Pfleger to gangbangers: “Stop the shooting, leave our children alone”

Erects a cross at site of murder scene

By Chinta Strausberg

 

Taking a page from his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Father Michael L. Pfleger led scores of men out of Saint Sabina Sunday unto the streets of the Auburn-Gresham community where gang warfare has erupted and shootings have escalated and cemented a cross that says “Stop the Killing” at the site where one 22-year-old man was gunned down.

During a shorten worship service, Pfleger set the atmosphere for his impending march into the community where he lead scores of men from the church down 79^th and nearby streets where rival gangs live and prey on each other with innocent people caught in the crossfire’s.

Referring to the time when Jesus, James, Peter and John went up to the mountain and while they wanted to stay because they were in the presence of God but Jesus made them come back down, Pfleger told the congregation,  “When you are in God’s presence, you just don’t want to leave. There is something intoxicating about being in the presence of God that says I don’t want to leave when I feel like it.

“When they got to the bottom of the mountain, there was a large crowd waiting on them,” said Pfleger who said he believes Jesus made them go back down the mountain because He heard the cries of the people. “He hard the cries of the sick and the suffering and the down-cast and those who have been disenfranchised, those who have been forgotten. Jesus heard the cries of the people.

“And just like Jesus, we cannot simply come to church and not hear the cries of mothers and fathers, babies and children…the cries of the young man laying in a parking lot for over two-hours…. Why did he have to lay thee for two-hours,” Pfleger said referring to Quinton Davis, 22, who was fatally shot March 1^st in the parking lot of the White Castle restaurant at 79^th and Loomis.

Expanding on that pain, Pfleger mentioned other parents who also lost their children to gun fire like Pam Bosley who lost her son, Terrell Bosley, 18, on April 4, 2006, as he talked to three musicians before choir rehearsal in the parking lot of the Lights of Zion Ministries Church, 11636 So. Halsted.

Pfleger recalled his own personal pain of losing a son to gun warfare. “As I ran out to 79^th and Carpenter, I saw my foster son bleeding from the neck, lay dying in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. We have to hear the cries of children who are afraid to go to school…cries of communities that feel they’re under siege not by some terrorism across the ocean, terrorism here.”

Referring to the cries of grandmothers and parents whose cries go unheard, Pfleger said the state legislators, congressmen and senators “who are not doing something about easy access to guns because it’s black and brown children being killed and no one gives a damn about our children, but we will care about our kids,” he bellowed.

Pfleger asked the men in the church to accompany him to a march in the streets and the women to remain in the church in prayer “and interrupting the violence in the spirit.” Pfleger had a special class for the children who were taught principles of conflict/resolution.

Addressing his critics who e-mailed him saying he was committing heresy and that he wasn’t a good priest, Pfleger had an answer for them: “To hell with you,” he said. “I understand what we are doing is radical but radical times demand a radical response…. It’s time to be radical.”

“We cannot simply do business as usual while violence terrorizes our children and they are dying,” he said. “In the last ten-days, over 18 were murdered in this city, last night over six wounded in the city.”

Calling out the names of the gangs responsible for the spate of shootings, Pfleger said, “We love you because you are our sons, but we will not tolerate shooting and killing.”

Pfleger said a group of gangbangers told him they were going to “take me out.” He responded, “Come for me because the blood of Jesus is all over me….” Pfleger said they are not afraid of the gangs and will forever protect the children.

Asking women to remain behind and pray, Pfleger said the gangbangers need to see men. When men stand up, boys sit down,” he said.

Calling all the men to the altar, Pfleger put on his coat and led scores of men out of the church where he called out the gangs by name telling them to stop the shooting and killing. He marched to 79 and Loomis where he erected the cross, then on to 81^st, which is a gang out to another groups.

The women began clapping and praying as the men walked down the center aisle and out the front door of the church.

As he walked down streets, Pfleger bellowed to gangs he called by name, “To our young brothers, stop the shooting. We love you, but we will not tolerate the shooting. “We will not allow you to kill our children, to terrorize our community. We will not allow you to shoot and to kill our children. There will not be genocide in this city, in this community.

“We are not afraid of you. You’re our sons. We love you. We want to work with you. You want help? Call us. Come to us. We will help you, but we will not be afraid of you. We will not back down from you. We will not allow you to kill, to shoot our children, our future. Stop the guns…lay down your weapons…. Stop your killing. Stop your shooting. Stop your violence.”
At 79^th and Loomis where Davis was killed, Pfleger erected the wooden cross that said, “Stop the Killing.” Referring to Davis, Pfleger said, “This is where he laid for hours in this spot…where they let their brother shot in the head on this spot.” Pfleger prayed before erecting the wooden cross.

Pfleger told the men: “We can set up memorials, balloons, Teddy Bears and yellow police tape. We can set up memorials of crosses that say ‘Stop the shooting and stop the killing of our children. With heads bowed, Rev. Will Hall prayed asking God “to touch the family of our brother who’s crying right now. God touch the mother who has to bury her son.” He asked God to “send more angels than you send cops” to the gang infested area. Hall asked God to “stop the violence” that has gripped he Auburn-Gresham community.

After erecting the cross, Pfleger said if they take it down, he’d just put up another one.  Pfleger personally took flyers that said “Stop the Shooting, our future is being destroyed” and urged people to “break the code of silence” into several businesses.

With a police escort, the men marched back to Saint Sabina where the women of the church welcomed them.

Thanking the women for their prayers, Pfleger praised the children who attended a conflict/resolution class at the church and gave them a message as well.

“You don’t ever have to be afraid, do not be intimidated. We will stand with you. We will fight for you. We will defend you. Do not be afraid. If somebody tries to intimidate you, you come to us. These are your mothers. These are your fathers. You do not have to be alone. You never have to be afraid. We will protect you….”

“If you know somebody with a gun, don’t be afraid to speak out. Tell what you know…,” Pfleger said. He asked the congregation to repeat after him. “We are a church of snitchers. We will break the code of silence. We will tell what we know. We will save our children. Children, we love you,” he bellowed.

Pfleger told his congregation. “I just love you” and was amazed that all the members remained in church though he had led the men on a march throughout the community for more than an hour.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.