Moments after posting my last blog discussing the symptoms of a system that promotes a false ideal, I heard that two men where murdered a few blocks from my house. Those of us that have intentionally moved to Golden Hill to be the presence of Jesus to this community know its history and the violence that is still active here. With that said, even we can become insulated from its reality. We ALL walk these streets everyday, it is our home and the place we are raising our children. One of our NieuCommunities staff, Jon Hall, reflected honestly and beautifully on our role in this neighborhood when he wrote this email to a group of us the day after the shooting:
Some of you may know that last night there were two men, a father and son, shot and killed at 30th and C streets. Last night I saw the police lights flashing up my street as they blocked off the stretch of 30th, between B and C. It’s not uncommon for stuff to happen there, so I wasn’t really alarmed. As I went outside to see what was up, I ended up in a great conversation with my neighbor, Mike. I had no idea the tragedy that had unfolded a block away.
This morning, I read a blog post by Jim Wallis in reference to the shooting the other day of Gabrielle Giffords, a congresswoman
out of Arizona. Wallis knew Ms. Giffords personally, and asks his readers, as Christians and members of the same national community, “What is our role in this?”
He goes on…
“A central calling for Christians is to be peacemakers. Peace, we understand, is not simply the absence of current conflict, but the presence of a just community. In the midst of tragedy and violence, I believe this means every Christian must ask themselves: “How am I responsible?” What more can we do to bring peace to this world as the Prince of Peace has called us to do? What are the situations and environments that allow this kind of hate and violence to grow? How can I not only stop conflict, but also be a part of bringing about a just community that displays the positive presence of peace?
Wallis references that, when things like this happen in your own neighborhood, it takes on a different reality. I know what he means. Rob posted today on Facebook a prayer that, in light of this murder in GH, we can make a difference. Good thoughts for us to consider, for sure.
I walk that stretch of 30th often, usually with Rover in tow (or him leading me, more accurately). I know many of you often walk the streets of Golden Hill as well, and the reality that we live in a neighborhood where things like this can happen can be sobering.
While I haven’t seen any media reports that say that this is gang related, I have had a few recent encounters with groups of guys that fit the appearance of gang members, including a bit of a creepy encounter 2 weeks at 30th and C. It’s given me a heightened sense of the reality that we live in a neighborhood that isn’t the picture of safety and comfort, yet is a neighborhood that I belong to, and it to me. And it’s made me wonder, as Wallis asks, “What is our role in this?”
Here’s the Wallis post: http://bit.ly/eQ3PsD
Good thoughts, thanks for sharing them Jon. I’d be interested for you to explore the question of “how am I responsible” a bit further. It seems like an abrupt question or maybe an indirect connection, but I’m sure there’s some good territory to explore in looking more at the question. Maybe a future blog post?
Sidenote, I think congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is in critical condition but wasn’t killed in that shooting.
Now don’t let Harry be out too late in that rough neighborhood! 🙂
We’ve upgraded Harry’s leash from nylon to a chain! 🙂
I agree that it is both an abrupt and indirect question, while at the same time I believe it is a timely/necessary one. Obviously we weren’t directly responsible for this incident, but I agree that we have to ask ourselves these questions if we are serious about building just communities. Yes, this may take another post or two to unpack.
Thanks for the heads-up about Gabrielle Giffords condition. You can tell I didn’t do much editing before posting!