Hi Amazing Oaklife Community,
As a church and as a community justice team, we've picked some actions to express our faith through activism. Many months ago, we interviewed dozens of Oak Lifers about what justice issue mattered most to them. There was an overwhelming call to focus on the unhoused. A year of research has made it clear that the city uses police to harass and criminalize a homeless population that is disproportionately Black. Homeless people are frightened by camp evictions, in which armed officers force them to abandon their meager possessions, without offering them any place to go where they’re allowed to stay.
So we’re asking you to join the call of Black Lives Matter in Oakland to reallocate police funding into more urgent needs like housing and homeless services. Community land trusts and mental health and rehabilitation services could help our unhoused neighbors find permanent solutions. Portapotties, hand sanitizer stations, and trash pickup help homeless people maintain health and dignity. Both are a better use of city dollars than sending armed police to pointlessly chase the homeless from one camp to another.
Why would we as a church take a position on a controversial issue? Calls to defund the police are calls toward supporting the healing of our economically ravaged communities, especially in the wake of the current pandemic. As a community justice team, we are not acting hastily: we spent months talking to nonprofit workers, city officials, and homeless people, to make sure we understood what was really going on and could recommend intelligent action.
Also, speaking truth to power is simply part of following Jesus. After Jesus is arrested by the police, here is how John 18:20-23 describes the interrogation that follows:
“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Just as powerful religious people teamed up with heavily armed Roman police to persecute Jesus, white supremacist Christians in the USA have teamed up with the militarized forces of the American empire to support the persecution of activists and teachers of color who speak truth, wisdom, and peace.
Reacting to truth with violence is the wrong decision for any leader to make. Many Oak Lifers were part of a protest on June 1st, where the police made a fear-based decision to use tear gas on people peacefully expressing their personal truth. When we consider the arrests that occurred, we remember the words of Matthew 25:31-46: the way we treat the imprisoned and impoverished is the way we treat Christ.
And speaking of the impoverished, homeless people are currently struggling to get the masks they need to legally access transit and buy food. We can’t worship together in a building right now. But that was never the most important way to worship. The most important way to worship is to bring the compassion and justice of God’s kingdom to earth. Here are our two suggestions for worshipping together.
1) JOIN THE CALL TO DEFUND OPD
Act Before July 21st. Call or email your city council member or the mayor’s office before or at the City of Oakland’s budget hearing takes place Tuesday July 21st at 1:30 PM: important decisions will be made in that meeting (we hope).
A template email recommended by a Black activist group we trust is here.
If you call, know your facts. 44% of Oakland’s General Funds go towards the Oakland PD (compared to 2% funding our city libraries for example). Why are General Funds being used on armed violence instead of homeless health and safety?
The call to re-allocate police funding towards social services can and should come from a place of care and love for the people who work policing roles. It can be depressing or even traumatizing to be constantly reacting to problems you can’t solve, and we never should have put the police in that position in the first place. It’s not fair to them either.
2) HELP US GET MASKS TO THE HOMELESS
Sew or buy masks. All you need is a clean piece of fabric, a basic sewing kit, and the attached mask template to make emergency reserve masks for our unhoused siblings. You can also opt to order a supply of masks online to donate as well!
We will collect them. We will organize a collection of these supplies at the Oaklife Office at 337 17th Street on Thursday (7/23 and 7/30) from 10 AM - 12:30 PM and Monday (7/27 and 8/3) from 1 PM - 3 PM. If neither of these options work for you, reply to this email to arrange a different drop-off time or information on how to mail/ship a donation.
Share what you are doing on social media with your elected official. A list of Oakland official’s tags are here. Your elected representatives should hear from you that you are helping the homeless, and you want them to do more to help too.
Or make a BUNCH of masks: We have a no-sew mask pattern and a large supply of fabric the church purchased to make masks for Bay Area Community Services. If you are willing to cut out a large number of masks, please fill in this form and as supply lasts we will be in touch to get you the fabric and instructions.
Any participation is hugely appreciated and does contribute toward making change! If you would rather participate in a different way, or if you would like to join the community justice team to help us pick future actions, please reply to this email.
I’m proud to be part of a community that cares so much about the city around them. I miss you, but this is a very meaningful way we can be together while we are apart.
Wishing you health and wellness,
Darren Newell
And the Rest of the Community Justice Team & Leadership Team