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Hello, I have received your comments on Resolution 17-019. They will be provided to the Mayor and Council prior to tonight’s council meeting. Thank you, Jo Johnson, MMC City Clerk City of Homer 491 E. Pioneer Avenue Homer, Alaska 99603 907.235.3130 PUBLIC RECORDS LAW DISCLOSURE:
Most e-mails from or to this address will be available for public inspection under Alaska public records law. From: Julie McCarron [mailto:jamccarron@xxxxxxxxx]
---------- Forwarded message ---------- I can understand why some people think we don't need to have an inclusivity resolution. They may not have ever personally experienced any problems or issues and have found Homer to be a very welcoming and kind community. Perhaps they
themselves would never treat someone in a way that would be discriminatory or unkind so they don't believe that others would do that. I do agree that Homer is generally a very open, accepting and kind community and we are very lucky to have that and I myself have never experienced any problems personally. However it isn't like that all of the time for everybody. There are definitely people in the community who want to intimidate , put down or threaten those who are different. Luckily there aren't very many of them, but they are there.
I know a few people who have been subject to hateful speech in the past few months simply because they have a certain heritage. The rhetoric of intolerance that is so prevalent right now seems to give people who are unkind and intolerant a license to act out on their prejudice and bigotry. The inclusivity resolution is just one way to combat that attitude
and publicly say the City of Homer does not condone or tolerate that kind of behavior. We must speak up and say it out loud and hopefully those emboldened by the current rhetoric of fear and intolerance will not end up committing a tragedy like in the case
of the young Indian engineer shot and killed in Kansas last week by someone telling him to go back to his own country. I do not think it is government overreach for Homer to
say it out loud. Intolerance, prejudice and bigotry will not be tolerated. Sincerely, Julie McCarron |