, and the Chicago action was unanimously endorsed by Midwest Antiwar Mobilization, Cangate, and others. The February 28 action was widely publicized on places like Twitter (#F28); high-profile endorsements included a video message from Noam Chomsky.

ANONYMOUS: #DontSuppressOWS rallies nationwide ...

I learned three things on #F28:

First and foremost: getting out into the public square and protesting is like a muscle that must be exercised in order to remain healthy. There have been other actions in which Occupy Chicago has protested in recent months -- like the Bradley Manning protest in December, the January 11 protest against Guantanamo, indefinite detention, and the NDAA, the February 4 protest against U.S. war moves on Iran, and others -- but #F28 was all about getting back to Occupy Chicago basics. It felt great to be back at LaSalle and Jackson, and to be marching through the Loop.

The Planet Over Profits(Photo courtesy FJJ)

Second: passersby took note. There were looks of recognition, and lots of smiles -- and LOTS of honks. It was almost as if people in the street were saying, "Where you been?" And, yes, the people who have always felt threatened by Occupy Chicago -- the people who act dismissive of it, the ones who brush by and can't be bothered -- were back to flexing those muscles on #F28. Which is exactly why the wake-up call must continue . . . .

The Fly in the Ointment: Occupy Chicago at "The Horse"
(Photo courtesy FJJ)

Third: the police were out in force and acting very peculiar. As the NLG speaker who reviewed the recent "Sit Down and Shut Up!" ordinances pointed out, there were all kinds of ordinance violations going on right there -- starting with the very fact that we were assembling in public without a permit. Of course, a fact that was brought out into the blinding light of day during the ordinance hearings -- and that the speaker emphasized last night -- is that Chicago's modus operandus is to have TONS of ordinances that it can then go ahead an enforse selectively. Kind of makes a mockery of equal protection, doesn't it?

Last night, the Chicago Police Department was on their best behavior. I imagine that they were under orders that went something like this: "OK, these people are out calling attention to the fact that we've been suppressing their free expression and walking all over their Constitutional rights. Whatever you do, DON'T arrest anyone!"

It is this last point that bears further thought. Just how long will it be before Rahm Emanuel changes direction once again and cracks down on free expression in Chicago? Certainly no one has any illusions that he is going to allow people to criticize NATO/G8 when they are in town. So it's just a matter of time, isn't it?

And another thing: How long will it be before the members of the CPD get fed up with the ridiculous position that Rahm has put them in: arranging for a hugely unpopular summit in Chicago, stirring up righteous indignation across the city and across the country, attracting the attention of every activist who has a pulse, putting in place draconian prohibitions on free expression, beefing up the police force ... and then telling the police to keep a lid on protest but don't create any headlines? WTF!!!

It feels good to be getting limbered up. May, 2012, can't come soon enough!

"the 1% are KLLLING US!"
Occupy Chicago
(Photo courtesy FJJ)

Related posts

Posterboard and markers: $21.79
Leaflets: $7:50
Bullhorn: $99.99
Standing up for peace and justice when everyone around you is saying "Get a job!" and "GO F**K YOURSELF!": PRICELESS!

(See Dissent: PRICELESS!)

Like a full-service prophet, Ron often has to be his own interpreter and explain to people what the expression "fly in the ointment" means! However, when he shows them his sign, with the big gross fly on it, they intuitively understand the role of social critic in making people uncomfortable and pointing up the need for change. And they understand that the role is not
always welcomed.

(See Flies in the Ointment and Plumb Lines for Israel)











Guantanamo and Chicago '68 live in the public's subconscious, where they lurk in the shadows, threatening anyone who has a dissenting thought. It's time we dragged those images out into the open, forcing people to consciously address the way people are being intentionally terrorized by our government. Only if we can do this -- put a name to the threat -- will the ordinary Chicagoan wake up and say, "You expect me to be intimidated? HELL NO!"

(See Twin Specters of Repression in America)