Snacks, prayer, and healing in Chicago

Many Chicago police officers despise a city agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) they believe is leading to an increase in crime.

The ACLU continues to demand officers fill out two-page forms whenever they do “stop and frisks,” which civil libertarians call racially unfair. One result: a 79 percent drop in such stops. But a church on Chicago’s South Side is trying a different approach—work on healing the rift between police and citizens.

Brad Beier, pastor of the Living Hope Church (PCA), challenged members of his racially diverse congregation to “bless the police,” even though some young African-American members of the congregation have had experiences with the police they characterize as unfair.

Last Sunday, Beier and 25 church members, after considering the gospel’s call to love our neighbors, brought snacks to their local police station, then prayed with the officers there.

The number of murders in Chicago jumped from 28 in January 2015, to 50 last month, making it the deadliest January since 2001. Police blame the ACLU agreement, but rights group rejects any correlation. The ACLU points to New York, which had much lower rates of murder and violent crimes in 2014 than Chicago, even though Chicago police had much higher stop and frisk rates.

Beier recognizes policy changes may be needed, but he hopes small attempts to begin reconciliation can start to rebuild police-resident trust.