A CALL FOR UNITED STATES

CRIMINAL JUSTICE EPIPHANY

by
ST PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The Rev. Canon Katherine G. L. Harrigan, Rector
248 Seneca Street, Harrisburg PA 17110
(717) 233-2175 www.stpaulsharrisburg.diocpa.org St.Pauls.Hbg@gmail.com

Congregational Statement
A Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Harrisburg, PA
20 June 2020

“And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought
to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” Matthew 12:25

“Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will, with God’s help.” Book of Common Prayer

“When any part of the American family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that’s a problem for
all of us.” President Barack Obama

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela

Table of Contents

Congregational Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Resolution of the Anti-Racism Committee of St. Paul’s ........................... 6
Our Place in the Harrisburg Community ....................................... 7
The Origins of the Culture of Policing African Americans ......................... 8
Policy Initiatives ............................................................ 9
Congregant Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany ................................ 15
Congregational Statement

To the Right Reverend Audrey C. Scanlan:

Like most of America, the congregation of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church continues to mourn over
the murder of George Floyd. We are historically a congregation with a strong African American
heritage. Today we are proud of our unique multicultural congregation. We have long been aware
of our nation’s disproportionate incarceration rates and police brutality against Black communities.
We would like to think that Harrisburg is an exception to these types of instances; however, too
many of our church members have experienced this reality firsthand.
Some of our young members were active in the peaceful protests in Harrisburg to give their voice
to what we do NOT want to see in policing. We are proud of them and we are so proud to have
congregation members of all ages who have devoted their lives to the struggle for civil rights, with
the hopes of securing a better quality of life for future generations. We are pleased to pass this rich
history of resistance down to our youth, and we work to support and encourage our youth as they
continue in this struggle. Recent events have uncovered once more the deep systemic wounds left
by our nation’s original sin of slavery and its legacies. These wounds will not heal unless they
become the priority and concerted efforts of our entire faith community.
Trust between law enforcement agencies and the people who pay for the law enforcement
protection services is essential in a democracy. It is key to the stability of our communities, the
integrity of our criminal justice system, and the safe and effective delivery of policing services.
Unfortunately, our nation’s understanding of policing has been largely driven by economics and
politics, resulting in policing dedicated to defending White spaces and controlling Black bodies
with oppressive and warrior like tactics. We at St. Paul’s believe that law enforcement should
embrace a guardian rather than a warrior mindset to build trust and legitimacy with the public.
Justice for ALL citizens MUST be the principle guide in policies and practices to truly serve the
citizenry.
Toward this end, we ask the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania to prioritize the work for
systemic racial justice.
Please join us in ensuring the safety of our youth and adults by joining us in “A Call for United
States Criminal Justice Epiphany by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Harrisburg, PA.” Please
know we offer our prayers, love and efforts of support to the Episcopal Diocese of Central
Pennsylvania, and we encourage the development of groundwork for a more peaceful world.

With peace and grace,

The Congregation of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Harrisburg, PA

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cc: Karen Bass, Chair, U.S. Congressional Black Caucus, 37th Congressional District of CA
Bob Casey, Jr., U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania
James E. Clyburn, U.S. Representative, 6th Congressional District of South Carolina
Rev. Duane Coleman, President, Interdenominational Ministers Conference of Harrisburg
Richard Curl, President, YMCA of Greater Harrisburg
John DiSanto, PA Senator, 15th Senatorial District of Pennsylvania
Marcia Perry Dix, President, YWCA of Greater Harrisburg
Sheila Dow-Ford, CEO, Impact Harrisburg
Bishop James S. Dunlop, Lower Susquehanna Lutheran Synod, Pennsylvania
Tymia Q. Green, Associate Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg
Reginald Guy, Co-Founder, Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Development Institute
Rev. Franklin Hairston-Allen, President, Greater Harrisburg Chapter of NAACP
Patty Kim, PA Representative, 103rd House District of Pennsylvania
Leland Nelson, President, African America Chamber of Commerce of Central PA
Eric Papenfuse, Mayor, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Scott Perry, U.S. Representative, 10th Congressional District of Pennsylvania
Jeannine Peterson, CEO, Hamilton Health Center
Joseph Robinson, CEO, South Central Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council
Pat Toomey, U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania
Byron F. Walker, Anti-Racism Committee, Grace United Methodist Church, Harrisburg
Wanda Williams, Chair, Harrisburg City Council
Tom Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania

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 BE IT RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS

On June 7, 2020, congregants of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church expressed concern over recent events
and a growing tension between police and African Americans, and in particular, the treatment of
some of our youth at a peaceful protest march in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The formation of an Anti-Racism Committee was recommended and adopted, and that a “position
letter” be submitted to the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania.
The Anti-Racism Committee efficiently undertook its task of preparing St. Paul’s position letter.
On June 21, 2020, A Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany by St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church Harrisburg, PA was submitted to Pastor Kate Harrigan for further submission and
approval by St. Paul’s Vestry.

On June 24, 2020, a special meeting of the Vestry was called, and a quorum being present, A Call
for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Harrisburg, PA
was distributed to members of the Vestry, and upon motion by Carol Stephenson, and seconded
by Carol Morris, and after full discussion, A Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany by
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Harrisburg, PA, including supplements, was unanimously approval
by our Vestry having the membership of Frances Jackson/Senior Warden, Carol Morris/Junior
Warden, Jean Corey, Trudy Gaskins, Andrew Grimm and Joshua Moritz.

Hence, on Friday, June 26, 2020, A Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany by St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church Harrisburg, PA being effectively presented by the Reverend Canon
Kate Harrigan to the Right Reverend Audrey C. Scanlan, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of
Central Pennsylvania.

Respectfully submitted to the Reverend Canon Kate Harrigan,

Anti-Racism Committee
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Harrisburg, PA

Mary H. Powell, Esq., Chair

Gbemi Bakare, Esq.
The Right Reverend Nathan D. Baxter
Jean Corey
Sharon S. England, Esq.
Trudy Gaskins
Hettie Love
Karen Love
Tyrone Powell, Esq.
Dr. Robert A. Scott
Christyan Seay

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Our Place in the Harrisburg Community

St. Paul’s today is a multicultural faith community with a deep, spiritual faith expressed in
worship inside the walls of St. Paul’s and with a deep involvement with the community outside
the walls of St. Paul’s, a community of passion and compassion. The diversity is part of our
inheritance and our understanding of who we are. The voices of people of different racial
backgrounds, educational backgrounds, and economic backgrounds are lifted together in worship
and mission. As a multicultural congregation, St. Paul’s is neither exclusively a White church nor
exclusively a Black church. Its traditions are derived from this multicultural heritage.

It is involved in the community through its ministries and the ministries of its people. Two
ministries that are deeply imbedded in the Harrisburg Community are the St. Barnabas Summer
Program that serves the children of the neighborhood and the Beacon Clinic that serves the
community as a free clinic offering medical care, education, and counseling. St. Paul’s hosts
community initiatives such as Life Esteem which reaches into the neighborhood to help strengthen
and develop families. St. Paul’s is involved in ecumenical work in the community such as the
Harmony Walk and other events, and we are building relationships with nearby places of worship.
It is the people of St. Paul’s whose involvement throughout the community in areas of social justice
and civil rights, work with the YMCA, CAMA, and other organizations and institutions that give
St Paul’s a strong and credible voice in the community.

St. Paul’s is a unique congregation whose past, present, and future, stand as a beacon within
the Harrisburg Community.

With peace and grace,

The Reverend Canon Kate Harrigan

Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Harrisburg, PA

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The Origins of the Culture of Policing African Americans

As American colonial life shifted from rural and agrarian, human interactions increased, including
more crime and more united expressions of speech, which would later become known under our
United States Constitution as First Amendment rights. Policing in Colonial America was a for-
profit enterprise, and these “watchmen” were mostly privately-funded. Initially, Boston (1636),
then New York City (1658) and later Philadelphia (1700) established “Watchmen Duty.”
Economics and politics always drove the nature of America’s policing system policy. For the
African Americans, policing was rarely about servicing the community. Historically, policing in
our communities has focused on “containing” African Americans. By way of example, in many
Southern states, the police served as the “slave patrol” and members of the slave patrol captured
runaway slaves. Sometimes slave patrol members were paid to impose brutal punishment,
including beatings, rape and the dismembering of body parts of slaves who had runaway, slaves
whose masters thought they did not work hard enough, and slaves who tried to learn how to read
or who were even caught with a book in their possession. During the Civil War, Southern slave
patrol members became a part of the Southern military that fought against the Northern troops.
After the Civil War, and after the federal troops retreated from the South, these earlier slave patrol
members, who became Southern troops, subsequently metamorphosed into local sheriffs who
enforced segregation, disenfranchisement and variegated other aspects of Jim Crowism.
More recently, Jim Crowism has been replaced with police forces in collaboration with politicians,
judges, criminal justice bureaucrats and school boards, all declaring and fighting the “War on
Drugs” and promoting “Law and Order” primarily against Black and Brown men and women. The
negative interaction between minorities and police begins early. In our public schools that have a
substantial percentage of minority students, many school boards, dominated by White directors,
have approved of police armed with lethal weapons to respond to student disciplinary problems.
Hence, the present presents a generational opportunity to effectively address systemic racism, the
need for equal justice and the need for police reform. In essence, it is time for a criminal justice
epiphany in the United States of America. Trust between law enforcement agencies and the people
who pay for the law enforcement protection services is essential in a democracy. Such trust is key
to the stability of our communities, the integrity of our criminal justice system, and the safe and
effective delivery of policing services.

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Policy Initiatives

1) Building Public Trust and Legitimacy

Law enforcement culture should embrace a guardian-rather than a warrior-mindset to build trust
and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public. Toward that end, law enforcement
agencies should adopt procedural justice as the guiding principle for internal and external policies
and practices to guide their interactions with rank and file officers and with citizens they serve.
Law enforcement agencies should also establish a culture of transparency and accountability to
build public trust and legitimacy. In order to improve understanding and effectiveness in dealing
with the community, Law enforcement agencies should strive to create a workforce that not only
encompasses a broad range of diversity including race, gender, language, life experience, and
cultural background, but strive to achieve significant representation from the communities that are
to protect and serve.
2) Policy and Oversight
To achieve this end, law enforcement agencies should have clear and comprehensive policies on
the use of force (including training on the importance of de-escalation), mass demonstrations
(including the appropriate use of equipment, particularly rifles and armored personnel carriers),
consent before searches, gender identification, racial profiling, and performance measures –
among others such as external and independent investigations and prosecutions of officer-involved
shootings and other use of force situations and in-custody deaths. These policies should also
include provisions for the collection of demographic data on all parties involved. All policies and
aggregate data should be made available to ensure transparency. To ensure policies are maintained
and current, law enforcement agencies should periodically review policies and procedures, and
establish civilian oversight mechanisms with their communities.
3) Redeployment of Resources
Local communities should establish an adequate human resource infrastructure to permit the
deployment of unarmed civilian specialists, instead of law enforcement personnel, to lead in
nonviolent situations such as shoplifting, forgery, mental illness, homelessness, truancy and other
school disciplinary situations.
4) Repeal Stand-Your-Ground Laws
A stand-your-ground law (sometimes called “line in the sand” or “shoot first” law) establishes a
right by which a person may defend one’s self or others against threats or perceived threats, even
to the point of applying lethal force, even when safely retreating from the situation may have been
possible. At least 27 states (including Pennsylvania)1 have some form of stand-your-ground law.
The shooting death of Trayvon Martin gave rise to Buddy Jacobs, an attorney who represents the

1
In 2011, the Pennsylvania General Assembly amended Pennsylvania law known as the “castle doctrine” (i.e., the
right to legally use deadly force to defend one’s home against an intruder) to include a “stand your ground” provision.
18 PA Consolidated Statutes 505(b)(2.3).

9
Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, recommending the repeal of Florida’s stand-your-
ground law.
The Urban Institute analyzed FBI Data and found that in stand-your-ground states, White-on-Black
homicides are 354 percent more likely to be ruled justified than White-on-White homicides, even
though White-on-White homicides are over 72 percent more common. During the years 2018 and
2019, the Rand Corporation reviews of existing research concluded that “stand your ground” laws
increased homicides and did not prevent violent crime. A 2017 study in the Journal of Human
Resources found that stand-your-ground laws led to an increase in homicides and hospitalizations
related to firearm-inflicted injuries and estimated that at least 30 people died per month due to the
laws. A 2013 study in the Journal of Human Resources found that these laws do not deter burglary,
robbery, or aggravated assault.
5) Technology & Social Media
The U.S. Department of Justice, in consultation with law enforcement field, should establish
national standards for the research and development of new technology including auditory, visual,
and biometric data, “less than lethal” technology, and the development of segregated radio
spectrum such as FirstNet. Also, law enforcement agencies should adopt model policies and best
practices for technology-based community engagement that increases community trust and access.
6) Community Policing & Crime Reduction
Community policing emphases working with neighborhood residents to coproduce public safety.
Law enforcement agencies should, therefore, work with community residents to identify problems
and collaborate on implementing solutions that produce results that are valued by the community.
7) Gun Control Reform
a) Require universal background checks on all sales of firearms including online and
gun show sales of firearms.
b) Renew the 1994 law which restricted features on semi-automatic pistols, rifles and
shotguns.
c) Require all gun owners to acquire a license through the federal government.
d) Mandate reporting of lost and stolen firearms.
e) Ban “bump stocks.”
f) Raise the legal age to buy guns from 18 to 21.
g) Create a national registry for ammunition.
h) Increase annual funding of gun safety research by 100 million dollars.
i) Support gun buyback programs.

8) Naming of the New Federal Courthouse in Harrisburg, PA

For almost a year, members of St. Paul’s have collaborated with other community organizations,
including the NAACP, in marching weekly around the grounds where the new federal courthouse
in Harrisburg is being constructed. In addition to seeking building construction opportunities for

10
minority subcontractors on the project, there is a desire that the courthouse be named the Barack
H. Obama Federal Courthouse. Law enforcement, prosecution and adjudication are the three direct
legs of America’s criminal justice system.
Given the history of the community where the new courthouse is being constructed,2 as well as the
number of African Americans who are historically brought into a federal courthouse on excessive
criminal charges, warehoused in a federal courthouse due to excessive bail amounts, unfairly
prosecuted and adjudicated harsh sentences, naming the new federal courthouse in honor of
America’s only African-American president goes a long way toward achieving our first policy
initiative of building public trust and legitimacy. Naming the new courthouse the Barack H.
Obama Federal Courthouse is a validation of the African American experience.
Is this possible to achieve? A month ago, who would have reasonably thought we would be where
we are today? As Nelson Mandela stated, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

2
The barons of political power in Harrisburg have a tradition of displacing and developing the real estate of the
voiceless. The federal courthouse currently being constructed on the northeast corner of Sixth and Reily Streets is
the third major African American community displacement in Harrisburg for the benefit of others. This history of
displacement closely aligns with the history of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania’s first and only
African American church.

The first such displacement occurred when much of the old Eighth Ward was razed to make room for the building
construction of the first Capitol Complex Expansion (1910-1916). Home to fifty percent of Harrisburg’s African
American community, the Eight Ward was also the site of Harrisburg’s thriving African American churches,
including St. Augustine’s Episcopal Mission (African American churches were often referred to then as missions)
at 403 North Alley (“Waiter’s Hall”), which was founded in 1906 by a group of African American community civic
leaders. As a consequence of the first Capitol Complex Expansion, much of the old Eight Ward’s African American
community and their churches relocated north of Forester Street to the Seventh Ward, including St. Augustine’s
(renamed Holy Cross, and eventually St. Paul’s Episcopal Church), which moved to the corner of Cowden and
Forester Streets.

The second displacement took place during the 1940s and early 1950s when this same community was displaced
by the second Capitol Complex Expansion. This displacement occurred at a time when restrictive covenants and
redlining made it difficult for African Americans to get loans and made it more and more difficult for African
Americans to rent or buy property in Harrisburg. Some were pushed north toward Reily Street. Many found housing
in William Howard Day Homes at Thirteenth and Herr Streets, Harrisburg’s subsidized housing built in the 1940s
and designated for African Americans. The Episcopal Diocese once again moved the African American
congregation, this time across the street from the Howard Day Homes, where the congregation worshipped until the
church was closed by Bishop Heistand in 1956.

More recently, African Americans have been displaced by the construction of a new federal courthouse at the
northeast corner of Sixth and Reily Streets in Harrisburg. Fewer than twenty years ago, much of the land being
used for the new federal courthouse and other parcels in close proximity were owned by African Americans. A
significant number of those parcels was taken from its owners for failure to pay taxes at a time when Harrisburg
was financially distressed and not able to pay its own bills. Hence, African Americans lost a significant number of
those parcels due to non-payment of taxes. In turn, parcels were ultimately sold to developers for below market
value. In other instances, developers were permitted to take advantage of the distressed economic plight of, and
lack of information in, the African American community, which enabled developers to purchase real estate in the
area for below market value. (Researched with the special assistance of Brenda Scott and Professor Jean Corey,
Messiah College; both are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.)

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Letter from Hettie Love
To the Right Reverend Audrey C. Scanlan:
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has nurtured our family’s spiritual formation. My late husband, Dr.
George Hayward Love, was a “cradle to grave” Episcopalian and a member of Historic St. Thomas
Episcopal Church of Philadelphia, PA where he served on the vestry for over 20 years. When we
relocated to Harrisburg in 1973, our family affiliated with St. Paul’s Episcopal, where my daughter
Karen and I remain active members. George and I took on numerous leadership positions. Notably,
George served in the Department of Christian Education for the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania
and the Diocesan Anti-Racism Committee for more than twenty years. He was elected as a delegate
to the Triennial Convention for three consecutive conferences. I have served as the Treasurer of
St. Paul’s for more than twenty years and am currently serving on the Altar Guild. Karen has
volunteered through the years to work with the children and youth as a Sunday School teacher at
St. Paul’s while serving as an educator in the Harrisburg School District and the Susquehanna
Township School District. She has been recently elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors
of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.
Our family members have served on numerous boards and assumed governing roles in many local,
state and national community organizations, including George’s service as President of the Greater
Harrisburg Chapter of the NAACP. George maintained a gentlemanly demeanor yet was not afraid
to take hard political stances from the perspective of education because we are a family of
educators. Each of us is committed to serving the children and youth of the community and feel
called to improve the conditions that will enable the children and youth of our community to
survive and thrive.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has had a variety of priests—White men, a Black man, an
African Bishop and now a White woman—throughout our years as members. Our congregation
has been a welcoming space for people of color and women seeking ordination as deacons and
priesthood. We have continued to grow and thrive through the transition to a different
church building in Uptown Harrisburg. What has remained constant for the members who
represent people of all races and nationalities is our commitment to worship and working
together for the church and the larger community. We share our ingenuity, creativity,
spirituality and sensitivity to issues that affect each other’s lives, and we are so much richer for
these experiences.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream was a “world community” free from violence, poverty
and racism. I would like to think that our family has worked to make that dream a little closer to
coming true. We have been a St. Paul’s family for almost fifty years, and for decades we have
served the Harrisburg community as crusaders against racism and advocates of social justice. In
light of historical and the most recent, heinous acts of murder of African Americans at the hands
of police, we add our voice to A Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany by St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church.

Sincerely,
Hettie Simmons Love
Member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Harrisburg, PA
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Statement of Christyan Seay
As we all witness (passively/actively) the protests that were sparked all over the United States (and
the world) as a result of the recent death of George Floyd at the hands [knee] of policemen, we
continue to be reminded of the reality of continued racism in this great nation. I say this “great”
nation because we truly live in a remarkable land during an astounding era with phenomenal
technological advances, boundless freedom and much abundance – and YET – we cannot shake
the deep seeded, deep rooted and what seems to be increasing acts of racial profiling, violent arrests
of people of color and overt prejudice. Let us be clear that this racism permeates all facets of life.
As a trained singer of classical music with a great love of the fine arts, I lament the
underrepresentation of minorities in our nation’s arts institutions. I, as well as my colleagues, have
all experienced racism (although subtle) at some point in our careers. Although I can certainly say
we have made great progress in this area over time, the recent events surrounding George Floyd
and countless others by those who are to serve and protect is a grave reminder that racism exists
for our people regardless of the progress made in our corners of the world.
Witnessing the protests largely organized by young people gives way to many emotions. I know
that we all feel a sense of pride for the boldness of the younger generation taking a stand and
fighting [sometimes literally] for our rights [to equality, access and opportunities]. However, I
know we also feel empathy as we see them marching day after day and saying to ourselves “why
must we continue to go through this? Did we not establish a “more perfect union” to leave to the
next generations? Apparently, such is not the case. But make no mistake – we all take part in the
struggle for equality in the many areas of our lives. Some take to the streets and actively protest,
some fight the battles in the courtrooms and in the boardrooms, some fight the battle in the
classrooms of our educational institutions and others [as myself and my colleagues] use the
theaters and concert halls to make our voices heard (committing ourselves to the neglected works
of African American composers and writers and establishing our place among our
Caucasian/European counterparts).
Therefore, I firmly stand behind the articles of the letter [to which this statement is attached] from
the Congregation of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church [Harrisburg] to the Episcopal Diocese of Central
Pennsylvania. Seeking solutions to the policing issues in our community and abroad is critical to
our lives as residents of Harrisburg and the lives of the generations to follow who will establish
their roots and raise their families in this city.

Sincerely,
Christyan Seay
Resident – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Harrisburg, PA
Advocate for the Arts

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Statement of Dr. Robert A. Scott
After serving our country as a member of the United States Marine Corps, I attended Atlanta
University. It was at that time that I came to know and participate in non-violent acts of protests
with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the most effective leadership qualities I learned from
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was to appreciate the humanity in all people. Humanity is the
seed that enables each of us to see others as our equals.
With this humanity, I transitioned from being a military warrior to being an effective community
leader because, armed with humanity, I could demonstrate compassion. Often, police officers who
patrol our neighborhoods and respond to 911 calls in our neighborhoods, and who overwhelmingly
tend to be White men, have not necessarily been neighborly. They have not treated a Black
runaway child as their child. That officer has not provided a homeless African American woman
overdosing on crack cocaine with the same services that he would want another police officer to
provide to his wife if she was having a prescription opioid overdose. They have not reacted to an
intoxicated Black man by offering a ride home, as they would like someone to react to them if they
were off duty and publicly intoxicated. In short, there has been little compassion. Many White,
male police officers have not seen African Americans as themselves. This lack of compassion
helps to sustain a police warrior mentality.
We surely need police and, yes, there are times when the call to 911 requires strong, decisive
action; and sometimes the interactions must end sadly. Too frequently though, the outcome of a
minor interaction between an African American civilian and a police officer unnecessarily results
in an arrest or, much worse, death. While I am a psychologist, it does not take being a psychologist
to know that when police and citizenry interact, because the police officer has the badge and a
lethal weapon, the police officer has the power to control the outcome of the interaction.
I learned many powerful lessons from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Once I inquired of him,
“Those people hate us and have done all kinds of brutal things to some of us. Even though I’m a
Marine veteran, sometimes I’m afraid. Are you ever frightened?” He answered, “Yes, but I can’t
let that stop me because we are on the right side of justice.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was
resilient. During the day, he would hold his community meetings, telephone calls and media
interviews; at night, he would strategize and write sermons or letters. One night I asked, “When
do you rest?” He responded, “I rest when the Lord rests.” So, we must continue to fight the good
fight. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had big dreams. Can we at least imagine better policing?
These are some of the reasons I, as a member of St. Paul’s, respectfully and wholeheartedly
encourage the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania to support the national implementation
of the policy initiatives of A Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany by St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church Harrisburg, PA.

Heaven help us all,

Robert A. Scott, Ph.D
Member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Harrisburg, PA

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A Call for Criminal Justice Epiphany by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
By the Right Reverend Dr. Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania (retired)
In residence at St. Paul's Church

"The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them."
[Ida B. Wells, 1862-1931]

St. Paul's Church has chosen to include in its Congregational Statement the theological and
liturgical word "Epiphany"; that is, to show or make known. Of course, Episcopalians understand
this term in revelation of the Christ Child to the Magi and as a liturgical season. However, in this
perilous time, for people of color and their allies, this is a more ominous call for the revelation of
and subsequent action against racial injustice.

The modern Christian understanding of Epiphany as a moral light on racial injustice can be traced
to Ida B. Wells. According to Fredrick Douglass, Wells was the most important crusader against
lynching and other forms of racial violence during the Reconstruction and the Jim Crow
eras. Wells prophetically said, "The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon
them" For decades she did just that, traveling throughout the South, using her journalistic skills
to report the atrocities of police and militia-complicit brutality; especially vigilante and mob
lynching. Her reports were regularly published nationally in the Black press. The NAACP
branches displayed street banners noting "A Negro Lynched Today” Ida B. Wells shone a
light . . . and made an Epiphany of injustice in her time.

In 1955, her strategy of "Epiphany" was picked up by Mamie Till, mother of fourteen year old
Emmett Till who was brutally lynched in Money, Mississippi "by a mob of White men, including
a sheriff's deputy” for allegedly whistling at a White woman (who later recanted). The
"weaponizing of White women's tears” [Brittany C. Cooper] has always been a siren call and a
raison d'etre to justify police brutality, lynch mobs and vigilantes against Black men.

At Emmett Till’s funeral, which was covered by national media, his mother Mamie chose to have
an open casket showing her son's bloated, mutilated body. She told the press that, despite her
pain, "I want the world to see what they did to my boy." She shined a light on violent injustice
that Black people have experienced invisibly and unabated for centuries. Like Wells, Mamie
shined the light of truth on injustice.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and
‘60s continued this tactic. They used the national and international media to shine light on some
of the evil effects of segregation and brutal, government-authorized repression.

Parishioner and Attorney Mary Powell in the Introduction, has summarized well the history of
police, understood as protectors of White privilege from inherent Black male aggression and moral
inferiority. This assumption is deeply embedded in the American National myth; a myth canonized
by W.H. Griffin's 1914 racist film "Birth of A Nation" (which was premiered in the United States
White House) and reflected in a most recent incident in New York City's Central Park when a
White Amy Cooper tearfully but falsely telephoned police to save her from a “. . . threatening
African American man."

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Beginning in 1991 with the brutal police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, the use of cell
phone videos and body cameras are shining lights on police harassment and murder, militia groups
and neighborhood watch volunteers turned vigilantes (e.g., Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery).
Unquestionably, the most recent and most disturbing and compelling image of police lynching has
been that of George Floyd.

In every incident of police and/or vigilante violence from Emmett Till to George Floyd, it has been
the action of White people and their institutions, taking risks to join the protest and lend the
currency of their privilege, that brings about change.

Historically, The Episcopal Church has not had a laudable record of anti-racism action, although
we choose to celebrate a few examples such as Blessed Jonathan Daniels. Our Diocese of Central
Pennsylvania has been even less active (or conscious) at addressing racist practices in communities
where its congregations reside or with respect to its behavior toward its own Black communicants.
Seemingly, until recent, we have been paralyzed into inaction.

I have often said such paralysis is due to the fears of Whites who desire not to be seen, or not to
see themselves, as racist; they ignore the consequences of both, the racial inequities against Blacks
and the benefits of “White privilege” inherited from historic racism. Therefore, they have liberally
utilized the “privilege of avoidance,” which the repressed do not have. Conversely, the greatest
fear of Blacks in White organizations or social systems is the consequences of disabusing White
co-members and organizational leaders of their innocence in racial repression and oppression.

The Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania has great currency (moral, cultural and political
influence) with local communities, in addition to governmental and municipal structures, and well-
placed individuals in society. The Episcopal Church, by its own formal statements, has a prophetic
role to: 1) honestly acknowledge our country’s implicit and explicit history of racism; 2) join the
public challenge to stop the emotional and physical violence against people of color; and 3) work
for legislative and policy changes, especially regarding police and vigilante injustice. This must
be done as an active commitment to shine the light of truth on racism wherever we see it, including
in the history and behavior of The Episcopal Church; and there must be a commitment to
collaboratively engage for legislative, structural and cultural change locally and beyond.

I began this reflection with the poignant quote by Ida B. Wells, "The way to right wrongs is to turn
the light of truth upon them." As a devout Christian, her words were clearly grounded in the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. So, I end with the words of our Jesus from the Gospel of Saint John:

“[Now] this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of
light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into
the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the
light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
[John 3:19-21 NIV]

May our deeds be clearly seen as being “done [as] in the sight of God”.

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