Justice not Charity

Matthew 26:9 – “For this ointment might have been sold for a large sum, and [the money] given to the poor.”

What the poor needed then, and what the poor need now, is justice. Not charity. The word translated poor, ptokois, means “those who have been made poor by government policies,” according to Rev. Dr. William Barber, III. What the poor need is to be thought of as human beings worthy of a decent quality of life. The Romans disagreed. There wasn’t much the poor people could do about it, considering the might of the Roman Empire. So, charity was the next best thing.

However, we are in a different position today. Don’t get me wrong, the people experiencing poverty today are in the same situation. They have been made poor by government policies that keep them poor and make it extremely difficult to get out of poverty. Every time our legislature passes a bill requiring more from those who get any kind of government assistance, more people cannot meet the requirement, and they lose what benefits they had, have fewer resources, and become poorer. Currently, in the midst of the pandemic, our Republican leaders are doing nothing for those at the very margins of society.

I would categorize what that former Minneapolis police officer did as both murder, and state- sponsored terrorism. Another tactic to keep people poor by taking away wage earners, ensuring they are terrorized at every turn, and trying to turn the tide of public opinion against them. I honestly cannot think of a word strong enough to describe this revolting attitude and the actions that result from the constant dehumanization of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). People are rightly outraged.

Yet, this is not what is causing the violence in our cities. It is the cause of the protests, yes. The violence, at least from every account I can find, wasn’t caused by the majority of the protestors. They were caught in it. Some people came to these protests prepared for violence. Here in Cleveland, I went to the Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday. There were more people there than at previous Black Lives Matter protests. It was disconcerting. Most people wore masks (Yay!). However, it was difficult to hear the speaker, because there were two groups on the edges of the crowd who chanted over them. At least one was a group of white people chanting anti-Trump slogans. At one point, I heard the speaker asking for a “mic check.” It was very disturbing and tense. We stayed until about 3 pm. We were unaware that there was to be a march over to the county jail and then to Public Square, or we would have marched too.

The Cleveland Scene described the violence as starting when the “majority of the march [had] progressed onward from the Justice Center, but a faction remained and began banging on the windows and throwing bottles. A police unit arrived on bicycles and engaged the front line of demonstrators on the Justice Center steps.” Shortly thereafter the police began firing tear gas and throwing flash bangs to get people to disperse. Then the marchers came back from Public Square and were caught up in the violence. 

Yet, some people came prepared for violence. At least two police cars went were burned. One needs gasoline or an accelerant for that, which would have to have been brought there from elsewhere. There were numerous fires set – at PNC bank, Starbucks, and other businesses. Police and civilians put them out before they got too big. I want to give a shout out to Pour Cleveland, a local coffee bar. According to Cleveland Scene, as their windows were busted – and presumably they were looted - they posted a note on Instagram reading, “It's just stuff guys. Not our place to judge to how people respond when their voices continue to fall on deaf ears and justice is not served.”

While there is a lot of justified anger out there, I’m not yet convinced that the looting is due to Black Lives Matter or even the majority of the protestors. However, the coffee company is right, Black voices “continue to fall on deaf ears and justice is not served.” 

There will be more about this in the coming posts. In the meantime, let’s ask ourselves, are our own ears deaf? What do we need to hear in this moment?

B