I consider myself lucky to have been born in Bristol. Although I now reside in the state of Colorado, my formative years are filled with memories of patriotism and of solidarity with other Americans. My grandparents, immigrants from Italy, raised nine children, of which my mother was the last child.

I remember fondly our family celebrations of our nation’s birthday, and especially of our family reunions in Bristol on the Fourth of July holidays. Regardless of the political leanings of my uncles and aunts, on the Fourth of July there was a solidarity displayed that I long for in our nation today. 

The recent letters published by the Phoenix that were written by citizens of a more liberal bent seem to place an ‘us against them’ scenario as the only viable course of action in addressing current problems with respect to police actions.

I agree that the actions of police in the handling of Mr. George Floyd were criminal and should never be allowed to happen again. But to denigrate the entirety of the police officers properly serving and responsible for insuring our safety because of the improper actions of the few individuals will not result in the outcome desired and demanded by a majority of citizens.

With respect to those who feel that the only correct response is by defunding or other means to financially cripple our police, I fervently disagree. It wasn't all that long ago that these same police officers were considered heroes and honored by all Americans for their unselfish behavior by running into the terrorist-attacked Twin Towers.

I sincerely hope that those holding far left and far right viewpoints can agree to meet and intelligently discuss solutions to our nation’s problems in a more centrist manner. This method of debate was recently brought forth by Michael Byrnes and the leader of the Black Lives Matter movement when a flag was raised by Mr. Byrnes honoring our first-responder heroes. Mr. Byrnes and Dyshell Palmer, organizer of the local Black Lives Matter, agreed to exchange phone numbers and meet at a later date for in-depth discussions.

This method is the only viable solution for any problem. The forcing of either left or right ideology on the whole of society will only result in further animosity by those who are likely to feel uncomfortable with the outcome, resulting in a hardening of viewpoints. Only by a consensus, mutually reached and agreed upon by a vast majority of concerned citizens, can any solution be accepted by the American public. 

Ray Merritt Reed
Morrison, Colorado