Our Divine Duty to End Systemic Oppression
Each and every one of God’s children has been endowed with the divine. This divine blessing is what connects all of humanity and when one of us is oppressed and suffers, all of us are oppressed. The Englewood shooting on Sunday, August 9, and the ensuing riots speak powerfully to this.
On a daily basis, Black communities and communities of color suffer injustices at the hands of racist structures such as the law enforcement system, where individuals with guns patrol the streets in squad cars, cameras with flashing blue lights monitor streets with broken lamps, and helicopters hover above, surveilling the residents of over policed and oppressed neighborhoods.
Is there a need for keeping people safe? Yes. Is there a need to serve and protect? Yes. But the cost should not be a person’s dignity nor their own God-given life. When those who are meant to be our protectors have the power to fatally injure someone and have the power to write the narrative of the events that occurred, oppression and injustice follows. And, when there is no justice, there can be no peace.
What happened in Englewood highlights this injustice of lawlessness and racism. After the shooting, rumors abounded about what happened: who was shot and whether or not someone was killed. No video has been released about the incident, simply a picture of a gun at the crime scene. The story being depicted is the one that police choose to show. Where is the other narrative, the community’s voice? The voice that states that police came to the neighborhood after the incident and increased tensions with residents, rather than helped to keep the peace. The story that depicts how police, armed with guns and lacking any sort of relationship with the residents of Englewood, came and, in the words of community activist Joseph Williams,[1] terrorized them. Instead of this story, our ‘protectors’ were busy trying to figure out how to protect themselves. We are called upon to look after one another, including the ones who are being oppressed.
The miscarriage of justice that all too frequently occurs within the Chicago Police Department serves as kindling for unrest within the city, and the Englewood shooting served as the spark that ignited the flames of protest.[2] The riots that followed were reflective of the fact that our police system is flawed and inadequate. Now is the time for change, now is the time for transformation.
Unless we take steps to ensure strong civilian oversight of the police and hold the police accountable to the communities they serve, riots will continue. God’s will shall be carried out and peace will occur only when we all are free from oppression and abuse. Your voice is needed to demand police accountability and to establish true civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department through the passing of the GAPA Ordinance. Take action: send an email to your alderperson now to demand an ordinance that gives the community real power.
Learn more and get involved by attending our CRS Teach In: Re-Imagining Chicago Policing on August 31 at 5:30 CDT via Zoom.
by Sarah Yousuf
Associate Director of City and County Policy
[1] Englewood police shooting may have sparked Chicago looting, some residents say CPD raised tensions at scene, Mark Rivera, ABC-7 Eyewitness News, Joseph Williams interview
[2] Condemnations of Chicago “Looting” Prioritize Property Over Black Lives, David Stovall, Truthout.org