Church Shooting in Knoxville and Why Organizers Should Care

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

[ed:  my heart and thoughts go out to Walter and TVUUC Congregation.  A 
bit from me below.]

From: "Walter Davis" <walter at noacentral.org>


Dear friends,
Pardon me for taking a moment to share something personal here but I 
think you will find it relevant to this list. I am a member of the 
Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee 
where the shooting took place on Sunday that left two dead and others 
injured. The attack took place during a children's music program.  I 
appreciate the personal messages I have received from colleagues all the 
country (and beyond). My church has experienced a massive show of 
solidarity and concern from churches, synagogues, mosques and other 
faith communities.Thousands  of messages have come to us and many kinds 
of help, including counselling support, from individuals, fire 
department personnel, social service agencies, etc.

For those interested in community organizing, TVUUC is a leader in local 
interfaith action. There are also members of the church who are 
organizers in tax justice,  GLBT issues, environmental justice, 
homelessness, living wage, anti-death penalty, immigrant rights, etc. 
Other members support community development, social services, the arts, 
and progressive business practices. Members in the academic community 
have had an impact well beyond their numbers. We are not the only 
church  that plays a strong role in social justice work in our community 
but TVUUC is often an initiating force in building coalitions.  It 
worked with allies and organized a broad religious coalition against an 
anti-gay constitutional amendment. It welcomed a Jobs With Justice 
workers hearing on working conditions for immigrant workers. It takes 
part in a program to house homeless families.

In almost every community there are churches of many faith traditions 
like TVUUC that provide a safe space even shelter for those working for 
justice. They don't always get honored for their key role. We need to 
salute them as well as give them our comfort when they face attack.

I am not writing to you for your sympathy but perhaps to call our 
attention to the need to be prepared more when the organizing community, 
broadly defined, comes under attack. We cannot leave people to face 
conditions alone.

Our church will be open on Sunday and we will continue to organize for 
justice thanks in large part to the hands that have reached out to us in 
these three days often from unexpected directions.

You can find more about our situation by going to the homepage of the 
church (TVUUC.org) where you can send a message. Again, thanks to those 
who have shared your concerns.

Walter Davis
(for identification I am the Executive Director of the National 
Organizers Alliance)

*******************************

[ed:  for those of you who may not have followed the news on this, the 
person accused of doing the shooting is also said to have been motivated 
out of hatred based in right wing values.  The analysis connecting right 
wing ideology and individual actions can sometimes be challenging, but 
it is important for us to consider what those links may be and what to 
do about them.]