A possible reason for GOP demonization?

The question remains: Why are Connecticut Republicans demonizing DesegregateCT?

As noted in my Feb. 21 column, this question surfaced at a virtual meeting of “Darien Talks Housing.” The questioner wondered why Republicans portray DesegregateCT proposals in such contorted fashion, given the benign nature of these proposals.

University of Connecticut law professor and DesegregateCT founder Sara Bronin had no answer, saying these proposals are modeled on legislation that received strong bipartisan support in Massachusetts.

Noteworthy among the contortions are those perpetrated by the two Republicans in Greenwich’s fourmember legislative delegation. State Rep. Harry Arora (R-151) invokes the specter of a state takeover that will result in uncontrolled development and high-rise buildings. State Rep. Kimberly Fiorello (R-149) has long demonized DesegregateCT, portraying it as part of a Hartford takeover that amounts to “cancellation” of local zoning.

This Republican narrative is nonsense. Any careful reading of DesegregateCT’s specific proposals on its website makes this clear, as do Bronin’s presentations at the many meetings she has attended in recent weeks.

The proposals don’t exist yet in the formalized language of the bills the public will address at a Planning and Development Committee hearing still to be scheduled. It’s therefore strange that Republicans have taken it upon themselves to invent and demonize nonexistent legislative content.

The DesegregateCT discussion is about innovative and inclusive zoning solutions intended to benefit all Connecticut residents. In my Feb. 21 column, I said it should not be a partisan discussion.

But Greenwich Republican Town Committee Chair Dan Quigley not only turned the partisan volume way up in a GOP column, but also doubled down on the demonization.

“Let’s examine Desegregate CT,” he wrote. “This is an effort by state Democrats to centralize local planning and zoning authority in Hartford, thus removing it from local communities.”

Untrue.

And what about efforts to create more diverse and equitable housing?

“This means they want your state government to engage in a social engineering experiment,” Quigley said.

Partisan demonization. Contrary to these claims, DesegregateCT is not a partisan organization. It is not made up of Democrats in Hartford, nor does it represent a specifically Democratic agenda. It does not propose any centralized state zoning agency. It does not do away with local zoning (which is enabled by the state in the first place).

DesegregateCT is a coalition that includes around 60 nonprofit organizations from throughout Connecticut. Recognizing the harmful consequences of economic and racial segregation for all Connecticut residents, they have come together to seek legislative solutions that address the need for more diverse housing options, more inclusive zoning, a cleaner environment, sound economic development, and a strong state economy.

While local zoning has historically played an exclusionary role, DesegregateCT’s proposed zoning reforms are sparking discussion about how zoning can also serve to promote more inclusive and more environmentally sound residential patterns at the local level.

Connecticut Republicans appear unwilling to engage constructively in this conversation. Why?

While Quigley’s demonization begs the question, Fiorello’s vote on the Crown Act offers a likely answer.

The Crown Act — an acronym for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” — was passed with overwhelming, bipartisan support: 33-0 in the Senate and 139-9 in the House. It prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of hairstyles historically associated with race. Black women are three times more likely than white women to have their hairstyles considered “unprofessional,” and 50 percent more likely to be sent home from work.

Fiorello was among only nine persons in the entire House and Senate to vote against the legislation. Her email explanation to constituents is candid.

“The antidote to racism is each of us making the personal commitment and having the discipline to stop ourselves from judging each other by what we see on the surface, and instead taking the time and effort to get to know each other better on an individual basis.”

Fiorello explicitly rejects legislative measures to combat racism, and implicitly denies the very existence of systemic, or structural, racism. Most Republicans may not say it with such candor, but Fiorello provides one plausible answer to the question of Republican demonization.

By demonizing those who seek to dismantle the structures that maintain economic and racial segregation, Republicans deflect attention away from their role in maintaining that status quo.

Alma Rutgers served in Greenwich town government for 30 years.