A couple Sundays ago, I preached on gun violence and focused on God’s question of Cain before he committed the infamous act of killing his brother. God asks, “Why are you angry?”
Amidst many of the articles written about gun violence in Chicago, that’s one question that I haven’t seen addressed. Why the anger? What drives people to bring out a gun? I had a conversation with Rev. Rodney Walker, who pastors a United Methodist church in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, which borders the Englewood neighborhood, which has one of the highest rates of homicides in the city. Rev. Walker has also done significant community development work in Englewood. Whenever I see any articles about Englewood, the first thing that pops into my mind is gangs, violence, killings. Surely there’s more to it than that.
He invited me to take a tour with him, which I did today. It was eye-opening on so many levels. The abandoned lots and houses on one hand and the new Kennedy-King College on the other. Beautiful parks abound while also learning that they can be a haven for gangs. Children going to school and adults hanging outside homes and on corners (Rev. Walker estimates that the unemployment rate in Englewood is 40 percent). Churches of every size and shape. I had to keep reminding myself that this is the same city that I live in.
I asked Rev. Walker how he and others respond when “well-meaning white people” (my term) come into the neighborhood. He noted that people love to study Englewood and have interviews with residents, but he also said something to the effect that they observe the neighborhood as if they’re at the zoo. That’s when I was glad I had left my camera at home.
I thought about bringing it with me, mainly because I wanted to capture parts of Englewood that nobody ever talks about (like the parks), but I also wondered whether I was falling into that “zoo-viewing” category. I kept asking myself as we were driving around, “What can I do? What can we do?” and I don’t know if there’s any answer for that. I certainly couldn’t come in (not that I have the expertise for this) and say, “The problems can be fixed by doing _______.” Instead, I asked lots of questions and many of them started with “Why…”
I have no idea what will come of this visit. Certainly, it’s given me a richer appreciation for and understanding of Chicago. Beyond that, I will try to stay attuned to how God might be moving.