Protesters shut down a major expressway in my hometown of Chicago today.
By all accounts, it was a peaceful act of civil disobedience, intended to raise awareness and promote more constructive conversation and action to address gun violence and the lack of economic opportunities that so often goes hand-in-hand with crime.
Indeed, leaders of the protest, most prominently Fr. Michael Pfleger, longtime pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church on Chicago’s South Side, actually negotiated with city and police leaders to obtain access to all northbound lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway.
Predictably, reaction to the protest was mixed.
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner criticized the protest. The Chicago Tribune reported that Rauner tweeted, “This is unacceptable. We had clear parameters that allowed protesters to be heard while respecting law and order. Instead, they chose instead (sic) to cause chaos.”
It seems to me that Rauner misses the point of civil disobedience. Agree or disagree with their positions, civil protesters are moved to action because they feel that they are being ignored. Civil disobedience that “respect(s) law and order” is unlikely to persuade anyone to seriously examine, let alone address, the status quo. By definition, civil disobedience doesn’t respect the law, it breaks the law.
On the other side of the equation, do the protesters have the courage of their convictions? Are they willing to be arrested for their strategic actions of breaking the law in order to move the government to a different place? (Although according to the news reports I have read thus far, no arrests have been made.)
Because that’s how civil disobedience works – creating a situation that is untenable to all sides. The protesters don’t want to be in jail. The people inconvenienced by the protests don’t want to be inconvenienced. And elected officials don’t want to deal with any of it for one second longer than they have to.
And so people reconsider their positions.
I’ve known Fr. Pfleger for over 20 years. I have sat in meetings with him, negotiated governmental memoranda of understandings with him, worshipped with him and marched alongside him on the streets of the neighborhood he serves to protest gun and drug crimes (I wasn’t in Chicago for the Dan Ryan protest). I don’t always agree with him, but I have never questioned the sincerity or depth of his convictions.
But as Fr. Pfleger himself noted, chaos is not the objective, it is a strategy. To some, it may feel very, very good to see people in power aggravated. Annoying Illinois’ governor can be great fun if you don’t agree with his leadership. Causing people whose lives aren’t directly impacted by gun violence to take a detour can be satisfying to those dealing with senseless tragedy as a way of life.
None of that satisfaction will save a single life.
Take a look at St. Sabina’s website (www.saintsabina.org). The ministries and activities depicted there reflect the depth of Fr. Pfleger’s commitment to the community he serves. They reflect an unquestionable call to the members of that community to help themselves and to better themselves.
Fr. Pfleger says they need help. I happen to agree with him.
But the biggest question we all face is what my dear brother Kevin Hawkins addressed so eloquently in his post, “Questions for the heart …”
Whether or not we agree with their methods or whether or not we agree with their prescriptions for change, can we all choose to see the problems through our hearts, not our intellects? Can we see the excruciating pain and sorrow that the protesters experience every single day … and can we grieve that?
To be sure, meaningful solutions will require great intellect – strategic thinking, creative thinking, world-class problem-solving.
But we’ll never get there if we don’t start with the heart.
I pray that we’ll all find a quiet moment to ponder that and examine our hearts. Re-read Kevin’s questions in the context of today’s protest in Chicago.
Love and peace to all of you!
Life With Love 