From LA with Love

“Justice is what love looks like in public” Dr. Cornel West

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to show support and ask how our communities in LA are doing. Here’s what I’ve been telling people: the demonstrations and any pockets of violence that have surfaced are far from where we live.

But we’re not far from ICE. Raids have been taking place in our community, just blocks from my church and home.

As I write, I’ve just returned from a press conference at a nearby car wash where ICE recently took several people: workers and a customer with his small children. Family members spoke about how they cannot obtain information about where their loved ones are being detained, or even if they’ve already been deported without due process. A daughter spoke eloquently about how her father is not here to see her graduate today – a day he had worked so hard to make possible for her.

We are all on edge. Every large van that drives by, I reach for my phone. Every time I hear a ping, I wonder what news it brings. I look around at neighbors and wonder who I’m not seeing because they’re either hiding at home or they’ve been violently taken as they go about their day in a place that used to feel like home.

This is not leadership, as Isaac Bryan, our state representative, said at today’s press conference.

I agree. What we’re witnessing is people in power intentionally terrorizing hard-working families; what we’re witnessing is escalating violence and taking delight in silencing protestors; what we’re witnessing is the powerful targeting the most vulnerable.

“Let my people go!” - God

When I was a child, I remember asking my parents about the Berlin Wall. Looking back now, I see there was no way I could have understood all the geo-political dynamics at play, the history, and the tensions. But, I was trying to wrap my mind around it in a way that I could understand – the language of a child. And I remember asking if parents and children had been separated from one another across the wall – if families had been torn apart because of the Berlin Wall. “Yes,” came the reply. Children were separated from their parents because of far-off adults in power making decisions with no regard for the suffering of the people impacted. This was a language I understood!

It really is that simple, and I will always stand on the side of families staying together.

So we are taking action. We are offering rides to children of mixed-status families; we are surrounding my kid’s elementary school with volunteers to keep an eye out for any suspicious vehicles; we are preparing to bring groceries, meals, or anything else to families who do not feel safe leaving home.

And we are sticking together. Word is that these raids will go on for two months at least. Families who lost their breadwinner or who are staying home from work will really feel the pinch. We will stand with them and stand by them.

Dr. Cornel West famously said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Ok so, let’s do it. Let’s act with love. Let’s speak up for justice. Let’s non-violently resist the fear tactics of those in power. Let’s stand together and stand for one another.

-Sending our love from LA

Thank you for reading Almost Named Grace. Writers really value readers who share their work by forwarding, sharing on an online platform, and yes, by word of mouth. I wouldn’t be here without you, so thank you!

I love hearing from readers… replies to this email will be sent directly to me. Keep in touch!

~What I’m reading~
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

Thank you for reading Almost Named Grace! Subscribe for free to receive new posts right in your inbox. Paid subscribers also receive weekly sermon notes whenever I preach.