To Chancellor Katehi, the UC Davis community and the broader Davis community,

As the leaders of the Celebration of Abraham, after prayers and discussion, we feel called to write. The Celebration of Abraham is a community organization dedicated to open, respectful dialogue among individuals of all different religious traditions to build a local pluralist community.

Our purpose in writing this letter is to call for thoughtfulness and compassion for all involved. As the Rev. Kristin Stoneking and the Rev. Mary Lynn Tobin have so eloquently written as religious leaders, we believe our role is to help our whole community find ways to heal.

We found the videos of the pepper spraying of peacefully demonstrating students unacceptable and, like others, call for a full, and transparent investigation of the incident. We have been very proud of the Occupy UC Davis protesters for their commitment to nonviolence. Repeated calls went forth from the stage at Monday’s rally to remember the importance of nonviolence.

However, we believe that all in the community — administrators, police, faculty, students and staff as well as the broader Davis community — must remember that nonviolence is more than not physically hurting the other party. While we must engage in open and truthful dialogue, we also must all remember that those we disagree with are also human. We pray that everyone will speak with thoughtfulness and courtesy and avoid inflammatory rhetoric.

The Rev. Mary Lynn Tobin, Rabbi Greg Wolfe, Hamza El-Nakhal, Michael Hirsch, the Rev. Dan Smith, Mary Philip, Shipley and Dick Walters and Helen Roland

Davis

Comments

comments