Westport Board Of Selectmen Sign Anti-Hate Petition

WESTPORT, CT — The Westport Board of Selectmen — First Selectman Jim Marpe, Selectman Avi Kaner and Selectwoman Helen Garten — announced they have signed the Anti-Defamation League's petition that implores President Donald Trump to publicly and unequivocally disavow white supremacy.

Responding to the white supremacist "Unite the Right" demonstration and violence this past Saturday in Charlottesville, VA, Marpe stated that there is no place for hatred and bigotry in our country and expressed "our community’s prayers for the victims of the senseless violence."

Steve Ginsburg, Director of ADL’s Connecticut region, stated that the organization is "deeply concerned about the spread of this ideology" and the violence which can accompany it.

"We are encouraged, however, by the denunciation of hate from elected officials across the country - including all three of Westport's Selectmen," said Ginsburg in a statement. "Leaders speaking clearly against bigotry help set the standard for our community's response."

Westport has a long, proud and rich history of tolerance and acceptance, and earlier this year when Neo-Nazi flyers were found in the town, Marpe and Police Chief Foti Koskinas quickly called attention to the matter and unequivocally said that "this kind of ethnic ugliness has no place anywhere, and certainly not in Westport."

Westport’s three Selectmen also support ADL’s recommended three pronged approach to combat white supremacy and extremism:

1. Ensure local law enforcement is trained on how to deal with hate and extremism
2. Task the Board of Education and Superintendent Colleen Palmer to prioritize anti-bias and anti-hate in Westport schools
3. Support broader national efforts to fund anti-extremism programs

Photo credit: Town of Westport