Monday, March 15, 2010
...where they abandon hope?
The Independent ran a decent story on the Red Road suicides last Saturday; the sense of hopelessness that it captures is fairly accurate. It seems the tragedy will sadly come to define Red Road. When people see the tower blocks, it will be difficult to shake their association with the tragic deaths. In a sense, the flats will become a symbol of the failings of the British asylum system; described in the press as “the estate where asylum seekers abandon hope.”
It is not unlike seeing an old film of New York where the twin towers are still standing – regardless of the film’s plot, the image of the towers will serve as an instant reminder of 9/11 and everything that followed.
The other major housing estate we work in -- Sighthill -- is still tarnished by the memory of a racially motivated murder of a Kurdish teenager in 2001.
Yet the negative associations that the Red Road flats will now conjure are not entirely accurate. For example, the annual ‘cultural evenings’ at Tron St. Mary’s are a joyous occasion. This suggests to me that, despite the difficulties, Red Road is not a black hole. When the flats were first earmarked for demolition, there was a genuine sense of regret as the flats are a testimonial to a failed social project, in which an overcrowded Glasgow attempted to cope with the strain of urbanisation. The social theory the flats embody is anachronistic, but Red Road remains home to a generation and the hub of a distinct community.
Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) is running an exhibition on Red Road by the brilliantly titled “Multi-story” initiative, which has used art as a way to encourage integration and community. The exhibit will undoubtedly become more popular in the wake of the tragedy, possibly even overshadowed by it. But the exhibit’s positive, though realistic, portrayal of life in Red Road suggest to me that while some have abandoned hope, the situation is far from hopeless. There is also a brilliant website (of which Multi-story is a part): “Red Road Flats”. It is an attempt to put together a history of the area alongside people’s personal stories; great reading if you have the time.
None of this changes that what happened in Red Road was a tragedy, but as the community reflects on this event, I believe that God can bring hope into the situation. A Cameroonian asylum seeker told me the other day that a Scottish neighbour asked him, “are you an asylum seeker?” Andrew said, “Yes, I am.” The neighbour then responded “I feel awful, I thought asylum seekers just came here for money, but you all must come from some terrible situations. It’s shouldn’t have happened. It’s awful.”
Instead of an indifferent reaction, the suicides have caused many to reconsider the plight of asylum seekers. This pause for reflection could possibly sow the seeds of reconciliation. If so, this is an ideal time for the church and Christians to get involved, encourage reflection and healing, and point people toward the specific and enduring hope that Jesus offers.
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