Church Groups To Stage Die-In Protest After Eagles Game


The game between the Eagles and Seahawks today will be followed by a die-in protest by church groups who are standing up against Grand Jury decisions in the cases of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Both men were killed by police officers and protests have raged in the past months over the deaths, increasing in the past two weeks as one, then the other, Grand Jury returned with a refusal to indict.

The die-in protest will take place outside the stadium, where protesters will lie on the ground for four and a half minutes, memorializing the four and a half hours Michael Brown’s body remained in the street after his death in August. It’s organized by POWER — Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild.

POWER is a faith-based organization that explains their mission this way:..

“[To use] our belief in God’s goodness and compassion for the suffering to organize and empower the people of Philadelphia to live and work together so that God’s presence is known on every block, that people work together to transform the conditions of their neighborhood, and that life flourishes for all.”

They invite those who would participate in their die-in protest to meet at 7 pm and join the group. Religious leaders of all faiths are invited to attend, wearing identifying garb. Protesters are asked to bring signs and wear protest t-shirts.

Church groups plan to attend, providing transportation for their congregations. Calvary United Methodist Church is one of these.

“Today members of Calvary United Methodist Church will stand with POWER at a Die-In following the Eagles game. Meet us at 6 pm at [address redacted] if you want to travel with us or see us there.”

ESPN notes that many fans are angry and say that sports and protest should not mix. They’re angry over such protests as this die-in, and about sports figures themselves engaging in protest — such as the St. Louis Rams players who entered the field last week in a ‘hands up don’t shoot’ position in solidarity with Ferguson, MO.

They point out, though, that the sports field has long been one battlefield on which the public has witnessed the struggle of racism in this country — that sports have always been tied with protest against inequality and are perhaps exactly the field on which calls for change must take place.

Those joining the die-in are already facing threats, though, as fans gear up to lash out.

The die-in protest will take place immediately after the Eagles and Seahawks game, and almost everyone hopes there will be no violence.

[photo credit: Fibonacci Blue]

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