‘Silence is compliance’
Stamford’s Board of Reps condemn white supremacy, bigotry after hate flyers found
STAMFORD — Stamford is now on the record condemning “all acts of white supremacy, bigotry and discrimination” — the city’s answer to flyers containing hate speech that turned up in driveways and parts of the city recently.
Board of Representatives President Jeff Curtis called a special meeting of the board Wednesday night to consider the resolution, which passed with all 35 members in attendance voting in favor.
The weekend of March 12, residents in and around Stamford’s Springdale neighborhood found flyers believed to have been left by a white supremacy group. The flyers claimed that New England states had become “less white” in the past decade and urged residents to “organize and resist.”
Mayor Caroline Simmons denounced the flyers in a statement issued by her office March 13.
“The City of Stamford has a zero tolerance for hate speech against any person or group, whether it is based on race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, country of origin, gender identity or any other affiliation, and we vehemently condemn this disturbing behavior in our community,” Simmons said in the statement. “Ensuring residents feel safe after this unsettling behavior is our top priority.”
The resolution passed by the representatives Wednesday states: “Together, we must work every day to root out this cancerous white supremacy in our own lives and neighborhoods, not only in reaction to moments where hatred becomes publicized and visible. We must examine, and directly address, the historical and present conditions that give rise to these moments of racial and religious hatred.”
The resolution declares that the board wants to “welcome all people into our community who have been and continue to be the targets of oppression and discrimination in our country.”
Reps. Maureen Pollack, D-11, and Jonathan Jacobson, D-12, drafted the document.
“It wasn’t even a choice for me,” Pollack said about spearheading the measure with Jacobson. “Silence is compliance for me, and I had to do everything in my power to combat hate with love and kindness.”
She said she was proud of how the board united behind the resolution.
“It helps everybody see that we’re still together, and I think that brings peace to a lot of people,” Pollack said. “Having the (mayoral) administration put out a statement fast was beautiful, and this just kind of closes the loop that we’re all aligned all together the way we should be.”
The Anti-Defamation League recorded 68 antisemitic incidents, including harassment and vandalism, in Connecticut last year — double the number from 2021. Meanwhile, the group logged 207 incidents of white supremacist propaganda in the state — a 115 percent increase.
After the discovery of the flyers in Stamford, Jacobson said he and Pollack spoke with constituents, fellow board members, local law enforcement, religious and community leaders and groups including the ADL as they put together an initial draft.
“I think that members of the Board of Representatives recognize that people in this city look to their leaders to set an example, lead by example, and its action by passing this resolution unanimously accomplishes that goal,” Jacobson said. “With the action of the Board of Representatives this evening, the foundation has been set for us to move forward from a position of strength.”
In 2019, Jacobson successfully pushed for the board to censure one of its members at the time for sharing Islamophobic and anti-immigrant posts on Facebook.
Curtis, the current president of the board, said in a statement that he hopes the resolution passed Wednesday “helps heal the community and make it clear that Stamford is no place for hate.”
The Stamford Police Department had no update on its investigation into who put out the flyer.
“As a department, we stand with the Board of Reps and condemn all hate and bigotry in any form,” Police Chief Timothy Shaw said in a statement. “We will continue to investigate any type of hate or bigotry when our department is made aware.”