Arcadia Faith Leaders Voice Support for Peaceful Protests

The members of the Arcadia Interfaith ActionGroup — who represent the Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim,and Sikh faith traditions in the community — have united in vehement condemnationof “the senseless murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer,” theysaid in a press release Tuesday. The group recognizes “that people of color aremuch more likely to be the victims of such violent treatment by law enforcementpersonnel.”

The group says it supports and acknowledges theConstitutional rights of those protesting and crying out for justice. However,the group does not support looting, violence, or destruction of property. “Theseare counterproductive and do not promote a just society in which all people aretreated fairly under the law. We need a lot more acceptance of our differencesand celebration of our diversity in order to unite with one another.”

The group includes the following leaders:

• Rev. Dr. Jolene Cadenbach, Arcadia Congregational United Church of Christ.
• Fawaz Emarsi, Arcadia Muslim Congregation.
• Stephen Licata, Arcadia Baha’i Community.
• Rev. Eva Thai-Erwin, Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist.
• Dr. Gagan Bains, Sikh Community.
• Rick Dunham, Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints.
• Fr. Kevin Rettig, Holy Angels Catholic Church.
• Jason Moss, Jewish Federation of San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
• Ven. Abbot Hui Dong, Hsi Lai Buddist Temple.

More from Arcadia Weekly