The Three Year Anniversary of Johnny Smith's Death

Three years ago today, Johnny “Tennessee” Smith was brutally bludgeoned to death on the east steps of Redeemer Lutheran, on the corner of 19th Street and Wisconsin Ave. Thinking of that day cues a slideshow of hard memories: yellow crime scene tape, officers standing as a human shield to protect Johnny's dignity in death, cameras pointing at us from across the street, a large brick/stone that turned out to be the murder weapon, lying on the grass.

The very next day, a newly elected council met offsite for a half-day of meetings. We processed the shock and grief together, and before we left that morning, a vision had emerged. Both men involved in the tragedy had been living with undiagnosed and untreated mental illness, and both had lunched at Redeemer’s Noon Run meal. We decided to partner with professionals and found a Mental Health Assessment Clinic at Redeemer. The pandemic slowed progress on this goal, but recent months have seen promising developments on partnership and a pilot program will begin this spring. The clinic is one part of a thorough renovation and restoration of Redeemer space. $2.53 million of a $4 million fundraising goal for the project has been reached. Inspired by the date, 3/29, we invite you to contribute here, online, between today and Sunday at noon, to reach a total of $3290.00 for this mini-drive. I’ll get things started with a $320 donation. Thank you for your kindness.

To donate, please use this link: https://gofund.me/86da6d36

For more information about this fundraiser, please keep an eye on Redeemer's Facebook Page.