Police Alert puts Residents of Color at Risk
by Lisa Papp Terifay for Newtown Allies for Change, July 8, 2021
Recently residents of Newtown were issued a message from the Newtown Police Department, the very first sentence warning all residents to “be on the lookout for three black individuals…”
When a community is as white as ours (more than 95% white, less than 2% black), the use of race as the primary identifier for a suspected criminal puts our neighbors of color at great risk. With those 8 words, a small number of Newtown residents became susceptible to harm due to nothing but the color of their skin.
That possible harm included interaction with the police -- being pulled over, questioned, detained, arrested or suffering physical harm.
It also includes harm from civilians. There were public comments from members of our community threatening violence, including death, to the perpetrators -- these 3 black individuals driving a black car.
It includes altering your plans and advising those who might fit that description to stay home to avoid a possible altercation.
It is worth noting that other reporting in the area did not include race to effectively warn their community. Certainly describing the number and genders of suspects involved, the make and model of car with identifying characteristics and the behavior to be aware of would be enough to be alert to any potential danger.
While the message was later changed to remove any mention of race, many members of Newtown Allies For Change and the wider Newtown community recognized the harm created by Newtown Police Department’s message and reached out to the First Selectman and Police Chief. In a subsequent public post and in discussions with several members, Chief Viadero noted his commitment to doing better in a number of ways, but stopped short of naming racism specifically or acknowledging exactly who had been harmed with this incident.
We have an opportunity here in Newtown to step up and make changes now. We will need to commit to being quite intentional in not causing harm to our neighbors of color. Newtown Allies For Change looks forward to working with both Police Chief Viadero and First Selectman Dan Rosenthal in seeing specific, actionable and demonstrable steps set for our town government and police force and will continue to advise them of valuable resources in these areas that can be put to use here to make Newtown nicer, and safer, for all.
When a community is as white as ours (more than 95% white, less than 2% black), the use of race as the primary identifier for a suspected criminal puts our neighbors of color at great risk. With those 8 words, a small number of Newtown residents became susceptible to harm due to nothing but the color of their skin.
That possible harm included interaction with the police -- being pulled over, questioned, detained, arrested or suffering physical harm.
It also includes harm from civilians. There were public comments from members of our community threatening violence, including death, to the perpetrators -- these 3 black individuals driving a black car.
It includes altering your plans and advising those who might fit that description to stay home to avoid a possible altercation.
It is worth noting that other reporting in the area did not include race to effectively warn their community. Certainly describing the number and genders of suspects involved, the make and model of car with identifying characteristics and the behavior to be aware of would be enough to be alert to any potential danger.
While the message was later changed to remove any mention of race, many members of Newtown Allies For Change and the wider Newtown community recognized the harm created by Newtown Police Department’s message and reached out to the First Selectman and Police Chief. In a subsequent public post and in discussions with several members, Chief Viadero noted his commitment to doing better in a number of ways, but stopped short of naming racism specifically or acknowledging exactly who had been harmed with this incident.
We have an opportunity here in Newtown to step up and make changes now. We will need to commit to being quite intentional in not causing harm to our neighbors of color. Newtown Allies For Change looks forward to working with both Police Chief Viadero and First Selectman Dan Rosenthal in seeing specific, actionable and demonstrable steps set for our town government and police force and will continue to advise them of valuable resources in these areas that can be put to use here to make Newtown nicer, and safer, for all.
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