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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA Black woman sat on the grass outside an L.A. church. The cold welcome she recorded speaks volumes
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A Black woman sat on the grass outside an L.A. church. The cold welcome she recorded speaks volumes
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-11/la-me-alex-marshall-brown-st-pauls-lutheran-church-north-hollywood
https://www.facebook.com/alexmarshallbrown/posts/10105446046106991
The story Im about to tell you began one hot afternoon this week on the lawn of an L.A. church, where a young Black woman sought peace in the leafy shade of a tree to paint her toenails emerald green and do some laptop research on a road trip she planned to take to the Grand Canyon.
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Marshall-Brown, who has lived in the churchs neighborhood for years, had been sitting on its lush green lawn for less than 15 minutes on Tuesday, she told me, when a pair of what appeared to be bicycle cops rolled up. She noticed the yellow-shirted safety ambassadors from the North Hollywood Business Improvement District but at first paid them no mind until one of them stood in front of her and the other at her side, at which point, she said, my spidey sense is going wild.
When one of the men told her that she was on private property, she calmly pointed out that she was outside a church, on a lawn with no fence or No Trespassing sign. They stayed put. She stayed put, continuing to paint her nails. Before they rode off, she asked them what would happen next, and they told her that if she did not leave, someone likely would call the police.
Marshall-Brown, wondering who had made the first call, then noticed women in the windows of the churchs preschool across the street, clearly monitoring her without looking at her directly. Then one came out and, without speaking, walked behind her to check that the church doors were locked.
Soon after, two older white men appeared on the church property, cutting across the lawn straight to her side of the tree. One held a No Trespassing sign and a power tool. Neither said anything to her.
Each time I watch the video, that realization hits me like a gut punch that these people from a church were dehumanizing her by treating her as an other, to be dispensed with without so much as a How do you do?
On the video, it is Marshall-Brown who speaks first.
Hello, she says, to which the man with the sign and power tool replies, Welcome.
Am I? she asks, to which he replies, No.
Each time I watch, I feel queasily certain that my presence on the lawn would not have elicited any such response simply because of the color of my skin.
Again, watch the footage for yourself. Watch the man obliquely refer to the homeless people in the neighborhood by telling Marshall-Brown that the church has a lot of problems with people here from the park vandalizing.
Watch him, as he screws in the sign, say, When people arent nice, were not nice, and answer her query about why he thinks she has been unkind with the words: Maam. We have to treat everybody the same. All lives matter.
All lives matter. Think about that. Think about the coded ways people try to couch their true meaning in words they hope will give their thoughts cover but dont.
Its a coding that continues to appear on the video as an older woman from the preschool appears and starts filming Marshall-Brown, talking about the need to protect the children because of people who show up on the property, and you dont know what theyre going to do.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-11/la-me-alex-marshall-brown-st-pauls-lutheran-church-north-hollywood
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/07/08/north-hollywood-church-apologizes-volunteers-no-trespassing-signs-black-woman-sitting-under-tree/
North Hollywood Church Apologizes For Volunteers Who Posted No Trespassing Signs Because Of Black Woman Sitting Under Tree
The church addressed the incident in a Facebook post, saying that the incident was not handled in a way representative of the church or the school and said the volunteers involved in the incident have stepped down from their positions.
The disrespect demonstrated by the individuals does not represent the attitude of St. Pauls First, St. Pauls schools acting Principal Santiago Botero said in the statement. I was out of town at the time of the incident, but I believe it couldve and shouldve been handled more respectfully.
While the church has a policy against loitering within a certain radius of the churchs school for the safety of the children in response to incidents of vandalism, Botero said Marshall-Brown was clearly not harming any person or property.
Marshall-Brown said she met with church leaders to discuss the incident on Wednesday.
They were very contrite and willing to engage in a dialogue and acknowledge the fault of the incident, and they pointed out I was not deserving of that behavior, she said.
Skittles
(153,193 posts)Demovictory9
(32,475 posts)Skittles
(153,193 posts)like he just couldn't wait, did it out of context - fucking racist piece of shit
yuiyoshida
(41,861 posts)Every damn one of them.
Skittles
(153,193 posts)yet they cannot bring themselves to say BLACK LIVES MATTER
At my church, someone would have walked out with a cup of cold water for this woman.
soothsayer
(38,601 posts)EarnestPutz
(2,121 posts)...have stepped down. The people who go to St. Paul's are faced with this reality and will no doubt talk about it at length. They will have to face the racism in their midst, if not their own reactions, and the reactions of others to this incident. I see this as a good thing.
.
EarnestPutz
(2,121 posts)No, no, wait, wait. I got carried away there. Jeez, I'm losing perspective. It's been a tough year. My apologies to everyone here. You know that Earnest really isn't like that.
fierywoman
(7,694 posts)Demovictory9
(32,475 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)betsuni
(25,618 posts)I consider them petty but not aggressive. The joke: How can you tell if a Lutheran is an extrovert? They stare at your shoes instead of their own when talking to you. I was raised as one and my take away was that you're not better than anyone else, feel guilty about pretty much everything because you've probably done something bad, serve on a committee, bring something nice to the potluck. But this story is from L.A. and not the midwest so who knows.
regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)...not connected to the mainstream Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is the main Lutheran denomination in this country. Much like the Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Synod is quite conservative (they got started only a few decades ago because the ELCA and the Episcopal Church agreed to a shared-ministries convenant, and the Wisconsin Synod people didn't want to have anything to do with the "liberal" and "almost Catholic" Episcopalians). In other words, the difference is not unlike that between the American Baptist Church and the Southern Baptists, except that, in the latter case, the conservative branch is much bigger, while, here, the Wisconsin Synod is relatively small.
betsuni
(25,618 posts)My parents were Missouri Synod, I had no idea what that was. Garrison Keillor's joke was that it was the Misery Synod. All I remember about church was the smell of coffee and eating cookies during "fellowship" after service.
EarnestPutz
(2,121 posts)....of those asshats. Your detailed explanation has opened my eyes to the greater breadth and depth of the idiocy in that church. I love that they can't seem to abide by each other, let alone Catholics. Screwtape was encouraged by his mentor to foster such divisions and promote rabid adherence to doctrine.
Cha
(297,655 posts)the "Church volunteers had to step down from their positions".
Heartstrings
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,039 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)Black lives matter ........ JUST AS MUCH
Crunchy Frog
(26,630 posts)ck4829
(35,091 posts)and to me, it seems like changing his color and gender would be rather easy compared to the other things this person has done.
Maybe consider that the next time you exclude somebody.
Just sayin'.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,039 posts)Perhaps we should say "god damned" hypocrites. Or perhaps we can hope that they receive enough 'con-damn-nation' during their lifetimes to change their ways.
Silent3
(15,265 posts)Just not very good people. I disagree with the "no true Scotsman" premise that "real Christian" means better person.
EqualityNow
(32 posts)These disgusting "church going" racists certainly showed themselves for what they are, but note, that link at the L.A. Times is one that has a comments section. How far will people go to actually try and justify that jackass with the sign:
a poster named "OC_Teacher" posted
I don't understand how she could sit down on private property to paint her toenails and expect a welcome. I don't care what race she is.
2nd commentator "Scoutakes"
The article left me wondering why Ms Marshall-Brown didnt leave when told she was on private property. Perhaps she spider sensed the opportunity for publicity. She is after all an actress/stuntwoman living in LA.
So, went looking to see what other news sources that have comment sections posted. First one other than the L.A. Times original was:
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/0PZw2LxH/a-black-woman-sat-on-the-grass-outside-an-la-church-the-cold-welcome-she-recorded-speaks-volumes
Same crap in the comments section.
There is no end to the lengths people will go to either openly disparage and insult Alex Marshall-Brown with both direct racist comments, and others, completely ignoring all the openly racist comments RIGHT BY THEIR OWN POSTS try to paint it as something other than racial at all. I have a hard time determining which is worse.. the outright direct racists, or the willfully stupidly ignorant who are ignoring the directly racist posts right next to their own to keep the blinders on.
panader0
(25,816 posts)dalton99a
(81,570 posts)dem4decades
(11,304 posts)He's not welcome either.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,039 posts)If some people had the time and money to do it in a hundred locations across the nation there could be some very interesting patterns that emerge regarding denominations and regions.
Vinca
(50,303 posts)whistler162
(11,155 posts)White man sits on lawn outside of Pre-School. What would the reaction be from "activists" if he had been asked to leave.
Response to whistler162 (Reply #26)
dalton99a This message was self-deleted by its author.
The Jungle 1
(4,552 posts)Love thy neighbor maybe
Just some more cafeteria style Christians. Christ wanted us to respect all his teachings.
Goodheart
(5,340 posts)wheresoever you gather in my name there shall be no black people sitting on the grass. And keep your underwear clean and your children brainwashed.
struggle4progress
(118,338 posts)Ferrets are Cool
(21,110 posts)Maybe ask if she were hungry....or homeless....or just sit there and have a nice conversation.
FUCK YOU RACIST HYPCRITES!!
AND ANOTHER THING, DON'T POKE HOLES IN TREES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!