<div dir="ltr">Oh, and someone just alerted me that I included the VERY WRONG link in my original post! I didn't remotely intend to include a link to an article about Rudy Giuliani -- I meant to include this link:<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/on-mothering-white-sons-to-know-blacklivesmatter_us_577e85bce4b03288ddc57d79">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/on-mothering-white-sons-to-know-blacklivesmatter_us_577e85bce4b03288ddc57d79</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>Apologies everyone!!</div><div><br></div><div>-Heather</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 9:01 AM, Heather Cronk <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:heather.cronk@gmail.com" target="_blank">heather.cronk@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Hi, Bruce -- I assumed it would probably just be a matter of time before you weighed in. Welcome.<div><br></div><div>Since I've received numerous messages from folks off-list about creating a dialogue, I'll focus my energy on building rather than on tearing down.</div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><br></div><div>-Heather</div></font></span></div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 7:44 AM, Bruce Wernek <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bruce.wernek@verizon.net" target="_blank">bruce.wernek@verizon.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:#000000;FONT-SIZE:12px"><div>Honestly Heather, I'm sick of tired of the "race dialogue". I'm old enough to remember what racism is. I lived through it.<br><br>I don't care what color you are. We are all in this together. This country doesn't belong to whites, blacks, etc. It belongs to all of us which means all of us are responsible for what happens in it. The problem is apathy. No one wants to be bothered with minding their own affairs anymore. When there's a problem, we all turn to the government to solve it. They have to be involved in pretty much everything. <br><br>All you hear from the media is an unending stream of hate. The news (all of it, not just what is the most inflammatory) is secondary and incidental. Take the Freddie Gray case as an example. The media spins it into a police brutality issue, yet 3 of the 6 officers have been exonerated. I'm certain the remaining three will be too. Does this mean anything to you? <br><br>What will you do if the same is true for police officers responsible for "the <span style="text-decoration:underline">murders</span> of Black men" after their trials? Are we are going to organize a lynch mob and string them up on the nearest tree. That's what the KKK was doing when I was a boy. Judgements rendered by our legal system be damned? Clearly you must know something I don't. I am unable to make any assessment on the innocence or guilt of these officers since I don't know all of the facts. All I have to go on is the media's hate rhetoric. Is that what you are using to assess guilt or innocence?<br><br>Our country is being torn apart. What that psycho did to Texas' finest was a declaration of war on America. BLM has declared war on America too and they are not the only "activist group" that has done so. There's no dialogue or resolution, just unending hate. I've been all over the world and observed many cultures. I assure you America is the one of the most diverse tolerant wealthy countries on earth. Be thankful because if we continue down this road, all that we take for granted is perilously close to being lost. <br><br>The bottom line is that the police are not the enemy. They protect all of from abject chaos. In my opinion, the police should be held in the highest regard. They get cussed out, spit on, shot at, punched out, insulted, threatened, beaten, stabbed, murdered, maimed, deal with the dregs of society, etc. (abbreiviated list) in the execution of their duty to protect us. They fight a war that can never be won and they will never get the recognition they deserve. Yet they persevere. Given this, don't you think they should be given the benefit of the doubt, "innocent until proven guilty"? <br><br>I suggest you start reading something other than the Huffington Post. Why don't you find out who's funding the BLM then you'll know their real agenda (hint they aren't people like us). I assure you, it will be enlightening.<br><br>God bless the Police now more than ever.<span><font color="#888888"><br><br>Bruce<br></font></span></div><span><div> </div><div> </div><div style="border-top:1px solid #bcbcbc;margin:5px 0px"></div><span style="font-size:12;font-family:arial;color:#000000">On 07/09/16, <span>Heather Cronk<<a href="mailto:heather.cronk@gmail.com" target="_blank">heather.cronk@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:</span><div> </div><div style="font-size:12;font-family:arial;color:#000000"><div>After this week's brutal news about the murders of Black men by police, the release of video of those murders, and the subsequent murders of police officers at a rally in Dallas, I've been doing a lot of reading, a lot of checking in on Black friends, and a lot of talking with fellow white folks.</div><div><br></div><div>Given that our community in Riverdale is racially diverse and growing more so by the month, I felt that it was important to open up a conversation here about ways that we -- as neighbors, friends, and folks hugely influential on the lives of the kids in our town -- can respond. I hope that these conversations are happening in our local schools, as well.</div><div><br></div><div>One article has jumped out as particularly helpful among white friends of mine who are parents:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/10895690" target="_blank">http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/10895690</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>I realize that opening up a conversation about race over a listserv is complicated -- and I'm very open to ideas that folks might have about ways to continue this conversation offline if there is interest. Despite the complexity of this conversation, I also wanted to make sure that a) folks of color in this community hear that their lives and their family's lives matter, b) white folks in this community hear an invitation to dialogue and at least one very concrete tool in having this conversation with their kids, and c) all of us take a few minutes to think intentionally about what kind of community we want to take an active role in creating.</div><div><br></div><div>If there are any white neighbors who are interested in getting together offline to have a conversation about how we're actively working together to ensure that this community is one of justice, dignity, and respect, I'd be very happy to convene that discussion. Please feel free to respond either on-list or off-list (<a href="mailto:heather.cronk@gmail.com" target="_blank">heather.cronk@gmail.com</a>) and I'd be happy to organize a get-together...</div><div><br></div><div>And to our neighbors of color -- especially our Black neighbors -- we see you, we love you, and we will do everything we can to ensure that this community is a safe haven for you and your children.</div><div><br></div><div>-Heather</div><br><hr size="1"><br>_______________________________________________<br>TownTalk mailing list<br>To post to the list, send mail to <a href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org" target="_blank">TownTalk@riverdale-park.org</a><br><a href="mailto:TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org" target="_blank">TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org</a> is for automated subscription processing only<br><a href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk" target="_blank">http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</a><br><br>For more information about Riverdale Park, visit <a href="http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info" target="_blank">http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info</a><br></div></span></div>
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