As a former member of the Human Rights Commission, I am troubled by the rhetoric of some that questioning the Northampton Police Department is akin to anti-police bias. To me, that seems hypocritical from an area that, on a daily basis, questions the president of the United States with protests, signs on their lawns and resolutions — and rightly so.
To say that such persons have a radical agenda is missing the entire point of questioning the police, even when it appears that everything is going well. We must question everything in this day and age and make people uncomfortable. That’s what I did when I was on the Human Rights Commission in Northampton and what I am doing now on the Disability Commission in Easthampton. Police departments around the country are becoming more equipped with high-powered military equipment that is excessive, and the fact people are saying it’s just bullets for training is missing the larger picture here.
To me, the issue isn’t about whether we should accept donations; it’s whether such donations are appropriate to a small town’s immediate needs, and given we have a state police barracks around the corner furthers my point. First, it’s something as simple as cheap bullets, but what’s next? Alisa Klein is right in questioning this, and that is her responsibility as a city councilor, even when it makes us uncomfortable. Saying that it’s anti-police bias is just an attempt to stop the conversation from happening, and I am surprised that conservatives who are all whining about diversity of thought when it comes to free speech would be opposed to such questioning. That’s what diversity of thought is, debating the issues and questioning everything and not simply rubber-stamping what someone says, even from someone of authority.
Police departments have massive amounts of power, and with that power comes responsibility. Citizens have the right to question that because, if we don’t, the consequences for all citizens is far greater than simply accepting cheap unused bullets from Walmart.
Douglas Ross
Easthampton