BREANNA FEARS BLM AND ENDORSES HATE SPEECH BY THAT GROUP. SHAMEFUL

Mayor’s Statement on July 15 Rally at City Hall by Jackie Piques I feel compelled to share my thoughts about the recent rally that took place at City Hall. Let me be very clear about where I stand. Black lives, minds, and voices matter. What happened after the rally Wednesday evening is unacceptable and has no place in this community. The language that was used by some attendees to rebut the message being put forth by a number of Medford’s youth supporting Black Lives Matter was disgusting, abhorrent, and has no place anywhere. When we first learned of the Wednesday rally, we engaged with the organizers – like we have with every rally or demonstration that has been planned – to make sure that it could be conducted safely. That is always our first concern, especially in light of the COVID-19 crisis that we continue to work through. We made it clear to the organizers during those conversations that we did not believe that such an event would be helpful or further the important conversations that are ongoing in Medford about systemic racism, equity, or policing. Notwithstanding these concerns and objections, the event did not need approval from me or the City in order to take place. Chief Buckley and I were invited to speak at the rally. We both declined. I did not speak at this rally, but I did speak at the recent Black Lives Matter rally at Hormel Stadium and knelt for eight minutes and forty-six seconds to honor the life of George Floyd and other black lives lost at the hands of police. I was not alone – Chief Buckley, members of the Medford Police Department, city staff, and hundreds of residents did too. It was a powerful and important moment at a critical time on our City’s history. But for us, it did not end there. We declared systemic racism a public health crisis in the City; started conversations about our policies and procedures that will continue for months; posted and disclosed information through the Medford Police; and worked across the administration to see what we can do better to address these issues. We are working to listen, learn, reform, and revise so we can try to move forward. Following the Community Conversation on Racism on June 17, we have been compiling a report of our work to date, policies that have been and will come under review, and a list of action items planned in the coming months. None of this will be done without true community dialogue and active engagement every step of the way. The community conversations to date have not and will not go unnoticed or unanswered. I know that there are those who will not agree with this statement. I consider many of these people friends and have for years. But I cannot in good conscience stay silent. Hate speech, threatening behavior, or intimidation tactics have no place here and never will. Jackie Piques | July 17, 2020 at 3:40 pm | URL: http://www.medfordma.org/?p=17937

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