Prophetic

Matthew 26:10 – But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me.”

This reaction from the disciples reminds me of the term “virtue signaling.” Virtue signaling is a term used to denigrate a sacrificial or altruistic action; an action that goes above being merely good. That is what the disciples were doing by criticizing the woman’s actions; comparing it to what they felt would be a more worthy action. Somehow, the woman’s actions felt threatening or confusing to them, and they reacted with criticism. But Jesus is having none of it. He reframes the woman’s action and praises it as a “good service.” He ignores the misdirection that the disciples have offered in the previous verse. He refuses to discuss the woman’s action on the disciple’s terms, reframing it and refocusing their minds and hearts on the prophetic nature of the action.

Is it a stretch to liken the police actions toward protestors to the words of the disciples who didn’t like the woman’s actions? I think not. Jesus would say to those officers, “why do you trouble them? They have performed a good service for me.” A prophetic service. And, like the prophets, the protestors of extrajudicial police killing of Black people went ignored for too long. For too long, we white people have criticized the violence of looting and done nothing about the violence of our police forces against people of color; even to the point of murder.

This is true even when we have proof – as we do in the case of George Floyd’s death. It was filmed, and some people are still, STILL, saying if they would only do what they’re told, if they would only follow the law (Mr. Floyd did nothing against the law), if they would only speak peacefully, then we could hear them. That doesn’t work when abusers tell their victims that, and it doesn’t work with the police when it comes to Black people. It is a misdirection in order to avoid discussing the real issue – that police regularly kill Black people and other people of color with impunity.

Black people and their allies have been pouring the balm of protest over our heads, leading the way to a better future – and we criticize how that action was taken. This misdirection means that people then talk about that rather than police abuse of Black people and other people of color. The news is full of pundits discussing whether violence in the form of rioting and looting ever works. They ignore that in addition to the violence being protested, police use violent tactics to control crowds. Tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber bullets may be less lethal, but they are still violent reactions to peaceful protests. As if the crowds are the enemy.

We are not the enemy.

The police as currently constructed are the enemy of people of color. As a white person, I too took way too long to listen and believe the experiences of Black people. It was easy to do when I lived in places where there were few if any Black people. It is easy not to see or believe when others tell us what their experiences are and have been. For me, it really hit home when I lived in Chicago. That was the first place I’d ever lived with a substantial number of African Americans and Africans. I was finally able to hear the stories and believe them. I wish it hadn’t taken that move to believe others.

Their truth became even more real to me the day I was stalked by the University of Chicago police. I was doing my morning walk out to promontory point to watch the sunrise. It must have been in fall, because I was wearing a hoodie, and it was still dark. I had a cup of coffee with me. As I approached the train viaduct, I became aware of a car keeping pace with me. I turned and saw it was a UofC police car. I kept walking, but began to feel unsafe. As I passed under the bridge, the car sped up, turned into a parking lot on the far side, turned around to face the street, and shut its lights off. I kept walking. By now, I knew what was going on. They thought I was a Black person. Now, I was scared, but I didn’t take the hoodie off. I kept walking. As I passed the parking lot, the cops turned their lights on and stalked me again. I waited at the corner for the light to turn green and crossed the street. The cops stayed with me. Finally, as I entered the park across from the Museum of Science and Industry, I had had enough of the charade and was getting truly scared. I pulled off the hoodie. The cops sped off – just like that. That, my friends, is white privilege. Cops aren’t interested in bothering white people. Only people who are thought to have fewer resources to fight back; people of color.

This whole time, I kept thinking what hell life must be like for Black people. I had done nothing wrong, and I was being stalked as though I was prey. No one should have to live like that. No one. I regret that it took me so long to open my eyes and see the truth. I allowed myself to be misdirected by the question of whether rioting and looting was “okay” or “effective.”

Don’t be misdirected. The protestors are protesting the violence they experience in their everyday lives. If we do not become part of the solution by joining them, the least we can do is not let others misdirect the conversation. The problem is police violence against Black people in general and against these peaceful protests as well.

Protest is just one way to offer a balm to the hurting and oppressed. Many people are not able to protest in the streets, I get that. We can start by praying, if we’re praying people. As always, we can all our representatives – especially city council people – and let them know where we stand on police violence. This is both a local and national problem, and we have more power locally. We can donate money to Black Lives Matter and other organizations working on behalf of people of color. We can educate ourselves about the real issues rather than the false issues the news presents us with. We can talk with our white brothers and sisters about our racism and educate them and be educated by them. We can believe people of color when they share their stories. We can cease being “tone police;” by letting protestors protest in their way. We can attend race-sensitivity trainings. We can be vulnerable by admitting where we have been wrong and work to make amends for those wrongs.

So many ways. One source I would highly recommend, and have done so before, is How to be an Anti-Racist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. A source for learning about white privilege: Waking up White by Debby Irving and the article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” by Peggy McIntosh.

How will you pour a balm on your city today? Might I suggest joining me and other members of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival in 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence at 5 pm, wherever you are?

B