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2009-01-20 issue:

Mennonites join rally against gun violence

Two Mennonites arrested for civil disobedience

by Anna Groff

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"Oh, that's Philly."

This is what people say about the city's ongoing gun violence, says Celmali Jaime.

"It's [an issue] that people have been really complacent with," adds Jaime, a Mennonite student at Eastern University, near Philadelphia, and a member of Evangelical Garifuna in New York City.

But she is not content with the status quo.

Jaime (pictured) and other Mennonites joined a faith-based march and rally on Jan. 17 in north Philadelphia to prevent gun violence and "straw sales" (buying handguns in bulk so they can then be sold to people who could not pass a background check).

This demonstration concluded the "Heeding God’s Call: A Gathering on Peace," a joint effort of Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Church USA and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends held Jan. 13-17 in Philadelphia.

Three-hundred seventy-five people from a variety of denominations and faith traditions attended the gathering. Also, 40 local communities of faith joined to confront gun violence in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania.

On Jan. 16, the demonstrators gathered at the Holy Ghost Headquarters Church before marching to the Colosimo Gun Center where they called on the owner, James Colosimo, to sign a "code of conduct" to reduce illegal trafficking of guns. Wal-Mart, top gun seller in America, has already signed the code.

The clerk refused to allow them in the gun store, so they sat in front of the door. The police came, asked them to leave and gave three warnings before making arrests.


Demonstrators march against gun violence in North Philadelphia on Jan. 17. Photo by Anna Groff.

Two Mennonites—Fred Kauffman and Drick Boyd—were arrested for civil disobedience along with five other. Kauffman is Mennonite Central Committee's Philadelphia Program Coordinator and Boyd is a member of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship and professor at Eastern University.

Kauffman was released at 4 a.m. on Jan. 17 but Boyd was held an additional 12 hours.

"As far as anyone can tell, this was just the random nature of a somewhat sloppy bureaucracy," said Kauffman on Jan. 20.

The men were charged with misdemeanors: criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct (except for Boyd) and blocking a highway, or any public sidewalk.

Earlier, police arrested five other activists associated with the gathering on Jan. 14 for refusing to leave the gun center.

Andy Peifer, member of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship, served as the facilitator of the conversation with Colosimo and the actions in front of the gun store. The first meeting with Colosimo began on Dec. 17, 2008 with eight local faith leaders. From Jan. 14-17, activists had a presence in front of the store. Saturday’s action was the culmination of this work, Peifer said on Jan. 16.

Peifer said that Colosimo claims he fulfills nine out of the 10 points of the code, point nine being the "Computerized crime gun trace log and alert system."

Susan Mark Landis, Mennonite Church USA peace advocate, served as one of the conveners for the gathering--that grew from a vision of a member of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting--for the historic peace churches to host Christians from other denominations.

"Sharing an understanding of Christian peacemaking is a major part of our interchurch work, so I was hooked," said Mark Landis on Jan. 21. "Unfortunately, other denominations did not catch this vision and there were only a few people in attendance from other than the historic peace churches … Many young people attended because scholarships were available and seeing dedicated young people gave me great hope."

Mark Smith, resident director at Bethel College, North Newton, Kan., attended the gathering as a delegate for Western District Conference. On Jan. 16, Smith said inviting people from the historic peace churches, and others, helped the gathering focus on unity in the church—especially important while talking about peace work. He described the gathering as very "Christian" and may not have resonated with people from other faith traditions. However, Smith said he appreciated that Muslim, Jewish and other observers were present.

The gathering was held the week before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and many speakers paid tribute to the life and ministry of King. Vincent Harding (pictured below), historian and activist, participated the entire week by leading epilogues after worship services and a plenary session.

Harding co-founded Mennonite House—an interracial voluntary service center and civil rights movement gathering place in Atlanta. He also drafted speeches for Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ched Meyers, theologian and plenary speaker on Jan. 13, called for a "three-way conversation" between the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus and the historic peace churches. Meyers critiqued Christians for elevating Jesus "off the earth," forgetting his human and political nature and ignoring the similarities between his ministry and King’s ministry.

Photos by Anna Groff



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