The Wisconsin Magazine; Father James Groppi biography: Milwaukee, WI

Meanwhile the Christian school continues to attract interest and pupils. The Department of Health and Social Services continues to investigate. If you had to find one name that most Wisconsinites would recognise it might well be this one. Father James scrappy father droppy is 50 now a father but not a priest. He lives a mostly quiet life on Milwaukee's West Side with his wife Peg and two children. His days are no longer filled with the civil rights marches that made national headlines 15 years ago. He drives a bus instead but he reemerged recently in association with another mostly black protest one involving a young black man named Ernest Lacy who died in the custody of Milwaukee police. Reporter Kara Larson sat down and talked with crappie about his views on the world and his place in it. The Constitution the law of this land has never been put into effect as far as a black man is concerned. And unless we have this kind of creative tension this is this kind of civil disobedience. A black man is always going to be relegated to secondary status in American society he's

going to be the knight he is God given rights. Father James Graff involved in protest then and today. I mean. I could never look at an action and say well you know we we did not win. And we always won. I would always point to something that came out of that need attention and I would say one of them was part of our victory. Well I don't think I've changed over the years. I honestly don't. I still have the battle of good and evil in society is an internal struggle all sort of goes on within me you know I I'm not a saint I never claimed to be but I said my anger gets into me you know and discrimination has always bothered me.

Grabby encountered the realities of discrimination in 1963 when he was assigned to serve an inner city church. A white priest in a parish that was 99 percent black. And what is a white priest do when a black parishioner comes in this is father. They won't rent to me beyond twenty seven. I mean the landlord told me he won't rent to black. What does a white priest. All right you better find a black minister somewhere and tell him about far do I say oh you better go to the NAACP or some civil rights organization they take care of that. That's not that's not my. That would be one damn poor priest. Our money bothered the young people in that parish. They bothered me. There's no Ruhlman no place for any kind of this keep this theology in an oppressed community. What is needed is a theology of liberation. Theology which

says This world is going to treat me like I am a child of God and it does not. I'm going to ring. The bell and scream during the sixties giving a voice and the credence of the church to the as a van and heated black community scream for open housing for equal opportunity and for welfare reform. But even though changes would eventually come his voice and words were not willingly accepted. Over the years that the march he and his followers were teargassed followed harassed sometimes beaten and arrested dozens of times as difficult as that period is it brings a kind of peace and a kind of relevancy meaningfulness to your life. But I'll tell you something that it was it was a kind of a baptism you know you always call a baptism of blood or whatever you want to college you know.

I felt the room for example when Tommy Lee was in Crimea and in myself ended up in a paddy wagon in front of the Allen Bradley company and we were really thrown in over there. But then I look at Tommy like that Clyde you know we we felt kind of cleansed because we knew someone had to do it. Robbie does not harbor a bitterness towards police. With the exception of one police man the chief of police in Milwaukee Harold Brier like grabby chief briar has been almost a constant factor in the walkies protest and as it was then it is now the names are inevitably linked gloppy versus prior and it is drier and his power. He holds responsible for the death of Ernest Lacy. This is a demonstration of protection. Whatever you criticize where people think that you're against a police department is the police department we need a good police

department in this city. I'm just against briar and his racism than it is it is attitudes toward this community. If he were a bunch of black you're out to a public speaking then my innocent man was killed I just you know if people are not going to respond to the fact that someone gets hungry at night and goes out for a sandwich and cannot be stopped by the police department and end up dead in the wagon from suffocation. If people are not going to respond to that well then there's something really sick about the society. Robbie's response is to take again to the streets in protest. But not everything is the same. There was one protest grabby made that changed his life in 1976. Father grumpy stepped outside the restrictions of the church and married Margaret peg. When I married peg she said she felt like a contaminant. One day who I was father grew up with. I could wear a collar and all the uniform and everyone treated you with a

kindness. Clerical deference the next day she was my wife and I was Jim to everyone. Every priest goes through years of thinking and praying before he makes sense and it was very difficult. The most painful thing I ever did in my life. This church had served my entire life so I needed a wake up and my hearing these church doors slam can play bass and you know you no longer wanted me to do with you anymore you've got a wife. I don't know how to define the law of the say it's sexist and a little crazy. So the only intellectuals and the only committed people in this world the single males. That's absurd. I'm especially angry about it today because of what it says about my wife and I have two daughters. And. I'm going to teach them not to

tolerate discrimination anywhere. Least of all at the altar of Jesus Christ. Giving up his collar also meant giving up a meager but regular income. He had to find a job to support his new family. Not an easy task for a man politically. Too hot to touch. After many tries elsewhere it was the county bus system that gave him a chance. I often preached involvement in the pulpit. Many of my parishioners were blue collar workers I guess I understand now why they were more invalid or just plain exhausted. People get on the bus most of the so called me father how are you doing father. So far you know where you are on this and you have a good opportunity to drive the bus they help a lot of people. The elderly and there's something good and clean about the collar work you know where it's good hard work. Today a family man a full time bus driver a man made

hopeful by the changes accomplished in the past but worried about an inflation wracked politically conservative future. And so he stands with one foot extended back into the world of social activism. I guess I feel guilty today great and to a great extent because I'm not doing the things I did years ago I do what I can and I make a lot of excuses for not doing more. Maybe this is my own apathy that I have to fight against but always be involved in something. But I'm not taking any leadership when I'm not doing any organizing I might. Out of necessity and yeah I drive a bus you know hours a day. You know when I come home I like to be with my family. So that that has been. Has been something. That I'm happy I'm very happy. I guess I think there's anything that's missing in life.

For me it's the feeling I have that I still want to commit myself to the community I think I still have something to contribute. And maybe coming to Iran. And that's our report for tonight. Join us again a week from tonight on Thursday at 7:00 o'clock for the Wisconsin magazine. I'm Dave Iverson. While the Christian school continues to attract interest and pupils the Department of Health and Social Services continues to investigate. If you had to find one name that most Wisconsinites would recognize it might well be this one. Father James scrappy father droppy is 50 now a father but not a priest. He lives a mostly quiet life on Milwaukee's West Side with his wife Peg and two children is days are no longer filled with the civil rights marches that made national headlines 15 years

ago. He drives a bus instead. But he reemerged recently in association with another mostly black protest one involving a young black man named Ernest Lacy who died in the custody of Milwaukee police. Reporter Kara Larson sat down and talked with crappie about his views on the world and his place in it. The Constitution the law of the state has never been put into effect as far as a black man is concerned. And unless we have this kind of creative tension this is this kind of civil disobedience. A black man is always going to be relegated to secondary status in American society he's going to be the knight he is God given rights. Father James grumpy involved in protest then and today. I mean. I could never look at an action and say well you know we we did not win. And we always won. I would always point to something that came out of that need attention then I could say well no there was a lot of I think well I don't think I've changed over the

years. I honestly don't. I still have the battle of good and evil in society is an internal struggle all sort of goes on within me you know. I'm not a saint I never claimed to be but I said the anger gets into me. You know when I say discrimination has always bothered me and grabby encountered the realities of discrimination in 1963 when he was assigned to serve an inner city church. A white priest in a parish that was 99 percent black. And what is a white priest do when a black prisoner comes in this is father. They won't rent to me beyond 27. I mean the landlord told me he won't rent the black. What does a white priest write. All right you better find a black

minister someone tell him about. Far do I say oh you better go to the NAACP or some civil rights organization they take care of that. That's not that's not my business. That would be one damn priest. Our money bothered the young people in that parish. They bothered me. There was no Ruhlman no place for any kind of this keep this theology in an oppressed community. What is needed is a theology of liberation. A theology which says This world is going to treat me like I am a child of God and it does not. I'm going to ring. The bell and scream during the 60s giving a voice and the credence of the church to the as of then I'm heated black community scream for open housing for equal opportunity and for welfare reform. But even though changes would

eventually come his voice and words were not willingly accepted. Over the years that the march he and his followers were teargassed followed harassed sometimes beaten and arrested dozens of times as difficult as that period is it brings a kind of peace and a kind of relevancy meaningfulness to your life. But I tell you something it was it was kind of a baptism you know you always call a baptism of blood or whatever you want to college you know. I felt the real meanness for example when Tommy in the woods and cried and in myself ended up in a paddy wagon in front of the Allen Bradley company and we were really thrown in over there. Then I look at Tommy like that Clyde you know we we felt kind of cleansed because we knew someone had to do it.

Robbie does not harbor a bitterness towards police. With the exception of one police man the chief of police in Milwaukee Harold Brier like grabby chief briar has been almost a constant factor in the walkies protest and as it was then it is now the names are inevitably linked gloppy versus prior and it is drier and his power. Robbie holds responsible for the death of Ernest Lacy I think the chief of police says this is not a demonstration. This is a protection issue where you criticize where people think that you're against a police department is the police department we need a good police department in this city. I'm just against briar and his racism and it is it is attitude towards this community. If he were a bunch of black you're out to a public speaking they might an innocent man was killed I just you know if people are not going to respond to the fact that someone gets hungry at night and goes out for a sandwich and cannot be stopped by the

police department and end up dead in a wagon from suffocation. If people are not going to respond to that well then there's something really sick about the society. Robbie's response is to take again to the streets in protest. But not everything is the same. There was one protest Croppy made that changed his life in 1976. Father grumpy stepped outside the restrictions of the church and married Margaret peg. When I married peg she said of them she felt like a contaminant. One day here I was by the group. I could wear a collar and all the uniform and everyone treated you with that kind. Clerical deference the next day she was my wife and I was Jim to everyone. Every priest goes through years of thinking and praying before he makes sense and it was very difficult and most painful thing ever did in my life. This church I had served my entire life a

sudden wake up and made hearing these church doors slam can play bass and you know you no longer want to kid you with you anymore you've got a wife. I don't know how to define the law other than the say it's sexist and a little crazy. It's all the only intellectuals and the only committed people in this world to a single males. It's absurd. I'm especially angry about it today because of what it says about my wife and I have two daughters. And. I'm going to teach them not to tolerate discrimination anywhere. Least of all at the altar of Jesus Christ. Giving up his collar also meant giving up a meager but regular income. He had to find a job to support his new family. Not an easy task for a man politically. Too hot to touch. After many tries elsewhere it was the county bus system that gave him a chance.

I often preached involvement in the pulpit. Many of my parishioners were blue collar workers I guess I understand now why they were more invalid or just plain exhausted. People get on the bus most of the so called me father how are you doing father. I said Farai how are you reading right on this issue. You have a good opportunity driving the bus they help a lot of people the elderly and there's something good and clean about blue collar work. You know right where it's good hard work. Today James grow up be a family man a full time bus driver. A man made hopeful by the changes accomplished in the past but worried about an inflation wracked politically conservative future. And so he stands with one foot extended back into the world of social activism. I guess I feel guilty today great and to a great extent because I'm not doing the things I did years ago I do what I can and I make a lot of excuses for not doing more maybe this is my own

apathy that I have to fight against but always be involved in something. But I'm not taking a leadership role and I'm not doing any organizing I I you know my way. Out of necessity and yeah I mean I drive a bus eight hours a day. You know when I come home I like to be with my family so that that has been there. Has been something. That I'm happy I'm very happy. You know. I guess I think there's anything that's missing in life. For me it's the feeling I have that I still want to commit myself to the community I think I still have something to give and to contribute and maybe that day will come again. And that's our report for tonight. Join us again a week from tonight on Thursday at 7:00 o'clock for the

Wisconsin magazine.