David St. Germain, known to most of us as Doc, was a man with a huge heart, an intolerance for injustice and the courage to speak truth to power, even when doing so cost him personally. If someone was being wronged, he simply couldn’t stand by and not try to address the problem. It breaks my heart that we were not able to adequately stand by him in his latest troubles. I’m sorry Doc. All I can say is that I, and I suspect others as well, will try to pick up where you left off. They are big shoes to fill.
I met Doc shortly after moving here three years ago. In what became a pattern, Doc would show up at some event, wait till things quieted down afterward, then ask if we could talk. Something was troubling him. Sometimes it was individuals he was concerned about , but often it was systems that were causing harm that so troubled him. I remember him looking at me, tears pooling in his eyes, and asking if I knew that there was human trafficking in Providence. It hurt him deeply that people could be caught in such a degrading situation right in front of us and people were looking the other way. Later he refused to stand by silently after the police brutally beat a man in their custody and he struggled to find a way for the community to hold the police accountable. Other times he was searching for ways to approach problems. He queried me about Quakers and the American Friends Service Committee, about non-violence and ways to speak truth to power that would achieve the results he wanted, always wanting to learn more so that he could be as effective as possible. Would that more of us were as humble and as open to learning new skills as Doc.
Over time we talked about some of his problems, but all too often he pushed those aside to refocus the conversation on whatever injustice weighted on his heart at the time. I wish I had been a better friend and worked as hard on the ways the systems he needed failed him as he worked when it failed others. There is much work to do. I hope that his death reenergizes us, helps us understand how essential this work is to real people. May we do so with the love and passion and humor that he modeled, but may we also be sure to care for one another along the way.
Dear David St Germain
ReplyDeleteI barely knew you but really wish I got a chance too after reading the heartfelt messages sent by Martha and Dwayne Clinker.
It seems like you were just a very sensitive caring and great person like the kind who lost sleep over how unjust the world is.
Even though I only met you about twice,you gave a beautiful speech in front of Crossroads to make people relate to the plight of homeless people.
I feel quite sad about your death despite the fact that I just never got to know you.
Greg Morse
One could always have a real, real conversation with Doc. It was often deep, delving to the heart of injustice. He never complained about his lot in life; he only explained his story to tell how he was moving forward. It was not always an easy story to tell us who have been more fortunate and comfortable, but it made one think. I'll hear his voice in my head whenever I attend a rally for health care, a cause which he worked for tirelessly despite the cruelties that the system perpetuated.
ReplyDeleteAnne Landis
Martha, thank you for sharing a little about your friend for those of us who didn't have the blessing to know him. You are all in my prayers.
ReplyDelete