The second site and probably the most powerful night was the confrontation with the issue of injustice at the Douglas County Courthouse.
The third issue the Lord had us address was the injustice of Native Americans. We visited a now vacant lot where a young Native American man was murdered. The business formally on the land was cursed by the man's father. Shortly following the event, it was torn down and now left barren and desolate, unable to be sold for more than 10 years.
The final site was the original Red Light District in downtown Omaha. This stronghold of immorality remained an active presence in Omaha for over 20 years, permitted to continue by many levels of city government and even the Church.
Defiled Site #1-Hummel Park
The Team listened to the history of Hummel Park and how the violence and bloodshed occurring are closely linked to N. Omaha.
We buried a cross into the earth to dedicate it back to the Lordship of Jesus!
Our Team walked through Hummel Park asking the Lord to sanctify and heal it from much bloodshed, occultic activity, and violence.
A Native American leader cried out to the Lord on behalf of her people and the land defiled by injustice.
Rhonda Hughey repented to a Native American leader on behalf of white Americans for the injustice and bloodshed of Native Americans, including taking of their land, not valuing who they were, removing their native identity, introducing disease. She also repented for the settling of our nation through pride, control, and domination without concern or care for who they were and the land God had already entrusted them to steward.
Then, we repented to the African Americans for taking them captive into slavery where they lost their identity, their families, their own land, and for treating them as a commodity.
The N. Omaha leaders shared their personal stories and the stories of their parents and grandparents and we responded to their pain with broken hearts and repentance. The reconciliation that followed was profound; this was not simply a prophetic act or symbolic gesture; we didn't do this because it was the "right thing to do." We simply asked God for His heart to intercede and root out injustice and its impact on our friends on N. Omaha and the land where they live. We, as white people wanted to stand in gap before the Lord and just say "we're sorry". We prayed, "Lord, will you forgive us?", and then we asked our friends "we're sorry, will you forgive us?"
Wes Adams rejoiced in the Lord after the cleansing of the land and reconciliation process!
Defiled Site #2-Douglas County Courthouse
In 1919, one of the most infamous racial incidents in our nation occurred in Omaha - the lynching of Will Brown, a black man accused of raping a white woman. The circumstances surrounding this incident are shocking and so abhorrent it’s difficult to even share the story without still feeling the pain and the shame of it, which is exactly why this became our primary prayer assignment in Omaha.
Will Brown was dragged out of the Douglas County Courthouse where he was being held for trial by an angry white mob – thousands of them. As the crowd grew, their anger turned into a demonic frenzy. Soon, they set the entire Courthouse on fire; they attacked the local police and fire stations and when the Mayor tried to intervene by offering himself in the place of Will Brown, the crowd agreed – and they hung the Mayor. Meanwhile, they captured Will Brown and dragged him through the streets, beating and kicking him, and hanging him from a pole. But they weren’t finished. They continued to mutilate his body, finally burning it in a fire pit, and then the proud white men gathered around the fire and took pictures with their victim. Nauseating isn’t it?
The evil ignited in the murder of Will Brown continued to terrorize the African Americans in the city and lead to a racial riot for 2 days that required the National Guard’s intervention. As a result, the city created “restrictive covenants” to keep the African Americans within a certain boundary. Those false covenants were repelled in the 1940’s, but of course the evil of the racially motivated boundaries established through bloodshed and injustice continue to impact the area today. The area of the restriction is known today as “North Omaha.” This area of the city was literally birthed in bloodshed, racism, and injustice. And as far as we could tell, nobody has ever said “I’m sorry.”
We went down to the Douglas County Courthouse on Friday night July 6th to say “we’re sorry” and to ask God to forgive us as white people. Then we asked the African Americans for forgiveness so that God would uproot the injustice, bringing freedom, release, and healing to the community of North Omaha.
As we concluded and prayed, an eagle flew in circles above us. Our Native American friend and the Fijian team believed this was clearly a sign from the Lord of freedom coming. Let it be Lord!
As we concluded and prayed, an eagle flew in circles above us. Our Native American friend and the Fijian team believed this was clearly a sign from the Lord of freedom coming. Let it be Lord!
Chief Vuniani addressed the crowd gathered at the courthouse and explained why we were there and what the Lord wanted us to do together to root out injustice.
Video of Cheif Vuniani addressing the crowd
Rhonda Hughey shared the story of the lynching of Will Brown in 1919 that led to the race riot, anarchy, and eventually the “restrictive covenants” that forced all black people into the perimeter of N. Omaha.
Video of buisness leader repenting
Black and white pastors met face to face, as the African American pastors shared honestly from their hearts on the pain of racism and the impact of injustice in their own lives and the generations before them.
Video of pastor sharing his heart about repentance
As the white pastors repented and asked for forgiveness, we sensed the heavens open over us as they reconciled together.
Video of pastors repenting
Video of forgiveness extended
White youth take responsibility for the racism in their own hearts and for the youth that started the mob lynching of Brown.
The African American youth forgave them for past injustice and the current impact in their lives today. Many hearts were healed as they embraced and reconciled.
Video of youth repentance
When the opportunity to repent to the African Americans was presented, white people chose to kneel in humility. When they did they began to weep and many felt like they were glued to the concrete where they knelt, not able to stand back up. At that point, the Holy Spirit began to rest on the gathering and healing began to flow. The African Americans began to weep and extend their hands in forgiveness, rejoicing in the Lord and feeling released.
The crowd watched in awe and anticipation of what the Lord was doing.
Video of the crowd rejoicing
Defiled Site #3-Native American Bloodshed
A couple of years ago, a young native American man stole some beer from a Kwik Shop. As he and his companion ran from the store carrying the beer, the cashier shot the young man in the back as he was running to his car. The young man died. A day or two after this incident, the young man's father gave a TV interview. In that interview, the father cursed the business and the land. The business ended up closing, and the land has never been sold. Although they have tried to sell the land, it hasn't sold for almost 10 years now. Eventually they took the sign down, tore down the building, and left the lot vacant.
Video of pastors walking onto defiled site
Video of repentance
Video of Cheif Vuniani's closing prayer
Defiled Site #4-Red Light District
In the early 1900’s, Omaha was filled with brothels in a large vice district downtown, under the gaze of city officials, the church, and families. The most notorious of the brothels were known as “the Cribs”, where rows of shacks down the alleyways filled with young girls. In addition, the “Burnt District” was another notorious area of brothels downtown, at one time numbering over 100 with over 1,600 women caught in the trade. The area was described as a place “where sin held full sway and Satan reigned supreme.” A businessman owned this district and made aconsiderable amount of money, which fed into the pocketbooks of local city leaders, policemen, judges, etc. The existence of prostitution on this scale was justified by the Christian community as a necessary evil; it was thought the disctrict would help protect “good” women from sexual assault like a sewer that drains moral impurity from the Christian world.
The impact of these areas contributed to heavy corruption, terrible abuse of women and children, abortions, suicides, and 30% of the men in the city of Omaha had a sexually transmitted disease. These areas existed for over 20 years before they were successfully shut down.
Rhonda shared about of the corruption of the brothel business and its devastating effects on the people, city, and land.
The Fijian team and pastors rejoiced after praying together for God to uproot the vile history of the Red Light District and its continuing impact of immorality in the community. We prayed for God to bring healing, wholeness, and salvation to all those held captive in prostitution, sexual abuse, and immorality today.
