The murder of George Floyd by the police has exposed two ongoing and serious rifts in American society–racism (with its resulting educational, economic and social disparities), and attacks on First Amendment freedoms by the President of the United States and his cohorts, signaling a rising tide of authoritarianism. The militarization of police activity against peaceful protestors is reverberating across the country. Here are some comments from the faith community to the recent events in Washington, D.C. at St. John’s Church in Lafayette Square.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of Episcopal Diocese of Washington is interviewed on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/bishop-budde-on-trumps-inflammatory-rhetoric-and-how-he-can-help-the-nation-heal
Rev. Virginia Gerbasi, associate pastor of St. John’s Episcopal Church is interviewed by The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/episcopal-priest-describes-being-gassed-and-overrun-by-police-at-lafayette-square-church/2020/06/02/c5dbb282-a4ed-11ea-bb20-ebf0921f3bbd_story.html
And the Episcopal Diocese of New England issued a statement: https://www.diomass.org/news/diocesan-news/new-england-bishops-respond-one-voice-presidents-cynical-photo-op