I visited Pastor Brooks' school and church in 2015. Even then he was worried that violence was chasing businesses, restaurants sway from South Chicago. I tried to convince a major restaurant chain to re-open in the neighborhood but my request fell on deaf ears.
Read his account of what’s happening now to understand the full problem and possible solutions. theamericanconservative.com/articles/chica…
These are some of the words I used in my speech to his church. We have been reminded of the issues we still have to conquer by multiple recent tragedies. Black lives matter. We must do better and we must heal.
We must rise up together and join hands.
We must rise up together and join hands.
When I hear people say black lives matter, I think of Eric Garner who was choked to death for selling untaxed cigarettes.
When I hear people say black lives matter, I think of Freddie Gray whose neck was broken and died in government custody.
But when I hear people say black lives matter, I also think of Jacele Johnson who is four years old who was shot in the head on the south side of Chicago.
Before you say whose this white guy coming to my neighborhood talking about crime let me say it happens in my neighborhood too.
A while back a white woman in my town stole a woman's baby by cutting the baby out of her mother and leaving the mother to bleed to death.
A while back a white woman in my town stole a woman's baby by cutting the baby out of her mother and leaving the mother to bleed to death.
There is a sickness among us that crosses racial boundaries and threatens to consume us.
I'm part of your government but I'm here today to say that government can't save you. Sure government plays a vital role in public safety.
But government can't mend a broken soul.
Government can't provide salvation.
But government can't mend a broken soul.
Government can't provide salvation.
Pastor Brooks can't save you. He might be able to guide you to the light but only you can save yourself.
If you want your neighborhood to rise up out of the ashes, if you want your kids to rise up and see a better day, if you want the violence to end, everyone must rise up, hand in hand, and seek an inner grace that will still a troubled nation.
The hymn exhorts: "then sings my soul." When our troubled nation joins hands and sings together "then sings my soul" then and only then will our nation begin to heal.
