Published in the June 16, 2016 edition
By BOB TUROSZ
NORTH READING — The town’s Board of Selectmen reacted to the mass shootings in Orlando much the same way as the rest of us – with horror, sadness, outrage and empathy for those who lost loved ones. The difference is the Selectmen had a forum at their weekly meeting to express their feelings.
Selectman Stephen O’Leary called the events in Orlando “absolutely tragic” and said part of the answer must include better screening and gun control. “It has little to do with immigration as far as I’m concerned. Biases, prejudices, people being targeted, it can happen anywhere. I know all of us feel badly and our thoughts are with the people of Orlando and their families.
It’s incumbent on us to start acting locally and start asking our state legislators and congressional delegation to start taking some action. Presidential politics being what they are, I think we really need to start focusing locally and hold our congressional delegation accountable for their lack of action and I think gun control has to be a part of it.
Jeff Yull asked the board to observe a moment of silence for the 49 killed. “I don’t look at this massacre as what kind of people have been killed, I look at it as just people who have had their lives taken away. It is understood that not all Muslims are terrorists and no one is saying that. One bad person or a few should not be defining an entire people.
“We need to do a better job of education our youth of the value of our first responders” like those who saved many lives in Orlando. “They do special things for us. We need to do a better job of letting the youth of America know that police are there to help you. They are not racist or negligent in what they do.”
Michael Prisco said he hopes and prays this doesn’t “become the norm. That’s what we have to work at. That’s why it’s a good suggestion that we continue to have discussions with our political leaders to make sure they understand where we need to invest to protect ourselves and our citizens.”
Chairman Robert Mauceri said this shows the the internet is a double edged sword. It’s a tremendous tool for communication but it can also be used to spread hate. “I don’t know how you fix that. The ability to build hate up instantly and propagate it is just so easy to do these days, that’s part of the problem.
“I think it does come back to the basic problem of how we educate our kids and how we bring them up.”
Kathryn Manupelli said there’s not much left to do but be in solidarity with the victims and pray. She read the Universal Prayer for Peace:
“Lead me from death to Life,
from falsehood to Truth.
Lead me from despair to Hope,
from fear to Trust.
Lead me from hate to Love,
from war to Peace.
Let Peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.”
Manupelli agreed she thinks North Reading does a good job, through the schools and Youth Services, to recognize the dignity in one another and that difference isn’t a negative thing.
“That’s another prayer, I guess,” she said.
