To the Editor:

I am writing in direct response to an October 21 letter written by Cathy Reiss, a current member of our Legislative Council.

To begin, regarding the ongoing discussions within the Legislative Council of an open carry ordinance on town property, I feel confident that our elected officials will undoubtedly refer to legal council to identify any preemptive issues with state statute before moving forward with an open carry ordinance. For a current council member to suggest that the due diligence will be lacking because some members want to take away gun permits and jobs is, in my opinion, both irresponsible and frankly, ridiculous.

Next, any assertion that attempts to prove that the Rev Martin Luther King, Jr, advocated for color-blindness only highlights why we need to better educate our children and ourselves in this area. When MLK spoke these words: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” I believe he did not advocate for color blindness, but instead I believe he advocated for no longer being judged by the standards that white people placed and continue to place on the skin of Black people.

The reality of racism cannot be dismissed by twisting the words of one of our greatest civil rights leaders — and shame on any person who tries.

Finally, the threat of violence is not protected under the right to free speech. A task force has been organized by our attorney general to address any threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff. This task force will work with local governments in providing dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response — it will not address nor investigate concerned parents who do not threaten violence.

While I disagree with Ms Reiss’ assertions, I do agree with her opening statement that we are “Newtowners first and partisans second.” However, I am left wondering, if Ms Reiss truly believes in her own opening statement, why would she end her letter with purely partisan rhetoric? In any event, my hope is that come November 2, we will elect members to our Legislative Council who will use facts in order to move Newtown forward.

Erica Sullivan

Newtown