Special to The Herald
CHAPEL HILL — In the two months since Occupy Chapel Hill first set up tents on Franklin Street, the group has begin to make inroads with local congregations.
On Sunday, Occupy Chapel Hill protesters visited the United Church of Chapel Hill to discuss the congregation’s feelings about the movement, allow protesters to explain their goals, and to find points of unity.
Both aim for a loving community and eradication of social injustice, said members of both groups.
“The movement is about having a beloved community and about how people treat each other,” said Steve Peterson, an Occupy supporter and church member. “And it looks a lot different from how we’re living now.”
Prior to the service, Tom Tiemann, an economics professor from Elon University and member of the church, set the stage for the “99 percent” argument.
He described wealth distribution in the United States, saying the top 1 percent of American’s make about $500,000 per year, compared to the bottom 50 percent who make less than $60,000.
However, Tiemann said that the real problem was within the top one-tenth of 1 percent, who make more than $2 million annually.
But Farzin Barazandeh, an Occupy supporter, said the movement is about more than money.
“We talk a lot about 1 percent, 99 percent and division of wealth,” he said. “But it’s something greater than that. It’s about social justice.”
The United Church has a committee for social justice that works to improve social and economic conditions for the underprivileged.
“We need change,” Barazandeh said. “And who are the best people to stand for it? The people of faith, because they are mandated to stand for justice.”
Peterson, who mediated the discussion, asked attendees to “twinkle” their hands to show support for ideas. Vincent Gonzalez, an Occupy supporter and graduate student in religious studies at UNC Chapel Hill, supported the notion, using “twinkle fingers” to show understanding when people spoke, even when their ideas were different from his own.
One woman in attendance questioned the Occupy group’s integrity and ability to abide by the law, asking why the congregation should support a group accused of lawlessness and breaking and entering, referring to the incident in November when a group of people associated with Carrboro’s Anarchist Book Fair broke into the former Yates Motor building last month and distributed fliers urging people to “Occupy Everywhere.”
Gonzales addressed this question, making it clear that none of the members present were a part of that action. Although the Occupy Chapel Hill General Assembly — a group meeting that conducts Occupy business based on consensus votes — released a news release criticizing police action at the Yates dealership, it also noted that the General Assembly had not endorsed the break-in.
Some demonstrators have been hostile with the police, Gonzalez said, and in some places, the police have been hostile with demonstrators, citing the incident at the University of California at Davis where police doused protestors with pepper spray.
But he said the movement has many diverse members and feelings.
“I want to spread the message that all of us, together, can work toward justice, even when we have orders to do otherwise,” Gonzalez said.
But Pastor Richard Edens of the United Church said it’s often difficult for churches to bridge the gap between charity and advocacy.
“It’s something that doesn’t come naturally,” Edens said. “There’s a learning curve that comes with advocacy, as well as a courageous curve. “
In 2007, the church adopted an economic justice covenant to govern social justice work. It describes the role of the church as a group that will stand against social injustice and strive to educate its members about the causes of poverty while taking care of those in need all over the world, not just in the Chapel Hill community.
“Many communitites just need to recognize what they’re already doing and expand upon it,” Eden said. “It’s a growing part of the church and we actively try to link charity and advocacy. This is a congregation where people do step forward.”
No formal plans for a partnership have been established for a union between the two groups.
