Posts Tagged ‘police power’

 

For George Floyd’s Family

Posted on: April 21st, 2021 by Alden

After a moment of joy and relief at the guilty verdicts in the murder of George Floyd, my overwhelming emotion is sorrow, my heart immediately with a daughter without her father and a brother without his brother. This is a prayer for justice and healing, my anger and indignation already expressed in “Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17” which I’ve added here to create a two-prayer liturgy. Both pieces refer to Amos 5:24, envisioning a time when justice will flow as water.

For George Floyd’s Family
The courtroom is silent, for now,
But the walls echo with shouts from the streets,
Joy and relief for a verdict of guilty,
For a moment of truth, at long last.
But the heavens,
The heavens still weep
For the soul of a man taken too soon,
For another fatherless daughter,
And another brotherless brother,
For you, George Floyd,
For your family,
And for Duante Wright, Rayshard Brooks,
Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson,
And all – the named and the unknown –
Who’ve lost their lives at the hand of police
Because of the color of their skin.

Source of Peace,
The cost of freedom is so high,
Death and bereavement,
Pain and fear,
Sorrow and loss.
We will not cease the work of tikkun olam (repairing the world),
The work for pikuah nefesh (the sanctity of life),
Not until heaven can stop weeping for one more,
And one more,
And one more,
Dead.

G-d of love,
Send Your healing to the family of George Floyd,
Grant them continued strength,
Now and in the days and years to come.
Hold them,
Guide them,
Support them,
As they celebrate a righteous verdict,
And as they continue to grieve
A brother, a father, a man
Whose life was stolen,
Whose death trumpets
The call to action,
And a verdict that heralds
A renewed hope for the day
When “justice will well up as water,
And righteousness as a mighty stream.” (Amos 5:24)
May his soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17
A psalm of protest,
In memory of George Floyd,
Sung at the gates of justice,
When black men are strangled in the streets,
When power is abused and jails overflow,
When the voiceless are forgotten and minorities misused.
Open, you gates!
Open to the cries of those murdered, jailed or harassed
For being black,
For being a person of color,
For being homeless, indigent, destitute or unwanted,
The detained, the hounded,
The pursued and the persecuted,
Those who are killed while being restrained.
Open, you gates!
Let righteousness flow forth as living waters,
And truth flow forth as healing balm,
To still the hand of violence and hatred,
To cure the heart of bigotry and racism,
To herald fairness and equality,
And bring justice to this land.

“For George Floyd’s Family” is © 2021 and “Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17” is © 2020 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.

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Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17

Posted on: May 29th, 2020 by Alden

This Psalm of Protest is in memory of George Floyd, killed by police in Minneapolis. With a knee on his neck, the officer pinned the unarmed and handcuffed Floyd to the ground as he pleaded for help.  This is a prayer against brutality, abuse of power and racism. I’m not anti-police, and have written several prayers for police and first responders. But be clear: no one should die in police custody. And systemic racism must end. Period. See also “For George Floyd’s Family.” Here are all of my Psalms of Protest.

Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17
A psalm of protest,
In memory of George Floyd,
Sung at the gates of justice,
When black men are strangled in the streets,
When power is abused and jails overflow,
When the voiceless are forgotten and minorities misused.
Open, you gates!
Open to the cries of those murdered, jailed or harassed
For being black,
For being a person of color,
For being homeless, indigent, destitute or unwanted,
The detained, the hounded,
The pursued and the persecuted,
Those who are killed while being restrained.
Open, you gates!
Let righteousness flow forth as living waters,
And truth flow forth as healing balm,
To still the hand of violence and hatred,
To cure the heart of bigotry and racism,
To herald fairness and equality,
And bring justice to this land.

© 2020 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
Share the prayer! Email this to a friend.

Postscript: See also: “For George Floyd’s Family,“O Freedom: Psalm of Protest 14,” “A Dream of Columbine: Psalm of Protest 13,” and “Sing with Liberty: Psalm of Protest 15.” All of my Psalms of Protest can be found here.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and my two CCAR Press books: This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: The New York Times

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