UPTOWN: Choose Love, Not Hate!

I felt stirred to write something after recently listening to a podcast by April Diaz called The Global Fringe. Dr. Daniel White Hodge was being interviewed. He was speaking about living a profane faith (which is the name of his own podcast) in this jacked-up world, and in it, he made a very thought-provoking and sad statement about Uptown! I live in Uptown, so this comment was very real and challenging for me...

• The Comment and Challenge!

"...what disturbs me the most, are honestly, white liberals and white progressives, I never know where they stand. Never! I hate going into Bucktown or Uptown, here in Chicago. Because I'm like, man, all the little white progressives, all that "I stand with her!" They'll be the first to curse me out! They'll be the first to call the cops on me. They'll be the first! So, at least I know where right-wingers stand. I know exactly where an alt-right person stands. I know exactly where a neo-nazi stands. And so I never know that with white progressives! So those things concern me..." 

Uptown is my home! I have embraced it and have lived here for over 20 years now! It’s an area I love and have poured my heart and soul into. Uptown is full of beautiful people, it is full of diversity, but what Daniel states about my little corner of Chicago is real and true!

Not only that! I would be labeled as a white progressive fella. I am white, though I was not born in the USA. My views and actions are very progressive, though I do not align myself at all with that "I stand with her" rhetoric. By making that statement does not mean that I stand with him (Trump) in any way, shape, or form! Absolutely not! It just means I gravely mistrust both sides because I see them both as people in power who have undeniably sold themselves to their love of intolerance, money, power, and violence! Even though Uptown prides itself in being accepting, democratic, progressive, and liberal, what Daniel states about my little corner of Chicago is real and true!

So, in the light that I am a white progressive man living in a diverse neighborhood that proudly claims to be tolerant and progressive, I find it’s my challenge to call out the blatant hypocrisy and racism that is prevalent in Uptown. This is radically intensified in my life because I follow Jesus; he not only calls us to love and show compassion to those on the margins, he calls us to be prophetic, by pointing out and exposing the hypocrisy and prejudices we see in our midst! Right here in Uptown...

I write this as a challenge to those of us who call ourselves progressive or liberal

I write this as a challenge to those of us who proclaim the liberating name of Jesus 

I write this as a challenge to those of us who fight for the oppressed and marginalized 

I write this as a challenge to those of us who are white, have resources, privilege, and power
I write this as a challenge to myself to persevere in fighting harder for those who are being victimized and traumatized 

My challenge is that our words and deeds morph into one! This chasm between words and deeds is and always has been a grave concern; one that seeps all the way back to biblical times! 
My challenge is that those who proclaim tolerance and acceptance will stop just saying fancy feel-good slogans, but will actually embrace the tolerance and acceptance they so proudly proclaim!

• The Reality and Questions!

The reality is, what Daniel claims is real and true! I see it! It angers me! It saddens me! It enrages me! I witness firsthand the trauma of those being victimized. I work with those experiencing homelessness, and they speak of similar experiences. As I listen to the words spoken by these so-called progressives, I can’t help but notice how vastly different their actions are. I could ignore it if there were no consequences, but as someone who often chills with those affected, the reality is in plain sight and palpable, the consequences are long-lasting and devastating! 

What I witness is people using their money, power, and privilege as weapons. They don’t walk around Uptown with AR-15’s yelling racist slogans and blowing people’s heads off, no, instead they’re armed with financial assets, cell phones, inside connections, secretive committees, and exclusive policies. These weapons are destructive, giving them the power to eradicate the neighborhood of who they perceive as unwanted nuisances. These weapons are used against anyone they consider plagues! 

Yet, to make matters worse, all this happens while proclaiming love, tolerance, and acceptance! The hypocrisy in my ward is insane! What worries me is how our public officials, business owners, developers, and a host of wealthier progressives lead the charge, resulting in an increase of trauma and segregation! They speak of being opposed to mass incarceration, for harm reduction, for housing first, and other movements I would agree with, yet the words that proceed from their mouths do not sync with their actions! Let me explain.

If you claim to be opposed to Mass Incarceration, you shouldn’t be calling 911 on everyone who opens a can of beer or smokes a blunt on the street. You shouldn’t be doing “positive loitering”, with the motive of ridding the neighborhood of those you consider despicable. You shouldn’t be sending advocates to court, with the purpose of making sure those “bad apples” stay longer in cuffs and cells. You shouldn’t be calling the police every time you see a group of young black males congregating! This happens all the time in Uptown. It is hypocrisy! Stop doing this! 

If you claim to be for Harm Reduction, again, stop calling 911 on those struggling with addiction! Arrests and incarceration only increase the harm and make life more difficult. Jail time often results in having to start again and undoes the good accomplished. This happens all the time in Uptown. It is hypocrisy! Stop doing this! 

If you claim to support the Housing First model, make housing affordable and available again in Uptown for those who are poor and homeless! Most people who stayed in Uptown Tent City had to move out of the neighborhood they love because of the barriers and restrictions created by inside connections, policies, and committees. Housing First is supposed to eliminate all those barriers, it is supposed to create a quick efficient movement out of homelessness and into housing, but instead, Uptown is rapidly losing its affordability and acceptance by becoming more and more exclusive and segregated. 

If you claim to be an advocate for those experiencing homelessness, stop calling those living in tents derogatory names! Stop ridiculing those who live in shelters. Stop making snide remarks about those sleeping on park benches. Stop harassing those sleeping in trains. Stop spreading rumors and telling lies about them. Stop bringing up their pasts and calling the police on them. Stop using the internet as a tool to shame and embarrass them. Stop using your power and privilege for harm, instead use it for good. 

I spoke to a couple that has been splattered and shamed all over the Internet. I've seen and they also told me how they've been harassed and mocked in their sicknesses and states of desperation. For years, both of them rotated in and out of shelters, jails, prisons, loading docks, trains, and tents. They experienced all of what I have just written about, whether it's the police being called on them, advocates going to court to ensure a long sentence or the fact they can't find a place in Uptown. Harm Reduction and Housing First would have been perfect for both of them, but instead, they became viewed as plagues or an amusing source of entertainment. They are perfect examples of what’s wrong with mass incarceration, and Uptown holds it’s fair-share of guilt in ensuring they’ve remained cuffed and enslaved to the state! 

Talk to these two, listen to their stories, and they will tell how they’ve been targeted and bullied by our many in our neighborhood, including our alderman! They’ll tell you how they've been followed and pursued without their consent. You'll see their mugshots and arrest records displayed for all to see on local blogs, mocking who they are and their right to live in freedom. They (especially her) will tell you how they’ve been told they’re not welcome in our ward until they conform to *their* ways. They’ll tell you how they needed help, but they ended up being arrested, incarcerated and sent downstate because of these progressives constantly harassing them. 

This is Uptown’s tragedy. This is Uptown’s shame! We are a neighborhood that proudly claims diversity, yet that diversity must conform to *their* ways! That's wrong: diversity needs to be diverse, with all it's beautiful blemishes, burns, bumps, and bruises!

• Stop Colonizing and Listen!

We need to stop thinking it's our right, our mandate, our responsibility, to colonize where our feet dare to wander! We need to stop thinking we determine what diversity is! We need to stop forcing our will and ways on others. Why do we think it's our right, or privilege, to police and determine the fate of others? We are guilty of thinking we have all the right answers! Guess what? We don’t! We are guilty of thinking all other ways are unenlightened, misinformed, or wrong! We are guilty of trying to convert others to what we’ve determined as good and righteous. We need to stop thinking we’re kings and queens, and instead, realize we aren't superior and have plenty of learning and growing to do! We are guilty of not listening! 

Instead of colonizing, we should be listening! Instead of colonizing, we should be coming in on the ground level. Instead of colonizing, we need to humble ourselves so that we can listen, grow, and learn from others. We need to learn to listen, and I mean, really listen! - not the fake type that mandates we have a mascot or a representative with "lived experience" in our midst to make us look diverse, tolerant, and accepting. 

Why do some people think it's their right to determine what other people need or "really want"? 

Why do some people think it's their right to convert, condemn, and control others? 

• Check Ourselves and Choose Love!

Instead of blindly living our lives, we need to be willing to ask ourselves questions. We need to check ourselves. We need to change the script. We need to halt the colonizing flow of history. We need to use whatever power and privilege we have for the good and wellbeing of those who need the most help. 

We can't let fear run our lives and ruin the lives of others. Fear is dangerous, as it creates huge gaps between our internal dialogues and what we do! It is often fear that causes the police to be called. It is often fear that causes people to be rejected from housing and employment. Despite the cry for diversity, in Uptown there is an ongoing fear of those who are different, those who are homeless or poor, those from different races or ethnicities, those who are young and active, and those who struggle with mental illnesses and addictions. 

Read the local blogs and community forums, see how fear ran rampant in some awful prejudice rantings about those living in Uptown Tent City. The same ugly rants have been written about those living in CCO, other shelters, Nursing Homes, and low-income housing like the Wilson Men's Hotel. They aren't hurting anyone, yet it is fear, and not compassion that causes people to call the authorities on those just trying to survive and find housing. 

I've had a couple of guys tell me how they were sleeping on a park bench when people walked past them with their dogs and loudly proclaimed how they didn't want their pets to be contaminated by “dirty dangerous homeless folk”. Such derogatory comments are straight-up awful. No one should have to put up with such ignorance and hate, but it happens all the time in Uptown. If these dog-walkers were scared of a tired man lying under a pile of blankets, the sad reality is, people experiencing homelessness are in far more danger than housed people walking their pets. Another sad reality is, there’s a good chance these dog-walkers went home and proudly proclaim how progressive, tolerant, and accepting they are. 

"there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear" -1 John 4:18

Our theology and practice need to be on the same page. Our activism and actions need to be on the same page. Our political views and lives need to be on the same page. Our ideals and efforts need to be on the same page. Our words and speech need to sync with what we do! 

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth" -1 John 3:18

We must fight the fear that causes us to drift away from what we believe. We must courageously choose love instead. It’s a battle that we must be willing to fight. Daily! It's a battle that will be strenuous, but if we want our words and deeds to gel, we must take risks! We have to put aside our power, privilege, safety, ignorance, and comfort. We must fight to keep our diversity alive, where those who are different won’t feel afraid to walk down Wilson Avenue, not because of gunfire, but because they worry about cellphone-toting progressives calling 911 on them. 

We must choose love! We must follow the example of Jesus, who chose to challenge the hypocrites and lift up those who didn’t fit in. He rebuked the Pharisees and told those the religious thugs rejected that they were VIPs in His Kingdom. He chose to sit with the woman at the well, eat with tax-collectors, and give everlasting hope to the thief hanging on the cross next to him. 

Despite all the haters and hypocrites that have contaminated Uptown, I want to close by acknowledging all those who have chosen love; and there are many! It's where my hope in Uptown lies. Uptown is a wonderful neighborhood full of beautifully diverse people, and we still have progressives who have not allowed a chasm to exist between their actions and ideas. When we come together, united, in love, for the marginalized, we become a powerful force where good things happen, where change happens, where redemption happens, where reconciliation happens, where restoration happens, where hope exists.

Remember the notorious couple I mentioned above. Individually, they have both been on the receiving end of so much hate, rejection, and racial profiling in Uptown, yet today they have both overcome enormous obstacles and are both doing great. They are housed, sober, and courageously moving forward. This redemptive change is happening because of their resilience, but also because of people coming together for them. It's beautiful to see all the activists, preachers, outreach workers, senior citizens, and many other people come together for the sake of others who can't give much in return. Change is happening because people put aside fear and have been willing to love with their actions and in truth. 

I have seen and see redemptive change happen time and time again...

Despite all the slander and hate, people lovingly rallied together for those who lived in Uptown Tent City, and people's rights were respected and many are now living in their own homes.

Despite all the cop-calling and racial profiling, people are lovingly rallying together for immigrants, refugees, and black and brown lives. People are dedicating their time, effort, and money to fight against the prison industrial complex, the war on drugs and bail inequality. People are practicing restorative justice by opening their homes, creating new opportunities and overlooking a history they'd rather forget

Despite all the bullying and exclusion, people are lovingly rallying together for those who are LGBTQ+ and non-gender conforming, making sure they know they're loved, accepted, safe, and given opportunities.   

Despite all the rejection and harassment, people are lovingly rallying together with those struggling with addictions and mental illnesses, making sure they know they are loved by God and an important part of society. 

Despite all the rumors and disrespect for those living in CCO and other Uptown shelters, people are lovingly rallying around those experiencing homelessness and are letting them know they're important and accepted. Meals are provided, clothes are given, jobs are offered, beds are filled, and people are successfully moving into their own homes. 

Despite it all, together let's flip this world upside down and keep hope alive!

Don't walk on by... 
the world needs her children to be salt and light in all the decay and darkness! 
Don't run and hide... 
the world needs God's loving Kingdom to shine brightly and bring redemptive hope! 
Don't fall into despair...
the world needs revolutionaries and prophets to speak loudly and love boldly!

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: 

I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 

Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’"

(Matthew 25:31-46) MSG