CHICAGO (RNS) — Like his five fellow defendants, Brian Straw was flanked by supporters as he entered the courtroom at the Everett Dirksen federal courthouse on Wednesday (Nov. 12) for his arraignment on charges related to protests that have taken place for weeks outside an immigrant processing facility in Broadview.But unlike Straw’s fellow “Broadview Six” defendants, who include Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and Cook County Board candidate Catherine “Cat” Sharp, his supporters wore clerical collars — because most were United Methodist pastors.“He’s one of ours,” said the Rev. Lindsey Long Joyce, a pastor at Grace Church of Logan Square, who was among the clergy who showed up at the courtroom, clearly visible among the dozens of supporters of all six defendants.
“In the United Methodist tradition, we have something called connectionalism, which, in this moment, we are saying means: If you come for one United Methodist, you have come for all of us,” said Joyce, who also serves the Northern Illinois UMC conference as a cooperative parish strategist, helping congregations work together to increase their local impact.
Straw, 38, an attorney and trustee of the Village of Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, is the husband of Shannon Craig Straw, who has long worked with liberal-leanin …
