Submitted by John Cooper, Greenwich
This morning I read our First Selectman’s Community Connections and was immediately distressed to see him once again ring true to his small town ways. After all of the controversy surrounding the flag policy at Town Hall, he shows his lack of awareness and sensitivity in spades. While most of the country recognizes our collective failures in treating Indigenous people fairly, Fred is oblivious.
Here is what he wrote:
“On Monday, Town Hall will be closed in observance of Columbus Day and will reopen for regular business at 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning.”
“I hope we get a big crowd joining us outside Town Hall to celebrate all they [Italian Americans] have done and continue to do here in Greenwich.”
In 2021, President Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples Day. He said in a statement that the day is meant to “honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.”
“This day is about reclaiming histories,” said Kyle Mays, an associate professor of American Indian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It’s acknowledging the history of dispossession and violence against Indigenous people.”
So, “friendly” Fred is another Republican who wants to silence history, ignore historical facts, while celebrating his cultural ancestry. It’s something he does with regularity, as with the sweetheart deals he has made with St. Roch’s, ignoring his own staff and Town Departments, while keeping backdoor promises.
This is but the most recent incident of Fred’s saying what his constituents want to hear, and then doing what ever he wants to do.
Had enough?
Vote differently next month.
John Cooper
Greenwich