Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/letters/page/45/)
Taking a knee is not disrespecting the flag. Nor is it disrespecting the sacrifices of those who have served. Rather it is exercising one of the freedoms that our forefathers fought to preserve. Freedom is like a muscle – it must be exercised or it will atrophy. Exercising one’s right to protest peacefully is in fact honoring the sacrifices of those who have preceded us.
Editor,
Just to introduce myself, my name is Antonio Molle, I am a 13- year old lifelong resident of Watertown. I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and frustration in Town Councilor Caroline Bays for taking a knee during the pledge of allegiance at the recent town council inauguration. An elected official is expected to set a good example for all citizens, especially our town’s youngest citizens. Being proud of our country means being a good role model. Before long, some Watertown students will be kneeing during the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of each school day.
Dear Watertown resident,
I wanted to say a few words to you before the town council meeting tonight. As many of you know I knelt during the Pledge of Allegiance at the inauguration. I did so because I can not say “with liberty and justice for all” while that is not true in our country. People of color throughout our nation do not experience the same rights and privileges as white Americans. From the disproportionate punishment young children experience in schools to the disproportionate arrests, convictions, and sentences adults receive in the criminal justice system, people of color live with discrimination and persecution that people who are white do not experience.
With the holiday season under way, as we prepare for joyful celebrations with family and friends, the Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) partner agencies, Wayside Multi, and the Watertown Police, Schools and Health Departments would like to remind all adults to pay special attention and help continue to prevent teens from drinking alcohol. Teen alcohol use can lead to unsafe behaviors that put their health and safety at-risk. Underage drinking affects everyone in the community and if we work together we can continue to ensure the healthy and safe development of our youth. After all, every year a teen does not use alcohol, the odds of lifelong dependence decrease by 15%. In 2017, the Watertown Youth Coalition administered the biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to Watertown High and Middle School students.
Fellow Watertown Residents …
We are a group of Watertown residents who have just completed the Citizen’s Policy Academy, offered by the Watertown Police Department. We want to express our thanks for this opportunity to experience the Watertown Police Department from the inside – through class presentations by Department staff, touring the Station and even riding with Patrol Officers on active duty. During this eight-session course we were able to meet and engage with Officers, Detectives, and Command Staff from all four divisions (Patrol, Traffic, Detective, Community & Staff Development). We learned about the capabilities and operations of the Department, and have gained a new awareness and understanding of the dedication, duties, and skills of the men and women who serve our community. One particular highlight was the demonstration of the firearms training simulation.
There’s nothing like the thrill of sharing a meal with 100’s of determined, brave immigrants, refugees and newly sworn-in U.S. citizens who make Massachusetts such a great place to live. Members of Watertown Citizens’ Refugee Support Group had the honor of again attending the annual Thanksgiving luncheon organized by the Mass. Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) at the State House.
Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, who moderated the event and is herself the child of Haitian immigrants, was joined by the passionate voices of many other advocates and public officials, including Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, Attorney General Maura Healey, State Health & Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, Sister Marie-Judith Dupuy, Emerson College President M. Lee Pelton, and former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez. No doubt the most moving moment of the afternoon was hearing from DACA dreamer Paola Sanchez, who has worked in the US since the age of 14, both to support herself and to send money home to support her mom and sisters. She is now a full-time student at MassBay Community College.
Many soccer goalies dive face down into the turf hundreds of times per week, during games and practices. As a consequence of playing that position on artificial turf, goalies are prone to inhale and ingest potentially toxic dust and vapor to a greater extent than most other athletes who play on those same fields. Amy Griffin, Associate Soccer Coach at the University of Washington and former goalie for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, began discovering a disturbing pattern of soccer players being diagnosed with cancer, mostly cancers of the blood, lymphomas and leukemia. On an NBC News report in 2014, we learned how she began compiling a list of players with cancer who played on artificial turf. When her list reached 38 soccer players, 34 were goalies.
Editor,
My thanks and deep appreciation go out to those many members of the Watertown community who so generously supported my campaign for Library Trustee. Congratulations to newly-elected Trustees Leanne Hammonds and Daniel Pritchard, whose constructive, informative campaigns also underlined the values and strengths of our superb library. I feel certain they will serve all of us well. David R. Breakstone
Pearl Street