Baltimore

The city of Baltimore has been convulsed in recent days and news reports in Ireland and  Britain seem intent on  insisting   this is an isolated incident – a black US citizen died while in police custody and this sparked off riots and looting and the National Guard is restoring order and peace – that is the story we hear.

But that is not the story at all. In the USA as well as in other countries  there is a shocking and  dangerous situation in which racism, inequality and dying cities , waste of public money in fighting lost wars, refusal of adequate education and health systems all go along with the expenditure of  billions of dollars  donated by individuals and  corporations to have their chosen candidates elected to presidency and other public offices. Those who adversely criticise Washington policies  or practices are brushed off as anti-American. The opposite is the truth – those who reveal what is happening and the extent of physical and cultural poverty being created – not just happening - in the Unites States of America, arguably the richest  country in the world and where great riches have been narrowly accumulated rather than evenly shared, these are friends of America, and best friends at that. It is sad and frightening to think that  a nation  hailed as a land of freedom and justice can be  forced into creating  extreme wealth for a few and poverty for many with, increasingly,  little in between. This is a situation, ironically, from which the ancestors of  many present-day Americans fled when they left Europe to escape injustice and the selfish corralling of wealth.

If we continue to pretend that riots or disturbances or trouble – whichever  term we like to apply to them – are isolated responses caused by isolated incidents, and if we continue the pretence that such incidents are caused by “ a few bad apples” rather than by systemic lack of discipline in dealing with power and wealth we will never  solve the national and  international problems of how we  suffer from each others’ rampant ambitions. Our persistent and increasing worry has to be that since all political unions are certain to break up eventually, the USA cannot be an exception. All political unions break. At   present Europe is in a delicate uniting  mode after centuries of division and turmoil  while the USA takes union for granted. But union , a united people, a nation with one central power and allegiance is never forever. A  combination of extreme wealth, increasing poverty, racism, under-valuing  one’s own citizens  in cities losing their sense of purpose this and much more means the corroding of what held the USA together , what we have   called the American dream but is in fact a dream of humanity which we believed had found a realisation in America. Such corrosion can lead  individual states to believe they could do better for themselves.  No-one is likely now to wish for that. But better not to foster the angers which make it possible.

Meanwhile people are grieving not just because of the pain but because they worked so hard to make sure the pain  need not happen. Our friends in the Catholic Worker  houses ,  the peace groups,  all  the companions  working for justice and recognition of the people’s dignity , these are keeping alive – however difficult and lacking in resources they may be  – keeping alive the idea and the ideal of a better way of life for all .  If they stop in despair through lack of public conscience  and through the unwillingness of powerful people to enrich themselves by enriching their fellow citizens there are no voices left.

We  dare not and need not  let that happen…….