Contact: Laura Barrett, 314-443-5915, lbarrett@gamaliel.org; Gordon Mayer, 312-307-0133, gmayer@gamaliel.org; both with Gamaliel.org; David Gerth, Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU), 314-367-3484, david@mcustl.com
 
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 26, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Gamaliel organizing-network affiliate Metropolitan Congregations United issued a statement this morning calling on the city of Ferguson to take more active steps toward transparency and to implement the reforms announced at its last council meeting.
 
"Apologies are appropriate once harm has stopped," the organization stated. "But in and around Ferguson, protesters are still pointing out on-going discrimination against people of color and all hard-working Missourians. Now is not the time to pivot to forgiveness. Now is the time to stay focused on stopping and remedying injustice."
 
Two weeks ago the organizations indicated they were supportive but skeptical of the City Council's plans to "reform" court procedures and set up a board to "oversee" the police. Together MCU and Gamaliel are in the process of developing a series of Sacred Conversations About Race (+Action) to help congregations discuss and remedy structural racism, defined as the inequality of opportunity that results when our economic, government and social systems combine to hold some back while helping others to advance, based on a long history of injustice.
 
They anticipate these conversations, to begin in late October, will lead to specific local actions in the tradition of MCU's policy and advocacy "wins" such as advocating for strong local public schools, winning access to jobs and job training for people of color on upcoming sewer improvements as well as the recent I-74 rebuilding project, among many other achievements.
 
Metropolitan Congregations United is an interdenominational, multi-racial community organization of some 40 religious congregations in the St. Louis metropolitan region working for a common purpose: to create a better life for all residents. More info is at mcustl.com.
 
Gamaliel was founded in 1986 to train community and faith leaders to build political power and create organizations that unite people of diverse faiths and races. More is online at gamaliel.org.