THE LAST RIVER MILE

I recently attended a large, faith-based youth conference gathering. As part of the event, several hundred students and their leaders would join in worship each evening. One night, in the midst of singing praise, the group had an unanticipated visitor. A local law enforcement officer came in the back of the auditorium and spoke to one of the conference leaders. He then walked quietly down one side of the crowd, obviously trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. After a few moments he returned to the back, still working on not impacting the worship that was happening. He spoke again to a few of the conference leaders, they all smiled, and the officer exited the facility. It turns out that someone had accidentally “butt-dailed” 911. He just wanted to follow-up and make sure everything was okay. He was just doing his job, and he did it well.

However, the reaction among a few of the students and leaders who saw the policeman was noteworthy. One of the co-directors of the conference was Latino. (Native-born; his family is from Mexico.) The co-director was not visibly present in the auditorium at the time when the local policeman was there. Charged by the days in which we live, people did quick math in their heads and wondered if the co-director was in danger or had been detained. And instant fear filled a portion of the room for a time.

Friends, that’s where we are in this country. It’s not just undocumented criminals who are in fear of a largely unchecked, unregulated para-military masked force having its way throughout the land. Any brown-skinned person, citizen or not, documented or not has reason to be afraid. Those who have died by I.C.E. use of deadly force posed no threat. (In at least one case, the wrong person was pursued and subsequently died.)

I know that many who support President Trump’s policies and practices bristle when comparisons are made between this administration and the rise of the Third Reich in the 1920’s and 30’s. Well – stop using the same playbook! (Creating fear in the streets, undermining or eliminating free elections, suppression of opposition voices, demonizing and blaming “the other.” dismantling balance of power, degrading the free press, use of the “big lie” tactic, etc., etc.) I’m also aware that one default response to I.C.E. killings is, “Just comply.” I don’t even want to hear that. Where was compliance when Capital Police tried to protect the Capital and a Constitutional process on 01.06.21?

A nation needs fair and safe border policies and practices. And I do not in any way advocate using violence to resist I.C.E. incursion. But, whatever was initially intended, this has devolved to domestic terrorism. The time for non-violent citizen resistance is now. Followers of Jesus are called to stand in the gap for those who are victimized. (Zechariah 7:9-10, among the myriad of texts speaking to this in the Bible.)

This is not the America I was taught to love as a child. This is not the America I want to leave for my grandchildren. We are better than this.

I’ll see you around the next bend in the river.