In their petition to the Bristol Town Council, the Bristol County Concerned Citizens group chose details that match the peaceful march in Bristol and their request to fly the First Responders’ flag. It appears to me that this is an attempt to use the Black Lives Matter decision to put the town council in the awkward position of having to choose between honoring first responders and standing by their unanimous decision to fly the Black Lives Matter flag.

I maintain this does not have to be a choice.

Procedures does not create a precedent when the issues are very different, and in this case they are. One is a call to support the service and sacrifices of first responders. The other is to seriously work toward social justice and improving in the ways we treat each other. I see a way we can honor both.

A First Responders Day designated by Congress is already scheduled to occur on Oct. 28. The town council and the BCCC and anyone else interested could begin now to plan ways to make that special — and it could include raising and flying of the first responders’ flag.

A reminder of our history could help us understand the need for proactive actions in race relations. While many people have come to America for the freedoms they would have here, African Americans were kidnapped and brought here by force, then sold to the highest bidder. While the Civil War supposedly freed them, Jim Crow laws kept them trapped under a whole different set of rules. When my children were small, I taught them that the policeman was their friend. Unfortunately, that message would have been much different if I had been born with black skin.

Also, the pandemic has increased our awareness that the availability and quality of health care has been affected by the color of our skin. 

George Floyd’s death came at a time when increasing numbers of people were awakening to the inequities our black brothers and sisters have had to deal with throughout their history. We can honor their losses and sacrifices by using this event to show that solutions can be found if we are serious about working on social justice issues, and we can stand behind them AND honor other worthy causes as well.

Charlotte Griffith
Bristol