Norwalk faithful Stand for Justice and look for answers

Correction: The two NYC police officers were murdered in Brooklyn, and Eric Garner died after being choked and subdued by police on Staten Island. The story reversed those boroughs.

NORWALK, Conn. – Religious leaders from five Norwalk congregations – and three faiths – spoke Sunday as snow fell on the town green to pray for justice.

Although there was a glittering Christmas tree nearby, the Rev. Ronnel Howard of East Norwalk Methodist Church said many people are not in a festive mood.

“I have had friends tell me, ‘This has been the worst Christmas I can remember, it just does not feel like Christmas,’” Howard said. “When they say that, I say, ‘This is exactly like the first Christmas.’ We are witnessing the pain… We are witnessing the division among our leaders, the division among ourselves, the division even within ourselves. This is the season that we are called to draw close to each other, that we are called to demand justice. That we long for peace, understanding that peace without justice is an illusion but also an affront to righteousness.”

About 50 people braved the cold to attend Stand for Justice for All, listening as the Rev. Frank Newsome, Rabbi Ron Fish, Imam Azzeim Mahmoud, the Rev. Lindsay Curtis and Howard spoke from the gazebo in a gathering Newsome said he organized through Norwalk Interfaith Clergy Association.

This was done in response to a series of incidents in which unarmed African-American boys and men have died in encounters with police, spurring protests around the country after those police officers were not indicted.

“None of us claim to be experts in how to end racism in the world, but we are here this evening because we know we need to stand for justice for all. … I think it’s time to wake up, a time for religious communities around the country to wake up and figure out ways to come together,” said Newsome, pastor of the First Congregational Church on the Green.

“I believe we have found ourselves in a time in our history where we are redefining and have to understand and have a better understanding of what equality really means,” Curtis said. “What we are really dealing with is equal treatment for all people. I am concerned that what we have witnessed in the last days and weeks and months has caused us to polarize, and a time like this brings us together, particularly the people of faith for we know that the battle is not ours but the battle is the Lord’s.”

The vigil came one day after two New York City police officers were murdered in Brooklyn by a man who claimed he wanted justice for a Staten Island man and a Missouri man who died in encounters with police.

Lindsay called their deaths sad and senseless. Howard said it was very difficult to think of what to say, as she is from New York City and has connections to Brooklyn and Staten Island.

“I am filled with both the sadness and the anger that comes from division,” Howard said. “I am filled with both the fear of what the future holds, when you have a president of the PBA announce that we now have a wartime police force. … How do you wage war against those you are called to protect and serve? It seems so easy to say let us pray and pray we must, but we must also do.”

“One of the union heads blamed the protestors of recent days, blamed the mayor of New York City and some have even blamed the president of the United States for causing this,” Newsome said. “No, no, no. Have we not learned anything in our world? Sometimes you have to march. Sometimes you’ve got to hold a vigil. But we believe that you’ve got to do it peacefully. … We must cling to nonviolent resistance, but we still have to make a stand.”

Yes, that includes police, he said. All police should not be blamed for the behavior of a few any more than all white people should be considered racist, and not all Christians should be blamed for some who are narrow minded, he said.

Mahmoud said it is “unbelievable what is going on these days.”

“Our religion teaches us you are not really a true believer until you really love  your brother what you love to yourself,” said Mahmoud, leader of the Al Madany Islamic Center. “So we have to love each other and we have also, if we see something wrong, we have to stand against it because this is our duty as people of religion, that we stand against injustice. Because Allah is just. … The God of mercy doesn’t like killing, doesn’t like abusing.”

Fish was there on the sixth night of Chanukah.

“This community that we celebrate is one made of a tapestry of difference. We can be divided so easily by ripping apart that tapestry and seeing what makes us distinct and different. And yet it would destroy the extraordinary blessing that we all enjoy,” said Fish, leader of  Congregation Beth El. “We cannot end all the challenges, all the evils of the world simply by holding a vigil, but we can say with a clear voice we love our neighbor as we love ourselves.”

After singing “We Shall Overcome” as the vigil ended, Erika Foster said, “I was very encouraged to see someone of Muslim faith here. I was encouraged to see Rabbi Fish on Chanukah. … To me that shows it’s important to him, he came out on a Holy night. I wish we could do all things together, interfaith, because just like they said, we all love God, no matter what you call him. That’s why we’re here.”

Anita Osborne said the multi-racial nature of the protests that have been going on around the country is encouraging. “There’s hope in that,” she said. “Even though the loudest voices are the most negative voices, the one that get things done are the people like this.”

Osborne said she didn’t know of anything being done in Norwalk to address the concerns raised by recent events.  “Hopefully just people hearing about things like this will maybe inspire,” she said.  “I think it should start with the mayor.”