MOUNT GREENWOOD — The Rev. Thomas Conde of St. Christina Parish said Saturday night that tension following a police shooting and a pair of heated protests has weighed heavily on neighborhood residents.
The pastor of the parish at 3342 W. 111th St. in Mount Greenwood sought to ease a bit of that anxiety with a prayer vigil. About 100 people participated in the event, which included a sermon where Conde called for calm.
"We actually have more common ground than we would like to admit," said Conde of protesters who gathered in support of the police and others calling for justice after the shooting death of a 25-year-old black man.
Joshua Beal of Indianapolis was shot and killed Nov. 5 by an off-duty police officer in Mount Greenwood. Black Lives Matter activists went to console the Beal family later that day and were met by people holding a "Blue Lives Matter" flag and yelling at them to get out of their neighborhood
Protests followed on Sunday where black activists said they encountered '60s-style racism as they clashed with demonstrators supporting police. Another protest was held Tuesday night, as more police supporters and activists had a heated exchange.
Black Lives Matter Youth then canceled a protest planned for Friday that was to begin Downtown and conclude at Marist High School in Mount Greenwood. Organizers pointed to threats and safety concerns as reasons for cancelling the event.
The youth group had planned a protest in response to racially charged text messages sent Sunday among several Marist students. A screenshot of the exchange went viral. The group met with city officials instead and agreed to participate in a series of prayer vigils, town hall meetings and workshops in hopes of improving race relations in the area.
Conde said lost in the coverage of the shooting and the subsequent protests is the good things that individuals on both sides of the police lines have been doing in their communities. He pointed specifically to a woman who arrived in Mount Greenwood last week unaware the protests.
When the street was closed by the demonstrations, the woman was left stranded without bus service. Conde said a St. Christina Parishioner offered to give her a ride home that night — without asking where she lived.
"There is a lot of kindness that happens," he said. "The South Side is not how it is being portrayed."
Roz Coffey echoed the pastor's sentiments. She has lived just blocks away from the Catholic church for seven years. A black woman, Coffey said she hasn't experienced the racism that's been portrayed as being prevalent in Mount Greenwood.
"There are a lot more good people than bad," said Coffey, admitting that there always a few "evil" people wherever you go.
Conde spoke to this as well. He said "knuckleheads" in the community are the ones who have stepped into the spotlight. Their views have propagated via social media and have cast a shadow over the entire neighborhood.
"You can't have at least one Thanksgiving dinner without having one knucklehead at the table. And the knucklehead doesn't go home. In fact, the knucklehead comes back for Christmas," said Conde while standing in front of the altar.
The pastor also read a statement from Archbishop Blase J. Cupich in its entirety. The leader of Chicago's Catholics said Tuesday, "Racism is a sin and has no place in the church, including the Archdiocese of Chicago."
Cupich made his statement in the wake of the text message incident at Marist. Conde made a point of saying that the archbishop's stance was not meant to malign Mount Greenwood nor did Cupich call out any particular family.
After the service, Conde reflected a bit. He said for three days this week children in the parish school had recess inside as a result of safety concerns. He hoped the vigil would bring a sense of calm back to the community.
"Something has to break the spell. To a certain extent, nobody really knows what to do," he said.
Another prayer vigil is planned for 6-7 p.m. Sunday at CrossWinds Church as 10835 S. Pulaski Road in Mount Greenwood, according to Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th).
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