Thursday, March 28, 2024

Letter to The Editor

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by Stephanie Phillips
Former Stratford Official
Town Council and Zoning

Mayor Hoydick, your statement is muted and still falls severely short of what is needed. President Trump is absolutely responsible for inciting a revolt. They violently attacked lawful authority with the goal of destroying or overthrowing our country’s democracy; the
mob came within moments of attacking the elected officials who are the second, third and and fourth in the line of succession after the President. Mayor Hoydick, you need to call it what it is – an act of SEDITION for which Donald Trump must be removed from office. To quote Michelle Obama: “They set up gallows. They proudly waved the traitorous flag of the Confederacy through the halls. They desecrated the center of the American government…And the wreckage lays at the feet of a party and media apparatus that gleefully cheered him on, knowing full well the possibility of consequences like these.”

Furthermore, your statement failed to acknowledge the unequal treatment by our Federal law enforcement agencies against these organized rioters. Unlike the systemic racism that motivated the large scale, paramilitary law enforcement action against Black Lives Matter demonstrators, these rioters were met with a woefully inadequate and underprepared security force. These rioters made their violent intentions clear well in advance but they were treated vastly differently. We can all agree, violence is wrong and unacceptable for any purpose, at any time. But do not use your condemnation of this violence to minimize or overlook systemic racism and implicit bias in our society.

We will progress when we have the courage to honestly assess a situation instead of invoking platitudes to avoid criticism. The exceptional people working hard to make our community a better place deserve leaders willing to do the same. As Mitt Romney so eloquently said, the “best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth.”

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