After the Ferguson protests, church volunteers pick up the pieces

[hrmjustin]

Lilly Fowler

FERGUSON, Mo. (RNS) On the fourth morning after Michael Brown’s death, residents from different parts of the region came together to pick up the pieces.

Some were young, some old. The majority arrived as part of the faithful. Others trickled in after spotting volunteers marching up and down West Florissant under the hot sun. Carrying brooms and large garbage bags, they collected whatever they could find: rubber bullets, broken glass, liquor bottles, tear gas grenades.

“I needed to come out today just to get some stability,” said Gary Park, 34, an auto mechanic who lives near the area in Ferguson where Brown was shot and protests erupted. Close by is the looted and burned QuikTrip that sits as a symbol of the severity of the unrest that resulted from an unnamed cop fatally shooting an unarmed 18-year-old.

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/08/14/prostests-church-volunteers-pick-ferguson-trash/

[kentauros]

1. I hope they also start organizing peaceful protests.

This is the Civil Rights fight all over again, and religious leaders have always been at the forefront of that.

Their cleanup action is a start, and could send a message of a desire to "cleanup" Ferguson's authoritarian mess, too.

[cbayer]

2. Looks like that is happening.

http://thinkprogress.org/home/2014/08/14/3471361/faith-groups-ferguson/

[kentauros]

3. Thank you for that link.

I especially liked this paragraph:

“The point of nonviolent action is not to claim an enemy and defeat that enemy,” Very Rev. Michael Kinman, Dean of Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral in St. Louis, told ThinkProgress ahead of the protest. “The point is to win hearts, and we believe there is gospel truth in that voice of the young people from Ferguson. We’re not doing this against the police, we’re doing this for the police."

[cbayer]

4. Unfortunately, I church leader was shot with a rubber bullet (reported but not confirmed).

I do think their participation will help, though. In general, I think law enforcement might be a little reluctant to be aggressive with a member of the clergy.

[kentauros]

5. I noticed that part in the story.

I still get the overall feeling that they want to encourage peaceful protesting in all, especially the police. The story did report that the police were in normal uniforms that day, and some even smiling to the protesters. Even that little bit is a start

[cbayer]

6. From what I have gathered, things have gotten better today.

It really reminds me of the trauma of the civil rights movement and the anti-war years.

The images are so reminiscent and so sad.

MLK made such a huge difference when he became active in the civil rights movement, as did religious groups in the anti-war movement. The theme of non-violence is certainly not the exclusive purview of religious groups, but it is often found there.

[kentauros]

7. I wasn't an adult in those times,

but I understand the sadness of the images. There's a recent one of young African-Americans all in a massive group and holding up their hands. The moment I saw that, I was immensely sad it has come to this.

And I truly abhor the way the media, local and national, dehumanize anyone that's non-white when a death occurs. It's just a number, unless it's someone "important."

[cbayer]

8. You might be referring to the image from a historically black college - Morehouse?

The student body there has done some great images. IIRC, they had one after the Trayvon Martin shooting in which they were all wearing hoodies. Very powerful.

In this case, it's not just a number. It's huge and it will have an impact. This PD has been hiding in anonymity apparently. That is no longer going to be possible.

I think the media is doing a good job on this one.

[kentauros]

9. Yes, it may have been Morehouse.

I didn't recognize the name even then.

As for how the media is covering things, I was commenting on how they cover everyone, everywhere, not just this incident. This one made the news because the community reacted violently, and now peacefully.

I meant how media such as local news reports deaths. "If it bleeds, it leads" or another local left-leaning weekly paper with their "Harris County Body Count" reports as they total up for the year. It's all detached, unemotional, and dehumanizing. And it's one of the major reasons why I don't read or watch the local news much any more.

[cbayer]

10. I understand what you are saying.

The disappearance of one small white beauty queen in Boulder merits much more attention that 15 black teenagers being killed in chicago in a week.

I think your run of the mill journalists are in a real bind these days. What sells is sensationalism. Good news doesn't get it and "routine" troubles of the marginalized don't get it.

It's one of the reasons that the religious right gets so much more attention than the religious left.

This site (DU) is important, because it delivers news with some perspective.

What area of the country are you located in?

[kentauros]

11. I can only assume that the business owners of the news outlets

over the years are the ones that have pushed the idea that bad news sells better. At this point in history, it's true because we've been told that's what works best. I also don't see that mindset changing any time soon, either. We've been thoroughly brainwashed to think a certain way towards what constitutes "news."

Yes, there are more online sources, including DU, that present the news beyond the raw numbers format, and I'm glad they're out there. I actually tried taking the Houston Chronicle for a few months here, even just their Sunday/Wednesday deal, and I still didn't read any of them. I get most of my news online or, as with lately, from Al Jazeera America's broadcast channel.

It's refreshing watching Al Jazeera because they truly report the news, without the punditry and opinion. It's like I'm watching reporters from the era before cable news with modern stories. It's great!

And as indicated above, I'm in Houston. Only the Houston Press (the left-leaning one mentioned) gets any of my attention for local news. The broadcast news shows are all tabloid, not even worth watching for fun during hurricanes (unless you're playing "Hurricane Bingo" )

[cbayer]

12. When I got TV (and it's been almost a year now), I would also watch

alternative sources like AlJazeera. I am also still a fan of PBS, though there are those here that think they have lost their way.

I really dislike highly partisan news outlets, including those that have a strong left leaning bias. MSNBC to me is not much better than FOX. Sure, they say what I like to hear, but their bias makes them untrustworthy, imo. They are just trying to get a bigger audience.

Sorry, missed that you were in Houston. I have spent little time there so don't really know what is going on.

Hurricane bingo?

[kentauros]

13. I still like some things on PBS.

To be honest, I forget about it. If I could Netflix Frontline, then I could watch just the ones mostly likely to keep me interested. Same with Nova.

I don't know who first created the Hurricane Bingo cards, but one was provided by the Houston Press some years ago, and if you've ever watched local media coverage of a hurricane, then you'll recognize every single square on the following card

[cbayer]

14. I lived in New Orleans for 21 years, including the year of the big one.

So I'm very familiar with local coverage, lol.

This hurricane bingo is great!



If I am not mistaken, there is some frontline and nova on the free hulu site. It may be a little dated though.

I can't stream any video at this point, so I am mostly listening to music or just the sounds of the area, which is cool.

[kentauros]

15. I wonder if Frontline has done anything about the militarization

of the police. It might be worth looking up. Netflix for me is DVDs only. My DSL isn't fast enough for most streaming services.

Glad you liked the bingo card