North Penn leaders react to violence

School board, police chief call for peace

Community leaders in the North Penn/Lansdale area reacted this weekend to the Minneapolis death of George Floyd and the violence sweeping cities across the nation in protest.

On Friday, Lansdale Police Chief Michael Trail issued a statement printed in Saturday’s Reporter along with a letter from Pastor Enten Eller, president of the Wissahickon Faith Community Association.

Both letters expressed outrage at the killing of Floyd and asked the community to come together in peace and trust.

On Saturday, the North Penn School Board issued the following press release:

“As elected school board directors who have the privilege of serving the North

Penn School District (NPSD) community, we feel it is important to issue a statement condemning the ongoing acts of harassment and violence against black men and women.

“The senseless recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many other lives over the years have exposed the real, continuing fear and anxiety every black family, and those of color, must feel whenever their husbands, sons, brothers, grandchildren or nephews walk out the door, that something harmful might happen just because of the color of their skin. Our fellow Americans do not feel safe — these events are terrible reminders that many are not. We find this to be unacceptable.

“We stand with black families and like-minded community members in demanding swift, systemic change. We are only school directors in one district out of 500 in Pennsylvania, yet it is

our duty as representatives of our community to advocate for change. We want our families of color, and in particular our black male students, to know that we love them, we value them and that we stand by them.

“We will continue to work to ensure the safety of all North Penn students and to do this, value our partnership with the six local police departments who work to serve the North Penn community. We support their sentiment for the need to regain the community’s trust and seek to continue to work with them as they not only work to protect and serve each and every member of our community but also work to prevent and heal from these horrific events. The safety of our schools and our community is rooted in a foundation of mutual respect and trust for all.”

It’s signed by the NPSD Board of School Directors:

Tina Stoll, president; Christian D. Fusco, vicepPresident; Elisha K. Gee, Jonathan M. Kassa, Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell, Timothy MacBain, Juliane Rami, Al Roesch, Cathy Wesley.

“We stand with black families and like-minded community members in demanding swift, systemic change.” — North Penn school directors