Jason Janz
Template:TOCnestleft Jason Janz, seven years ago, I left his homogenous, suburban life to plant a church in the inner city of Denver where I’ve spent the last thirty years of my life. A mentor of mine in the early years of this journey, an African-American man named Ted Travis, told me, “Jason, the church has all but completely lost the idea of what it means to love your neighbor.” I didn’t understand what he meant that day, but seven years later, I believe I have a better understanding. We live in a separated and segregated world. Minority and majority cultures, by and large, do not understand or interact with one another in deep and meaningful ways. Because of my calling, I was thrust into an environment where I could no longer be passive in this area. Ted told me, “You can’t solve a problem you don’t understand, and you can’t understand from a distance.” This meant I needed to get up close, listen, try to understand, challenge my assumptions, assess any hidden inner racism from which many of us suffer as a result of living in a divided society, and just love. I needed to form deep and meaningful relationships with people across the racial and socio-economic divide. I needed to be a neighbor.
Ferguson
Part of this seven year journey led me to Ferguson, Missouri. On Saturday, November 29th at 12:35pm, I was arrested in St. Louis. I was part of the Denver Freedom Ride organized by a pastor in our neighborhood, Anthony Grimes, and we went to Ferguson at the request of local religious leaders who desired support and encouragement. Our demonstrations were sourced in the long tradition of non-violence and were designed to speak out against the injustices experienced by minorities at the hands of law enforcement, not just in this case but in the countless cases over the years, both seen and unseen.[1]