We read with dismay the Feb. 5 story in the Gazette about a racist and threatening letter sent to Americans of Puerto Rican descent Gilberto Rivas and Zulimar Despiau who recently moved their longtime shop, Gil’s Auto Repair, from Belchertown Road in Amherst to just over the Pelham line in Belchertown.
We shared our dismay with our state Representative Aaron Saunders at his monthly office hours in Pelham last week. We are pleased that Rep. Saunders had reached out in support to these business owners and to the Belchertown Police to encourage a prompt and thorough investigation of this hate crime. At the same time, we believe it is imperative for all of us, public officials and citizens alike, to decry and to disown such expressions of hate and bigotry and to create and nurture a climate where anyone, no matter their identity, can live and operate a business without fear and in peace as these good people have done for years.
Gayle Barton, Judy Eiseman, Ralph Faulkingham, Abbie Jenks, Bruce Laurie, Anne Nugent, and Richard Seelig
Pelham