Listen Time

In times of terrible crises, it's hard to know what to do or when to do it. When that happens, I try to tell myself to listen. I think all of us tend to want solutions RIGHT NOW and that's not always available. So I am starting by listening to people and really trying to hear what they are saying.

It doesn't fix anything, but it does make me feel better. Maybe it just makes me feel I'm not alone.

Facts on the ground: this past week, yet another African American named George Floyd was senselessly murdered by four police officers, who suffocated him while holding him down, despite his cries for help. It was a heinous, horrific act that is yet another in a long string of acts against the African American community.

Protests are erupting across the country and I promise they have been peaceful in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, there has been violence and destruction too and we don't even know where it is coming from. 

Where do we go from here?

What I am hearing and seeing:

A local actor and activist named Andy says he and his family are safe but while one of the perpetrating policemen was arrested, George Floyd is still dead. He says he wishes he could speak more profoundly but at the moment he is exhausted and his mouth tastes like ashes.

 A friend of another friend named Ali says he is hearing that nationalists are destroying our communities to make it look like black people are doing it. He says every single protest he attended was peaceful and constructive. He also says most people aren't out there burning small business and setting building and cars on fire and asks us all to protect our streets.

My friend Ann notes that the gas station she uses three blocks from her house has been burned down. Two other gas stations in the neighborhood were boarded up and closed. She only found one two miles away after her low gas light had gone off.

A local reporter complains about how the governor and mayors talk, talk, talk about getting things under control and yet crowds continue to gather after curfew and nothing is being done.

I then see my friend Becky's post about how to support the Twin Cities right now: http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/general-interest/how-to-support-the-twin-cities/?fbclid=IwAR1AdYNIZr4GdYzqVnmgLhncaNQEYYWWfT2OifPEs-qjmleVfBnKXQrJir4#.XtKLlRY3MNA.facebook

I see a Native American ceremony on the news that pulls thousands of people together, dancing, singing and talking to each other.

I continue to see  people cleaning up their neighborhoods all over the city.

This morning the governor, who used to be a public school teacher, talks about the state he is proud of--with pristine lakes and an excellent school system, the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies and a high concentration of homeowners. 

He then talks about the state that is doing poorly on equality for people of color, who are not benefiting from any of the positive things he mentioned. He talks about how we cannot wait any more to solve these problems. Of George Floyd's death, he says, "Justice must be served."

I want to believe there is reason for hope because I know so many wonderful people in this city and state. At the same time my heart is breaking because of the destruction we've all seen this week.

I do not want to give up on hope because in the end, that's all we really have.

That is why I'm leaving you with a Hebrew prayer for healing, with a melody composed by the incomparable Debbie Friedman. I hope you can play it and sing it with her:


http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/general-interest/how-to-support-the-twin-cities/?fbclid=IwAR1AdYNIZr4GdYzqVnmgLhncaNQEYYWWfT2OifPEs-qjmleVfBnKXQrJir4#.XtKLlRY3MNA.facebook

Stay safe and healthy, please. I am thinking about you.