French Quarter robbers were helped by good people before attacking good people: Opinion

BY JARVIS DEBERRY, COLUMNIST jdeberry@nola.com,
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Sunday morning, during the part of my church service where members of the congregation ask for prayers for others, a member stood and asked that we pray for two members of the Unitarian Universalist Association who'd been badly hurt in the French Quarter the night before. You may have seen the surveillance video of the two men - Tim Byrne and James Curran - walking on Bienville Street and being attacked from behind by four suspects and then robbed. Byrne was knocked unconscious with a blow to the head and was reported as having a critically serious brain injury.

The UUA, a liberal denomination that emphasizes "deeds not creeds," was holding its General Assembly in New Orleans. The UUA speaks out boldly for economic justice, environmental justice, immigrant justice, LGBT justice, racial justice, reproductive justice and voting rights. The denomination came to New Orleans, which could use an infusion of justice in all those named areas, only to have two of its staffers hurt. It's kind of like if the Good Samaritan decided to lobby for justice on Jericho Road and ended up face down on that thoroughfare beaten and bloody.

A UUA communications staffer I spoke with Monday had no comment about the denomination's decision to bring its big meeting to New Orleans. We can only hope that people who are so committed to justice don't give up on New Orleans. We are a city with high rates of poverty, unemployment, discrimination and -- not surprisingly, given all that -- crime. We need the help of everybody who is passionate about standing up for justice.

Of course, there are also people in New Orleans who have dedicated themselves to helping the disadvantaged, standing up for people who've been dealt a horrible hand. Knowing that the victims were in town for a religious convention made the story of Saturday's attack and robbery sad enough. Finding out Tuesday that most of the alleged perpetrators were living at Covenant House, a shelter for homeless, run-away and "at risk" youth, added an extra element of sadness.

Dejuan Paul, 21, and Joshua Simmons, 18, both of whom lived at Covenant House on Rampart Street, turned themselves in to the New Orleans Police Department Monday. Jim Kelly, the executive director of Covenant House, said Tuesday that he gave police the name and other information about a third resident of Covenant House who is believed to have played a role in Saturday night's attack.

According to Kelly, Paul, the first suspect who turned himself in, didn't say anything to Covenant House staff about what he was going to do. His arrest warrant says he confessed his crime to a pastor at a Desire neighborhood church and then surrendered himself to the police. Simmons, Kelly says, showed up at the shelter Monday night and said he wanted to turn himself in.

"He was apologetic," Kelly said. "We prayed with him. Then we called the police and they came out."

New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said Monday that Paul was the suspect who struck Byrne in the head with a closed fist. On Tuesday Kelly called Simmons "a follower" and said he made "a horrible mistake." Kelly also said, "The other two who committed the violence were troubled kids with mental health issues."

The mission statement for Covenant House says: "We who recognize God's providence and fidelity to His people are dedicated to living out His Covenant among ourselves and those children we serve, with absolute respect and unconditional love. This commitment calls us to serve suffering children of the street, and to protect and safeguard all children. Just as Christ in His Humanity is the visible sign of God's presence among His people, so our efforts together in the covenant community are a visible sign that effects the presence of God, working through the Holy Spirit among ourselves and our kids."

The love that's offered may be unconditional, but permission to stay can be revoked. "We don't pick and choose who walks through our door," Kelly said. "We try to help every young person no matter the circumstance. But we are not a place where you can commit a crime and come back to Covenant House. If we learn any of our young people are involved in illegal activities of any sort, they are not welcome at Covenant House."

There are not many places where young people who've suffered all sorts of trauma and instability can count on finding "absolute respect and unconditional love." There are not many people or institutions willing to offer them, as Covenant House does, "protection from the streets and from their past." If convicted, these young people will have traded the sanctuary that Covenant House was offering them for the disrespect and dehumanization of the penal system.