George Floyd


I am writing this as a member of our community – not as a representative of the Board of Commissioners. The following are my reactions, thoughts, and feelings on the events surrounding the killing of George Floyd.

I am heartened by the positive posts and activities by our residents pitching in to help turn a bad situation into something good. The events surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police, have focused us, as a nation, to address the inequities that still exist in our society. These events have given us all, the opportunity to reflect on our own actions and beliefs. It’s easy to point the finger at the Minneapolis police department as the problem. But the problem isn’t the violence of the Police. That is a symptom of the disease. The disease is inequality. It is a problem of all communities to varying degrees. No community is immune.

Some in our nation enjoy implicit and explicit advantages and standing in the community while others do not. Each of us may feel we are treating everyone equally, but are we? What is woven into the unspoken rules of our society? We must follow the guiding light of our Constitution that says we are all created equal to keep us aware of these inequities and help us to work to ensure we are not lulled into complacency. There is work to be done.

The Upper Dublin community has demonstrated it is a caring community and an inclusive one. As a community we need to stay open to hear from everyone even if that conversation is a difficult one – a scary one. Even as frightening as facing this issue head on is, we can’t quit now. We all need to continue to ensure everyone in our community is heard, supported, and treated equally. Only by working through it and by working together can we remain strong and become an even stronger community.