Gravity Commons Podcast David Swanson: Nonviolent Resistance to the Violence and Terror of ICE
Jan 20, 2026
David Swanson, a pastor and author known for his advocacy in restorative practices, shares profound insights from his work in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. He discusses the impact of ICE's presence, highlighting community responses and prayer vigils. Swanson emphasizes the importance of bearing witness and nonviolent resistance while critiquing the silence of some Christian conservatives. He explores the links between greed and injustice, urging churches to adopt alternative practices that resist systemic harm, fostering true solidarity amidst divisive politics.
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Church Rooted In Bronzeville
- David Swanson locates his church in Bronzeville, a historic, multiracial Black neighborhood on Chicago's South Side.
- New Community Outreach runs restorative practices and serves about 200 youth in local schools as a trauma-response effort.
Decades Of Quiet Prayer And Rapid Response
- Catholic sisters prayed weekly outside the Broadview detention center for over a decade and helped clear a trail for later public attention.
- Local neighborhoods organized rapid-response signal chats and orange-whistle networks to alert communities when ICE appeared.
Cruelty As A Tactic Of Control
- Swanson describes ICE tactics as a campaign of intimidation that often ignores court orders and deploys unmarked vehicles and tear gas.
- He says the aim is to instill fear: to communicate control and to make communities withdraw from public life.
