America,
In the name of God, here is the moral juxtaposition I call you to sit with today. This is the moral choice before us today.
This is the moral fight before us.
Yes, there are other fights to mount, through law.
Yes, as we’ve seen in Minneapolis, there is physical resistance to mount in the streets.
But in the same of God, it is time for every American to seriously ask themselves a simple MORAL question beneath all our systems and processes.
As you will see from these two pictures, the answer to this question one we clergy find self-obvious.
That quote from me is from our CLEAR DFW press conference last week here in Dallas. The quote from Todd Lyons is from a story in today’s morning news. Both quotes appears in that same story…which is why I am writing you now.
Americans need to be clear that all Americans do not oppose housing humans in warehouses meant for packages. People with their hands on the levers of power at the highest levels of our government clearly believe we should.
So, there is a more question for each of you: Are you truly ready, on a mass scale, to treat human beings like packages?
Through all of our separate and distinct religious traditions, we clergy answer: NO.
The best parts of all the world’s great religions condemn treating human beings in subhuman ways. Our religions are not perfect, because human beings are not perfect. But through the moral theology of our separate faiths, through our own individual prayers, we say
“No, God does not want us to treat human beings like packages.”
We say: That is self-obvious, or should be.
We say: That is morally horrifying.
We say: That reminds us, and should remind us all, of the worst epocs of human history, not nations with functioning democracies.
Our own Rev. Mara Bim of Royal Lane Baptist initially surmised the location of this site, and other members of our group helped confirm through confidential conversations or their own sluething. This was a part of our press conference a week ago, today. (see video below…)
Dallas County’s new human warehouse sits directly South of the Hutchins State Jail, and is sandwiched between a highway to the West, and a FedEx “megacenter” to its East.
A jail in one direction.
FedEx package site in another.
Somehow, this confluence also is a reminder of how we got here. We clergy have long lamented the militarization of local police under both political parties, the expansion of unchecked military power abroad being used as home, and we have previously stood against police brutality. We have decried the prison industrial complex.
Therefore, we understand that this moment today is not new in terms of the inhumanity, but is an horrific end-point to the long, active dehumanization of “prisoners” over decades. That is all true.
But my own view is also that although this is end of that horrific process, this will be new in terms of the scale of both the operation and the shameless disregard for basic human rights and a rule of law.
As Rev. Bim previously reported, this Dallas County site is larger than any single existing prison in the United States. And it’s just one of almost TEN national sites.
No…in the name of God… we find it to be morally clear as day: WE SHOULD NOT HOUSE HUMAN BEINGS IN WAREHOUSES MEANT FOR PACKAGES.
So, imagine my surprise when, in this same DMN story, I see Ted Lyons quoted as saying: “Yes, actually we want to be just like Amazon.”
A chill gripped me the moment when I read those words last night.
He does want this. I get that.
It’s still chilling to me, to read it so plainly.
But…do YOU?
Some segment of America’s population reads that quote and thinks they want it too.
But…do YOU?
Now that the physical locations of these planned buildings are public, the question is not what is the government saying about this. We know they want this to happen.
The question is: how will you answer this moral question for yourself?
And, if you join us in answer “NO,” will you, publicly, loudly, and for as long as it takes, decry and condemn, and work like hell to dismantled or delay these mega human warehouses?”
TEXAS: Get ready. Of the two confirmed Texas sites, the single largest is here in Dallas County and just on its heels, another massive center is scheduled for El Paso.
As I’ve said, the juxtaposed quotes of this essay come from that single story up at today’s Dallas Morning News. I think I can speak for all of us pastors with CLEAR DFW when I say we are grateful they’ve finally dropped their story.
This now makes a handful of news sources now who have confirmed the location of the Dallas County site. You can find a nice list of them posted by Rev. George Mason and Rabbi Nancy Kasten at Faith Commons.
Here’s the press conference, in case you’d like to watch it.
As you can see, we are broad coalition of faith leaders, standing up to say NO to this.
If your moral answer is “NO,” then I have some very specific “asks” of you….
If you happen to live in Hutchins, push your elected officials, but also support them. The Mayor in on record in opposition, and anyone there who is will need the support of the public.
Ask Dallas County government what it can do to slow things down.
Ask Dallas City government: How do they plan to provide Hutchins enough water for this? Sanitation? How is that supposed to work?
Speak out, get involved.
State your own moral value, as clearly as you can: “No, I do not believe we should store human beings in warehouses meant for packages.”
Morally, it’s pretty clear.
Right?