Race forum participants say time for talk is over
They talked about the first time they encountered racism in Dutchess County and about the fear they have every time one of their children leaves home.
They talked, too, about the lack of economic opportunity that exists in Dutchess County for people of color, the struggles in communities of color for simple things like accessible grocery stores, and the lack of funding or attention to programs directed toward those com- munities.
And one after another on Tuesday, those participating in “A Listening Town Hall: People of Color Sharing their Experiences in Dutchess County” said the time for talk is over and the time for action is upon us.
The forum was held via Zoom and hosted by Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, DCold Spring, the Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights, and the Northern Dutchess NAACP. It was in response to widespread unrest across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after a Minneapolis after police office ground a knee into Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 sec
onds as Floyd was lying on the ground, handcuffed.
More than 300 individuals registered to participate in Tuesday’s forum, though only 10 of those spoke.
Poughkeepsie resident Curtis Clair recounted for the panel an incident in which his wife was verbally abused by local police during a routine traffic stop.
The encounter was so upsetting, he said, that he went to the police station to file a complaint, and one of the first comments from the officer behind the desk was how “articulate” Clair was.
Clair also said he worries every time his son, who is over 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, walks out the door.
Micha Jumpp, a 21-yearold lifelong county resident, talked of being spit on and called “Aunt Jemimah” and the N-word while in school.
“In the community, I was just another Black girl,” Jumpp said. “I learned very early to keep my hands out of my pockets.”
Mario Johnson, a city of Poughkeepsie resident and former Dutchess County legislator, told the panelists of being racially profiled by police who would pull him over because he was a Black man driving a Lincoln with Legislature vanity plates.
Cammie Jones, a Hyde Park resident and associate dean at Bard College, said: “I have experienced far more situations of racism and sexism here in the Hudson Valley than I ever experienced growing up in the South.”
Jones, like other speakers, said she has seen efforts like Tuesday’s before — when an incident will bring people together to examine racism and inequality — only to see them ultimately lead nowhere.
“Why is it so difficult for women and men of color to be heard and represented?” she said. “Why aren’t we always at the table?
“I’ve seen a movement become stagnant at times in our county, yet I do look forward to hearing and seeing change.”
“It’s frustrating to me we’re still just having conversations,” agreed Poughkeepsie resident Amelia Cabrera. “It gets me upset to still be in a listening stage. How are we still in a listening stage?”
Molinaro said previously that Tuesday’s forum was one of several he intends to hold so that decision-makers can get a better understanding of the needs and concerns of people of color and to develop ideas to “improve and move forward as a community.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has charged all local governments with police departments to “perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices,” and submit a plan by April 21 for improvements.
“It’s frustrating to me we’re still just having conversations. It gets me upset to still be in a listening stage. How are we still in a listening stage?”
— Poughkeepsie resident Amelia Cabrera