Chaplains on the Harbor (Grays Harbor County, WA) organizes for dignity and survival among Jesus’ people: the jobless, the homeless, the incarcerated, the addicted. They had a service this Maundy Thursday, with a re-telling of the Stations of the Cross from the perspective of the poor today. The art pieces were by the young people there, and the images are of their work together.
1. Jesus is Condemned to Death.
In Grays Harbor, one of the leading causes of death is drug overdose. After the timber industry crashed, meth manufacturing was one of the replacement industries. Since then, both meth and heroin have been in heavy use, to self medicate for pain, to manage health conditions, and to attempt to survive the brutality of life on the streets. This past year, a young man in our community in Aberdeen, Andrew Brooks, died at 23. We are condemned to death, first by economic collapse, and then sometimes by our attempts to survive it.
2. Jesus Takes Up His Cross.
In Jesus’ time, people who were considered a threat to the empire were executed by crucifixion. As our poverty rates increase, as so many of us end up on the street, as jobs disappear, we so often face our own crosses, as those in power accumulate wealth and leave our communities to die.
3. Jesus Falls the First Time.
One of the last places to go if you are homeless is Rivercity, the tent city now in Hoquiam. Just like Jesus faced ridicule on the way to the cross, so people there have endured the threats and hatred of the community directed toward them. This giant rock was tossed over into one of the tents one night and could have potentially seriously injured someone.
4. Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother.
Generations of our families have been broken apart. Families are shattered by Violence and by a system that robs mothers of their children. Grays Harbor has a high rate of child removal by CPS from the home and very low rates of family reunification.
5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross.
As Jesus, a Palestinian Jew, walks the way of the cross, Simon, a man from North Africa, helps him carry his cross. For the past several months, we have been meeting as the School of Hard Knocks, studying social movements around the country. We aim to build a movement to end poverty led by the poor, across the lines that divide us.
6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.
In the middle of great suffering, we try to take care of each other. We face police violence, stabbings on the street, and all sorts of violence. In this community, we try to work to heal each other’s wounds.
7. Jesus Falls a Second Time.
Those of us who end up homeless often camp out along the Chehalis River. the young man who built this camp spent a great deal of time putting in archways, a small house, and even a stove. When the city evicted the camp in June of last year, his entire structure was bulldozed to the ground.
8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem.
We are facing times of crisis and we often fear for our children. The matriarchs in our community help provide mentorship and support.
9. Jesus Falls the Third Time.
We lead the nation in our rates of child incarceration for non violent, non criminal offenses. The school to prison pipeline begins very young and continues into adulthood for most of our young people, who cycle frequently in and out of jail. With few legal ways of making money, we participate in an underground economy and are increasingly criminalized.
10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments.
As our young people end up in and out of jail, they are trapped in a cycle of loss. When they are arrested, they usually lose all of their possessions. Constant police harassment and frequent arrests rob us of our dignity and when released, we have to rebuild all over again.
11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross.
So many of us can feel trapped, ever searching for a way out. Those of us who grew up here often want to leave, but there are few places to go. It can feel like we want heaven but keep finding ourselves in hell.
12. Jesus Dies on the Cross.
So many in our community die so young. We have faced many deaths over the past year in our community and several of them were very young. On All Saints Day, we named the names of our dead and lit candles to their memory.
13. Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross.
Too many mothers watch their children die. Stetson Briley, 18, was found dead next to his tent a few weeks ago. His mother and sister have been struggling to raise the money to pay for his cremation and funeral. You can help them by donating here.
14. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb.
The artist describes this as a depiction of hovering between life and death and waiting for rebirth. In Grays Harbor, it can feel like hope is a distant dream. It can feel like nothing will ever change. We wonder if redemption is possible.