If you’ve read any of the news stories about the Lester Street killings online, you know that it’s often the comments people make about the stories that are most revealing.
In the first days after the horrible murder of four adults and two children that sent another three grievously wounded kids to Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, you didn’t have to read very far into the comment string before you heard from people who used to live in Memphis, but had moved. “Memphis used to be great,” they’d write, “but crime/gangs/Mayor Herenton ruined everything.”
It always makes me angry to read that kind of comment. For one thing, if you really don’t care that much about Memphis, why spend your time running us down? And though I have never been to Lester Street, I know for a fact that what happened at 722 Lester isn’t a complete reflection of that community.
If I’m defensive, imagine how Pastor Keith Norman (that’s him in the picture, in front of the old Lester Street School back in 2005) feels. Norman, with his wife and congregation, built the historic First Baptist Church-Broad into a beacon for Binghamton. When he arrived eight years ago, the church had 75 members. Now there are 2,500. It was Norman who was standing in the pouring rain the night of the shootings, talking to reporters, asking people to come together for the community.
Weeks later, he’s still asking.
“I want people to get beyond this,” he says, pointedly asking that I not use the TV-titillating word “massacre” to refer to the Lester Street crime. “Don’t define us by this incident.”
Binghamton is a community of churches, families, homeowners and businesses, he says. “Black and white live together here.”
He points out that many people, including the congregation at First Baptist-Broad, choose to be in Binghamton. When Norman first arrived, he admits, people told him not to do it.
“We came with an open mind, and we walked through stereotypes,” he says.
“We will overcome this (incident). We will be stronger because of it. We are an extremely proud community.
“We have overcome years of racial oppression, and we keep coming back.”
I suddenly realize that though he’s talking about Binghamton, he might as well be talking about the entire city of Memphis. Where black and white live together. Where we are still trying to overcome years of racial oppression. Where we will be stronger for continuing to try to build a successful community.
Norman says, “I feel like this is like, you know, ‘We are Marshall.’ ‘We are Binghamton!’ ”
We are Memphis.
