Message from the Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Trustees: Change Begins With Us

Dear Friends,

 

At our June 2nd Board of Trustees meeting, we took some time to address the current human rights crisis that has affected our country.  A statement was read into the record by Trustee Lopez ahead of the Pledge of Allegiance, our Police Chief read a statement that had also been sent to the community on June 1st, and the remainder of the Board made statements with final words by Mayor Armacost.  Portions of these statements can be found below.

 

 

In these trying times, Coronavirus and recent (although not new) brutality have disproportionately affected brown and black people, and older, vulnerable humans.  Many have been lost.  But I am grateful because I have a home, and a yard, and food on my table and everyone in my family is healthy.   

 

Food insecurity has reared its unfair head, showing the fragility of our neighbors, and job loss has affected 26% of Americans; many in our village may have lost their jobs. Children that rely on the school for meals were suddenly faced with the possibility of going without. Seniors battled whether to leave their homes to get food or stay home and not take the risk of getting a disease that would likely kill them.  And yet, grateful, because Family-to-Family raised over $70,000 on our behalf, and the PTSA also provided funding to support our food pantry and at risk families; and our volunteers and village staff did whatever it took to try to ensure no-one went hungry and no-one felt alone. 

 

And when the country erupted in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department, the straw finally broke the camel’s back.  Overt and covert racism is real and it exists in every corner of our culture.  It is a painful truth that black and brown people endure every day.  But I am grateful, because here in Hastings, we can peacefully protest in the center of town with our children and neighbors; and our Police Chief will come out to let us know we have his support.  And a dedicated member of the force will stay behind to direct traffic and help families cross the street - to confirm our right to assemble peacefully.

 

It pains my heart that George Floyd called out for his mother while those men killed him.  And yet, I am grateful, grateful to be in this idyllic place where we are mostly sheltered by privilege that I am fully participating in because I want to make sure my kids have the best life.  Isn’t that what every mother wants to do for her children?

 

We are in difficult times, my friends.  Be well and be safe.

 

 

The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson Police Department would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the family of Mr. George Floyd. Please know that our Police Department strives to strengthen the relationships with our community and although we are proud of our past achievements, we are always motivated to improve.

 

The below statement was issued by the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association and the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson Police Department fully supports this statement.

"We join our state and national law enforcement colleagues in denouncing the actions, and inactions, of the Minneapolis police officers that caused the death of George Floyd. The officer’s tactics, and the officers' failure to intervene are inexplicable, and they must be held accountable.

 

The actions and inactions of the officers in question are not a reflection on all the hard-working men and women in uniform who serve and protect us every day. In Westchester, we are committed to responding and investigating incidents of alleged police violence swiftly, transparently, and fairly. We strive to treat everyone with dignity and respect, while embracing the principles of community-based policing. We are committed to partnering with our communities to develop strategies to build trust and promote safety for all. We stress that police-community communication is critical to effective policing and we must maintain open lines of communication- now more than ever. While we train and expect our officers to practice de-escalation, we need our community partners to encourage the same. We support non-violent civil disobedience, not criminal actions that result in injuries to people and damage to property. We stand ready to listen to all recommendations the community and our leaders deem necessary to better serve our constituents." 

 

Trustees Fleisig, Lambert, and Leaf each stated their deep sadness for the death of George Floyd and others, as well as their commitment to doing the sometimes hard work of making effective change, which starts right here in our own Village.

 

 

In order to live up to our ideals we have to each play our part in rooting out racism. We can each have it as a goal not to behave in a racist manner, but the real work is recognizing where our unconscious is serving up the racism that is baked into our genes. We need to look inside ourselves to root out traces of racism and we must be the ones who promote tolerance, fairness and love.

 

You can access the full meeting HERE: 

 

The Board, Police Department, Village Manager and Village Staff strongly believe that words are not enough - it is imperative that we put action behind them. We are committed to continuing to partner with each other, and all of you, as we do that.  And so, we would like to share the immediate first steps we are taking:

 

In conclusion, we believe we are incredibly lucky to live and work in this Village.  Violence and hate have no place here - not in our protests, demonstrations, police department, staff, or toward our neighbors.  We welcome your thoughts, concerns and ideas ... we are a community that thrives on using our voices for positive change.

 

Yours truly,

 

The Board of Trustees

Village of Hastings-on-Hudson