CCC statement on the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor

What do we tell our children?
What do we tell ourselves?
What do we tell GOD?
 
We, the members of the Charlottesville Clergy Collective, came together to figure out how to react to and support each other through the deaths of the brothers and sisters of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, at the hands of a white supremacist.
 
We forged our deepest bonds over the horror of August 11 and 12 of 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
Today we grieve anew, at the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, George Floyd in Minneapolis, and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, by the hands of current and former police officers.
 
We are Christian and Jewish and Muslim and Baháʼí and Sufi and Buddhist and Unitarian Universalists; male and female; Black, White, Red, and Yellow spiritual leaders at a time of disinformation, pandemic, and destructive partisan politics. The question that echoes through the corridors of time is now ours to answer: “What is truth?”
 
How do we tell our children about our species’ penchant for othering and murdering GOD’S children who are not like us?
 
What meaning do we tell ourselves when murder keeps happening in plain sight with cameras recording, and we do nothing about it?  
 
What do we say to GOD, Whom we say we trust, when asked to give an account of ourselves?
 
We need to say the truth, as all Holy Books teach, that we are ALL GOD'S children. We know there is no excuse to treat others as less than ourselves.
 
We need to acknowledge that our own need to be “exceptional” has led to a pernicious greed and lack of empathy for those who are less well off -- socially, economically, and politically. Further, this same greed and lack of empathy have created and continue to perpetuate systems -- woven through our interpretation of Scripture, and our social and judicial principles -- that visit evil upon those not favored by the systems.
 
We need to admit that the inequalities made glaringly clear by the COVID-19 pandemic are not new, just uncovered.  
 
We need to acknowledge that these instances of police and “neighborhood watch” brutality aren’t happening more, we are just able to capture them more, because of phone cameras.
 
We need to believe those who tell us about their mistreatment at the hands of our systems that protect some and kill others.
 
We need to ally ourselves with those whose stories are not our own, but whose scars are evident.
 
We need to work for justice with those whose sufferings are so long-standing that all seems normal to those who don’t know the stories, who don’t see the scars, who don’t bear the sorrow.
 
We need to tell our children that Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor were murdered because some people thought they were disposable. Their deaths, and so many others, are a result of systemic and cultural racism deeply embedded in America.
 
We need to be honest and tell ourselves whether we are all right with “officers of the law” having a free pass to murder with impunity.
 
And, we need to explain to GOD how we can love and trust GOD, and yet still let this evil keep happening.
 
It is not enough that the police officer who held his knee on George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes, and three other officers who did nothing, are fired. They all must be arrested and prosecuted.  
 
It is not enough that Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend had charges dropped after wounding a drug SWAT team officer whom he perceived to be breaking and entering into what was, in fact, the wrong apartment. As a result of a no-knock warrant into the wrong home, Breonna Taylor was shot eight times and was killed in her own bed.
 
Wrong must be righted. 
 
If not, what do we tell our children?
What do we tell ourselves?
What do we tell GOD?
 
Signed, 

Rev. Dr. Alvin Edwards, President, Charlottesville Clergy Collective
Pastor, Mt. Zion First African Baptist
105 Lankford Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22903

  • Rabia Povich, Inayati Sufi Community of Charlottesville
  • Rev. Phil Woodson, First United Methodist Church
  • Pastor Brenda Brown-Grooms, New Beginnings Christian Community 
  • Manouchehr Mohajeri, Treasurer, Baha'i Community of Albemarle County, VA
  • Sharon Beckman-Brindley, Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville
  • Susan Kaufman, Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville
  • Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Emrey, New Beginnings Christian Community 
  • Rev. Sandra J. Wisco, Retired Pastor in ELCA
  • Pastor Cass Bailey, Trinity Episcopal Church
  • Rabbi Tom Gutherz, Congregation Beth Israel
  • Adam Slate, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church-Unitarian Universalist, Charlottesville Clergy Collective Treasurer
  • Rev. Dr. Jill Duffield, The Presbyterian Outlook
  • Rev. Liz Hulme Adam, Tabor Presbyterian Church
  • David K Garth, Westminster Presbyterian Church
  • Cynthia Power, Charlottesville Friends Meeting
  • Rev. James Hassmer, retired United Methodist clergy
  • Rev. Carol Carruthers Sims, Episcopal Priest, Retired
  • Rabbi Daniel Alexander, Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Beth Israel, Charlottesville, VA
  • Jay Swett, First Presbyterian Church
  • Rev. Dr. Eugene T. Locke, Parish Associate, Westminster Presbyterian Church
  • Rev. Emily Rowell Brown, St. James Louisa Episcopal Church
  • Rev. Dorothy Piatt, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville
  • Rev. Maren Hange, Charlottesville Mennonite Church
  • Rev. Neal Halvorson-Taylor, Grace Church|Red Hill
  • Rev. Patricia Gulino Lansky, Unity 
  • Rev. Dr. Jim Bundy, Retired United Church of Christ 
  • Rev. Don Lansky, Unity
  • Rev. Patricia Gulino Lansky, Unity
  • Apostle Sarah A. Kelley, Faith Hope and Love Int’l Healing and Deliverance Center, Charlottesville Clergy Collective Vice President
  • Cynthia Deupree, Christian Scientist
  • Rev. Karen Foley, member, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church
  • Rev. Marilu Thomas
  • Rev. Dr. Gay Lee Einstein, Minister-at-large
  • Elizabeth Shillue, Charlottesville Friends Meeting
  • Rev. Nicholas Deere, Charlottesville, VA
  • Rev. Dr. Michael Cheuk, Charlottesville Clergy Collective Secretary

Ways to Help During this Pandemic

Food Giveaway Volunteers Needed!
New Beginnings Christian Community continues to give out free food on Wednesdays 1 - 4 pm and Saturdays 10 - 11 am weekly. They need help to continue this ministry!

  • Volunteers are needed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, 9 am to 1 pm to pick up food from Walmart and Food Lion, and to shelve and pack food boxes. Please use this SignUp Genius to help with packing food boxes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
  • Volunteers are also needed on Wednesdays, 1 to 4:30 pm, and on Saturdays, 9 am to 12 noon to pack and distribute food boxes. Please use this SignUp Genius to help with the Wednesday food distribution on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Nepali and Burmese translators needed
The city is seeking volunteers who can speak Nepali and Burmese fluently. If you or someone you know would be interested in supporting this effort please reply to Rev. Carolyn Dillard, <cem9v@virginia.edu>. Carolyn will connect you with a city employee who will give you full details.

UVA Medical Center Needs Blood Donations
Virginia hospitals are experiencing a severe blood shortage across the state. UVA Health encourages members of the community who are healthy & eligible to contact the American Red Cross <https://www.redcross.org/> to make an appointment to donate at one of their fixed locations.  

Medical Supplies Needed
Our medical community is in dire need of supplies like face masks, gloves, household cleaners, etc. Please visit https://www.supportcville.com/equipcville to see what other supplies are needed and to donate!

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Needs healthy volunteers to work at the food bank. See their statement on COVID-19 and their Volunteer page. To find volunteer opportunities, click on this link.

Grocery Delivery Drivers Needed 
Charlottesville Community Cares is receiving about 45 new requests for grocery deliveries every day and they NEED HELP! If you feel comfortable and safe going into grocery stores and shopping on behalf of community members who cannot do so for themselves, please reach out to cvillecares.grocery@gmail.com. Grocery shoppers must be asymptomatic and in households where everyone is healthy. You can either donate the cost of the groceries or be reimbursed by PayPal or check within 24 hours of your delivery. You can set your availability, but grocery trips tend to happen once in the morning and once in the late afternoon/evening. Once you get in touch with the Cville Cares Grocery Team, they can get you started. 

Support Maria Chavalan Sut's GoFundMe 
Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church has been providing sanctuary for Maria, an undocumented Guatamalan refugee, since 2018. Please continue to support Maria by contributing to her GoFundMe Fundraiser. Wesley Memorial is trying to raise $10,000 to support Maria's family as conditions worsen in Guatemala.

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RESOURCES

WAYS TO GIVE AND RECEIVE SUPPORT:

Support Cville - this is the most comprehensive website listing ways for people to give and receive support. 
  • Link to contribute to local nonprofits, restaurants and UVA students.
  • Link for ways to receive money, supplies and services.

DONATE to COVID-19 SUPPORT FUNDS


FREE INTERNET ACCESS

In addition to hopping on free wifi hotspots at local restaurants and public schools, COMCAST Xfinity is now offering free hotspots to anyone who needs them for free, including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser.

COUNSELING SERVICES
Short term counseling (NOT emergency services) available for adults:
https://thewomensinitiative.org/walk-in-wellness-clinic

Excellent list of resources for children and families including a Teen Counseling Hotline that is answered 24/7:
https://readykidscville.org/readykids-preparing-for-coronavirus-in-charlottesville/

Worship and study with these congregations online

Posted March 17, 2020
Visit/Subscribe to these congregation’s online pages for worship, studies, and/or devotions!

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​AND IN BUILDING A BELOVED COMMUNITY!

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