Time for Change

Today some of you know that I spoke at a press conference held by Faith Hope, The ROAD, and United as One coalition. The ROAD, a United Methodist New Faith Community, that I am planting has been partnering with The Faith Hope Community Center in the city of Syracuse. As police brutality has been on a rise across the nation, it has also been on the rise in the city of Syracuse. One of the young boxers at Faith Hope was beaten on July 6th by police. Today we held a press conference to get his story out to the community, talk about how police brutality is on a rise, and ask for change in policy so that when a police officer does overstep and uses excessive force they can be held accountable. I was asked to share how this press conference was about more than just Elijah's case, and that it is time for all to come together. Here is what I said at the press conference:

"We gather today to bring awareness to what has happened to Elijah, his friends, and the other young people apart of the Faith Hope Community Center. In addition we want to bring awareness to the fact that there are many more in the city of Syracuse, including Alonzo Grant, Dr. Dexter, and his wife Alicia, who have been victims of police brutality. We can no longer say this is just a city problem. There is a rise of police brutality across our state and across our nation. It is time for our communities from the city and beyond to come together and stand up to say no more.

We like to tell our children that slavery is a thing in the past, but when people are still being judged by the color of their skin, told they only belong in certain places, and being targeted, arrested, and beaten when they step out of those boundaries we might as well call it what it is, a form of modern day slavery. I am calling on all of my colleagues of faith, the episcopal leaders in the Syracuse area and beyond, communities of all ethnic groups, communities from the city, suburbs, and rural areas to stand together hand in hand and say enough is enough; to join together in spite of our differences to stand up to all oppression by finding nonviolent ways united together to bring about equity for all people.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”  We can no longer be silent, we can no longer stand on the sidelines and make excuses, we can no longer say it is just how it is, we can no longer say it is someone else’s problem. It is time to raise our voices, it is time to stand together and say no one deserves to be treated this way, it is time to say enough is enough, it is time to say it is our problem, and it is time things change."

Will you join me,  unite as one in spite of our differences, and work until there is equity for all people?