. Friday, September 11, 2020, Love is the motive, but justice is the instrument. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice. Bryan Stevenson tags: social-justice 222 likes Like The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. 2 $50B Up to 10 million people owe a collective $50 billion in court debt. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. The central obligation is to put right the wrongs, [that is], to repair the harms caused by wrongdoing. Reinhold Niebuhr (18921971). She said, 'That's why you've got to be brave, brave, brave.' Justice is not just a fair hearing in court. The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it's necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and-perhaps-we all need some measure of unmerited grace., The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. Ive also represented people who have committed terrible crimes but nonetheless struggle to recover and to find redemption. I looked down, a little embarrassed. Lifes views are subjective as are interpretations on all religious scripture, which in the main are violent, murderous, racist and threatening. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is likely the most famous 20th century novel dealing with racial injustice, a distrustful legal system, and the evils of stereotyping. Richard Rohr: Essential Teachings on Love, ed. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. Stevenson writes about his first interaction with an inmate named Henry on death row: two men, exactly the same age, one studying at Harvard Law School, one condemned to die: Henry asked me questions about myself, and I asked him about his life. Focusing on divine retribution leads to an ego-satisfying and eventually unworkable image of God which situates us inside of a very unsafe and dangerous universe. powerful case that the opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice. Many people seem to be turning away from law as coercion and are looking to restorative and reparative principles. Although the specific meanings of these words vary, they communicate a similar message: all things are connected to each other in a web of relationships. Incarceration became the answer to everythinghealth care problems like drug addiction, poverty that had led someone to write a bad check, child behavioral disorders, managing the mentally disabled poor, even immigration issues generated responses from legislators that involved sending people to prison. That doesnt mean forever faulting our forbears; it means recognizing how our not-too-distant past created our present so that we can be clear-eyed about what justice requires for our future. Check out this theme for yourself: Read such passages as Isaiah 29:1324, Hosea 6:16, Ezekiel 16 (especially verses 5963), and so many of the Psalms. Because its in that nexus that we actually begin to understand truly profound things about who we are.. Weve become so fearful and vengeful that weve thrown away children, discarded the disabled, and sanctioned the imprisonment of the sick and the weaknot because they are a threat to public safety or beyond rehabilitation but because we think it makes us seem tough, less broken. In that book, Stevenson recounts his experiences as a lawyer, Sunday, September 6, 2020, Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced. This. He doesnt belittle or punish Zacchaeus; instead, Jesus goes to his home, shares a meal with him, and treats him like a friend. Ultimately, you judge the character of a society, not by how they treat their rich and the powerful and the privileged, but by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated. The procedure is fairly simple. 2022 H. E. Butt Foundation. Then Ms. Carr leaned forward and put her finger in my face and talked o me just like my grandmother used to talk to me. We're trying to stop the death penalty, actually. My work with the poor and incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. I couldnt stop thinking that we dont spend much time contemplating the details of what killing someone actually involves., Mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given. It is packed with Syrian asylum seekers wearing orange lifejackets. An assortment of distressedneighborhoodsand thriving neighborhoods donot happen by accident. I thought of the guards strapping Jimmy Dill to the gurney that very hour. An essential morning newsletter briefing for leaders in the nations capital. Or we can deny our brokenness, forswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our own humanity. Then Ms. Carr leaned forward and put her finger in my face and talked o me just like my grandmother used to talk to me. Wanda D. McCaslin (Living Justice Press: 2005). The opposite of poverty isnt wealth. In line with his grandmothers advice that you have to get close to understand, he reveals truths about the That kind of hope makes one strong., Between 1990 and 2005, a new prison opened in the United States every ten days. This is the economy of grace and an operative idea of restorative justice. Justice. We all laughed. I thought of the many ways weve legalized vengeful and cruel punishments, how weve allowed our victimization to justify the victimization of others. that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice (18). Why Should We Care for Creation if Doomsday is Just Around the Corner? Howard Zehr, whose work we shared earlier this week, has written some of the foundational texts on restorative justice, including Changing Lenses: Restorative Justice for Our Times. In African indigenous justice, vindication of the person harmed is prioritized. Part of what Stevenson is trying to do here is clarify the meaning of poverty and justice.. In his book, Just Mercy, Stevenson argues that improving access to courts, lawyers, and legal information for the poor In the Nicene Creed, Christians declare our belief in the four key attributes of the church when we say, [We believe] in one, holy, catholic, Youve heard of the Doomsday Glacier, right? The ways in which I have been hurtand have hurt othersare different from the ways Jimmy Dill suffered and caused suffering. Dont get me wrong, I read these blogs with interest and in the main agree with the moral and ethical message they look to perpetuate; do unto others as you would have done to yourself (forgive any misquote). He writes: Restorative justice requires, at minimum, that we address the harms and needs of those harmed, hold those causing harm accountable to put right those harms, and involve both of these parties as well as relevant communities in this process. For Further Study: This poignant photo was taken by Aris Messinis in February, 2016, nearly a full year ago. I desperately wanted mercy for Jimmy Dill and would have done anything to create justice for him, but I couldnt pretend that his struggle was disconnected from my own. Or we can deny our brokenness, forswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our own humanity. These places arethe creation of policies, politics and people who helped shape this city. For starters, it means owning up to our history. Treat everyone respectfully, even those you dont expect to encounter again, even those you feel dont deserve it, even those who have harmed or offended you or others. We live in a xenophobic age of open vilification toward outsiders, but surely the church ought to be expressing the opposite welcome, hospitality, generosity, justice! harms people who harm people, presumably to show that harming people is wrong. We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated., America's prisons have become warehouses for the mentally ill., Of course innocent mistakes occur, but the accumulated insults and indignations caused by racial presumptions are destructive in ways that are hard to measure. The opposite of poverty is not wealth. Such sombre and heart breaking reading, made moreso by the accompanying note comparing how much the Australian government has spent in aggressive military responses in Syria with what we have given in aid (not to mention our treatment of them if they ever get near our shores). In an engaging and personal talk -- with cameo appearances from his grandmother and Rosa Parks -- human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson shares some hard truths about America's Each of us is more than the worse thing we've done. Wanda D. McCaslin (Living Justice Press: 2005), 123, 125126, 127, 128. I guess Id always known but never fully considered that being broken is what makes us human. Bryan Stevenson, the founder of Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit legal practice dedicated to defending those most marginalized by our society, describes poverty this way: I believe that in many parts of this country, and certainly in many parts of this globe, the opposite of poverty is not wealth. Our shared vulnerability and imperfection nurtures and sustains our capacity for compassion., Rosa Parks turned to me sweetly and asked, 'Now, Bryan, tell me who you are and what you're doing.' We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated., America's prisons have become warehouses for the mentally ill., Of course innocent mistakes occur, but the accumulated insults and indignations caused by racial presumptions are destructive in ways that are hard to measure. opposite adverb us / .p.zt / uk / p..zt / B1 in a position facing someone or something but on the other side: She asked the man sitting opposite whether he'd mind if she opened the Many cultures have a word that represents this notion of the centrality of relationships. Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Spiegel and Grau: 2014). There is no wholeness outside of our reciprocal humanity., capital punishment means them without the capital get the punishment., Why do we want to kill all the broken people?, [W]e would never think it was humane to pay someone to rape people convicted of rape, or assault and abuse someone guilty of assault or abuse. They can infect a community, a state, or a nation, and make us blind, irrational, and dangerous., Finally, I've come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. . Interrelationships imply mutual obligations and responsibilities. By continuing to browse our site you accept our Privacy Policy. 3 33% I've also represented people who have committed terrible crimes but nonetheless struggle to recover and to find redemption. . All rights reserved. We use cookies to improve our site and your experience. We're trying to do something about prison conditions and excessive punishment. Not just an advocate or public intellectual, but someone who can proclaim sharp moral truths and actually get a hearing. We all laughed. These villages are mostly concentrated in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. We are failing to uphold our nations highest ideal. Fear and anger can make us vindictive and abusive, unjust and unfair, until we all suffer from the absence of mercy and we condemn ourselves as much as we victimize others. Within an hour we were both lost in conversation. that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice (18). Theyre. Its an interesting and worthy view up until God is brought into it. The film draws the publics attention to the need for systemic changes in the American justice system. This quote comes from Bryan Stevensons book, Just Mercy. We're trying to do something about prison conditions and excessive punishment. Restorative is defined as the process for renewing damaged personal and community relationships. Reparative is defined as the process of making things right for those affected by an offenders behavior. In other words, how can we help victims? I guess Id always known but never fully considered that being broken is what makes us human. But our shared brokenness connected us., Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. Even more fundamentally, this view of wrongdoing implies a concern for healing of those involvedthose directly harmed, those who cause harm, and their communities. Yet we were comfortable killing people who kill in part because we think we can do it in a manner that doesnt implicate our own humanity the way that raping or abusing someone would. . I think, in too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice. It is also an opportunity to identify and redress problematic social conditions that may have given rise to interpersonal harm. Take relationships seriously, envisioning yourself in an interconnected web of people, institutions, and the environment. We have a choice. Fania Davis. I hope that we Christians will find the courage to take the example of Jesus seriously and think about how we can make all the justice we seek restorative, especially for the least of these.. In Alabama and Georgia, where Stevenson spent most of his career, the poor, as well as African-Americans are the most likely to face wrongful incrimination by a wide margin. I don't know, it's a lot of pain. In one of the books more memorable chapters, Stevenson offers an especially memorable reflection on how justice is the opposite of poverty. A Healing Process Good morning, Early Birds. Community is central. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.. 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