Praying in Ferguson, Missouri (Photo courtesy of NPR)

Staten Island & Ferguson REVISITED

T

he following articles are the personal reflections of three ordained Baptist pastors on incidents that occurred in Staten Island, New York, and Ferguson, Missouri, both in the United States, in 2014. On July 17, Eric Garner, an African American, died in Staten Island, New York, after a

white police officer put him in a chokehold, which the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office concluded as the cause of death. On December 3, a grand jury decided not to indict the police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, for Garner’s death. The event stirred public protests and rallies in New York and nationwide. Michael Brown, an unarmed black

teenager, was shot and killed by a white police officer on August 9. Protests erupted from August 9-25, as a result of the shooting. A second wave of protests occurred from November 24 to December 2 following the failure of the grand jury to indict the police officer, Darren Wilson. Much of the protests were peaceful but there were also incidents of vandalism, looting, rioting and arson. More than 200 protestors were arrested. Several members of the public and police officers were injured during the protest. The unrest caused by both incidents and other police actions against African Americans sparked a vigorous debate about law enforcement’s relationship with African Americans and police use of force in New York, Missouri and other parts of the US.

to I by Amy Butler

went to Ferguson, Missouri, in the United States, to attend a meeting where 30-40 faith leaders from all over the country were invited to talk with each other about

the church’s response to growing unrest in the US, about rampant racial injustice, income inequality, and cultural wounds that fester unattended until someone else gets killed and people start paying attention. But maybe the real reason I went to Ferguson with a bunch of people, most of whom I don’t know, is because I have watched the news since Michael Brown died and have lived with a growing sense of unease. I suspect there are deep changes that need to happen; I suspect there is a gospel mandate in our response. The church must be a leader in this response. We landed in St. Louis, and you could feel immediately a shift in culture. It’s the Midwest. The racial divide, though subtle, was clear. Everywhere people were talking about Ferguson.

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Ferguson, Missouri A PASTOR’S VISIT