After the past few worship
services at First Universalist, many of you have asked, “What’s the call to action? We’re ready to
act for racial justice in our community.”
Today,
we have an opportunity to take a small step. Several days ago, KSTP ran a story
about Mayor Betsy Hodges “flashing a gang sign” with a "known felon." Of course,
the story behind the story is that Betsy Hodges was out door knocking with
residents from the North Side of Minneapolis, in a get out the vote effort.
Additionally, the Chief of Police, Janee Harteau, was with Mayor Hodges and
other North Side residents during the time this photo was taken. Chief Harteau expressed no concern about
Mayor Hodges’ behavior, because it was simply a friendly gesture with a
Minneapolis citizen. (For further context: check out the article, “Dear White People: Mayor Betsy Hodges is Not in a Gang,” by Nekima Levy-Pounds.)
Unfortunately,
the story that ran played to some of the worst racial stereotypes out there:
the false narrative that young black men are dangerous, are in gangs, and are
unsafe.
As
Unitarian Universalists, we believe in the inherent dignity and worth of all
people; we believe in welcoming, affirming, and protecting the light in each
human heart; we believe that we are called to be Love’s people in this world.
The kind of “reporting” that KSTP did is irresponsible, unaccountable, and deeply
damaging. Spreading lies and misinformation does not help build the beloved
community we dream of. We must demand better from KSTP. You can call them 651-642-4421 to leave your
feedback or Tweet them @kstp. It’s a small step, but our silence does nothing
to build the community we dream of. Our next
steps are larger ones, and they are holding our city leaders and the Police Officers
Federation of Minneapolis accountable to a racial justice vision.
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