Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text
BOS minutes 06-03-20
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~s~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~. M.,~ ~f Minutes Virtual Meeting via Zoom June 3, 2020 5:30 p.m. Present: Chairman Christopher J. Connolly ~ Vice Chairman John J. Connolly ~ Clerk Thomas W. Theodore I Mark J. Porter I Michael C. Loughran Also Present: Charles J. Aspinwall, Town Administrator; Laurie Bogue, Administrative Secretary Meeting called to order at 5:30 PM. Selectmen Mark Porter asked to read a thoughtful letter in light of what happened in Minneapolis. Selectmen Porter read: As I sit here tonight, it seems ha~~d to believe that only a week ago in Yecognition of Pride Month, this Board reaffirmed its position of promoting tolerance and condemning all acts of disci°imination and acts of violence targeted at first ~~esponders. Little did we know at the time that the night before, Geo~~ge Floyd was mu~~de~ed in Minneapolis at the hands of a police officer, worsening a pain felt by so many people of color across the United States. As a police commissioner, acts of police violence c~ eate a complex set of negative emotions. They often inspiYe me to speak ou~~ police chief to understand his pe~~spective and understand why Canton is d ffe~~ent than Minneapolis, Fe~~guson o~~ so many othe~~ places. Th~~ough ouN conversations I always come away knowing that those in the Canton Police Department are he~~e foi° the ~°fight ~~easons. Fui°thee, they have sought ozit the t~~ainzng irr topics such as implicit bias and de-escalation techniques to make them some of the best officers in the countiy and a g~~oup we are p~~oud of. They are not the man we saw on oin~ TVs. These answers though all lead us to a more difficult question: if we believe we've done what we can to protect the fi^eedoms and safety of oui ~ esidents and fi~^st responders locally, what should we do as a Board when reps°ehensible violence happens outside of oui^ community? The honest answer° is, "I don't know ". Ce~~tainly, we should continue to provide our Police Chief the resources he needs to give ouN office~~s the best training available. Maybe, the best thing this Boas°d can do is to seek input from the membeNs of ou~~ community, particular those of color to ensuJ e our community is and remains a welcoming place.