http://mashable.com/2015/03/16/billy-graham-deploys-clergy-to-ferguson/3/16/15
Prayer and protest: Ferguson attracts Billy Graham's rapid response teamFERGUSON, Missouri — The city of Ferguson once more came back into the news.
Last week, a police shooting left two officers injured and, soon after, protesters and journalists began to gather in front of the city's police department as they had before.
But this time demonstrators and reporters were joined by a third group on South Florissant Road: Evangelical Christians.
On Saturday night, a half a dozen friendly, clean-cut men and women could be seen milling around in the police station parking lot, dressed in matching blue button up shirts, spelling out: Billy Graham Rapid Response.
" People have asked if we could come and help the community heal People have asked if we could come and help the community heal," said Jeff Naber, who handles ministry relations for the team.
When a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, here in August, Ferguson erupted in protests. The shooting also sparked a nationwide debate about rights, race and police brutality. The announcement by authorities in November that the police officer, Darren Wilson, wouldn't be charged in the shooting death of Brown, only further fueled demonstrations across the country.
Naber, who has visited Ferguson several times in the past few months, says that his group has simply come to offer a helping hand while delivering a message of "Jesus' love."
The evangelical group was originally founded by Billy Graham, who in the 1950s became one of the leading religious figures in America. (He preached racial equality and became friends with Martin Luther King Jr., at one point posting bail for King when King was arrested.)However, over the weekend, it was clear that not everyone in Ferguson was happy to see the evangelical "mobile command unit" roll up to the protests.
“It's disrespectful," said one young Ferguson resident named Loki. "They call it rapid response — what have they responded to?” said Loki, who spoke on condition that only his FIRST NAME be used. "They stand in that van...they watch TV and pass out coffee,” said Loki."It's not helping the community at all." Besides, he said, for those seeking God, there are already several churches in the community.The truck had been parked for several weeks in Ferguson following the decision not to indict Wilson in November, and residents came into the truck to speak with the volunteers and to pray with them, said Naber. It had been located in the section of town where Brown was killed, but was brought back to the community after this week's police shooting. Though on this Saturday night, the rapid response truck remained largely empty save for the evangelical volunteers.
Still, many Ferguson residents invoke faith when talking about the path ahead. And conversations with residents inevitably veer toward religion. In the Canfield apartment complex, where Brown lived before he was killed, neighbors often reference God and healing when discussing the future of the city.
Along South Florissant Road, a place that has seen its share of fear and uncertainty since August, brightly colored messages of prayer and hope has been tacked to the boarded-up windows.
"People are confused, they are tired, they don't know whats going on and they just wanted to have someone to talk to, someone to pray with," said Rev. Jose Aguayo of the Church of Divine Grace in St. Louis who volunteers with the evangelical group.Bishop Derrick Robinson, one of the de facto leaders of the protest actions, and a member of the clergy, himself believes that the group needs to make connections with some of the stakeholders in the activist movement that has become a visible staple in the community.
"I think they should partner with some of the local leaders here, and they are definitely doing a poor job of that," said Robinson, who was leading the protesters in rousing chants through a megaphone pointed at the police department on this particular Saturday night.
"We have to make sure that the relationships are built to be one."Loki also believes the group is out of touch with the needs and concerns of the protesters.
“If the police are killing us, we are being tear-gassed, people are being hog-tied and beat up by the police, how is a BIBLE going to help us in that situation?” he asked. "What are we going to say? 'No I’m a Christian — don’t shoot me?’"