Post by Portiaami on Jun 7, 2020 17:36:03 GMT
Chicago pastor: Liberal policies to blame for 'burned and looted' community
www.wnd.com/2020/06/4826829/
A prominent black pastor on Chicago's South Side laments that the rioting and looting that have engulfed protests of the death of George Floyd have erased years of progress in his community, placing ultimate blame on liberal political policies.
"We worked tirelessly to turn around the city's most violent neighborhood, only to see it burned and looted," wrote Corey Brooks in an opinion piece for the American Conservative website.
Brooks is the founder and senior pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D Communities Development Corporation. His organization focuses on building dialogue, families and community leaders, with a special emphasis on young black men who are exiting gangs.
He said that when he founded his church, the neighborhood had one of the nation's highest homicide rates.
"Over the years, we have changed that statistic. We have built a thriving church with an average of 600 to 750 people at our services each Sunday," the pastor wrote. "We have a community center with a free gym, a career center that offers advice and assistance with interviews, and a high-impact jobs training program that has helped people build successful careers in fields such as construction or landscaping."
Brooks said that where "despair once reigned, we have replaced it with hope and opportunity." But the riots of the past week "have set us back in our ministry work and have done incalculable damage to our community."
Brooks pinned the ultimate blame on liberal politicians in Illinois and across the country who have "fanned the flames of anger over the past several years."
"Their policies and worldview emphasize government as the solution to all problems, except, paradoxically, when we need police," he said.
Immediate impact
The protests began as a "natural outpouring of grief" over the death of a 46-year-old black man, but black communities and businesses are among the victims of the violence.
continued. ...
www.wnd.com/2020/06/4826829/
A prominent black pastor on Chicago's South Side laments that the rioting and looting that have engulfed protests of the death of George Floyd have erased years of progress in his community, placing ultimate blame on liberal political policies.
"We worked tirelessly to turn around the city's most violent neighborhood, only to see it burned and looted," wrote Corey Brooks in an opinion piece for the American Conservative website.
Brooks is the founder and senior pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D Communities Development Corporation. His organization focuses on building dialogue, families and community leaders, with a special emphasis on young black men who are exiting gangs.
He said that when he founded his church, the neighborhood had one of the nation's highest homicide rates.
"Over the years, we have changed that statistic. We have built a thriving church with an average of 600 to 750 people at our services each Sunday," the pastor wrote. "We have a community center with a free gym, a career center that offers advice and assistance with interviews, and a high-impact jobs training program that has helped people build successful careers in fields such as construction or landscaping."
Brooks said that where "despair once reigned, we have replaced it with hope and opportunity." But the riots of the past week "have set us back in our ministry work and have done incalculable damage to our community."
Brooks pinned the ultimate blame on liberal politicians in Illinois and across the country who have "fanned the flames of anger over the past several years."
"Their policies and worldview emphasize government as the solution to all problems, except, paradoxically, when we need police," he said.
Immediate impact
The protests began as a "natural outpouring of grief" over the death of a 46-year-old black man, but black communities and businesses are among the victims of the violence.
continued. ...
