Governor Baker On Recent Demonstrations In Boston
Read Governor Charlie Baker’s message to state employees sharing his remarks from his June 1 press conference addressing recent demonstrations in Boston.
Fellow state employees,
The past few weeks have been unsettling for so many of us. I wanted to pass along my remarks from this afternoon’s press conference. It is during difficult times like these that public servants play an important role as healers, leaders and sources of information and support. Thank you for all you do to help the people of Massachusetts.
Remarks On Yesterday’s Demonstrations
The murder of George Floyd at the hands of police was a horrible tragedy — one of countless tragedies to befall people of color across the United States.
Since this terrible pandemic and the loss that comes with it swept across the globe, people everywhere have gone through awful, terrible moments.
The loss of life, connection, purpose, income, routine — it has all pushed many far beyond what we’re used to dealing with.
Even before this week’s demonstrations, people were making their voices heard about the pandemic. Some marched or spoke up for or against one position or another — or made signs or used social media to send a message they wanted to be heard.
As we combat the pandemic — we remain in a real struggle with how to carry out the bedrock principles of democracy with the best medical guidance available to fight an infectious disease.
By and large the people of Massachusetts have made it work. We are balancing the fight against the virus with the fight for what we as individuals believe in. But it is hard, and it is not over.
Thank you to everyone who marched and exercised their right to free speech safely last night. Tens of thousands of our neighbors, friends, and colleagues tried when possible to balance the new normal we live in with their right to free speech.
Thank you to everyone who made their voices heard with the safety of those around you in mind.
To the men and women in law enforcement, fire, EMS, the National Guard and every first responder who was out on the streets last night — thank you.
Once again, you answered the call — putting the safety of the City of Boston, its businesses and its residents ahead of your own.
Many of you came from cities all around. Thank you.
To the criminals and cowards that tarnished last night’s peaceful movement, I expect your day in court comes soon.
The destruction of property, the looting, the criminal attempts to injure law enforcement are unacceptable.
The people of Massachusetts cannot let these individuals succeed in their goal to sow chaos into the fabric of what is an important effort and movement.
Racism and injustice comes in many shapes and sizes. People of color experience these painful moments on a daily basis — on personal levels and professional levels. Just ask Christian Cooper.
And sadly, they are experienced through interactions with the very institutions built to protect and uphold justice: government in one form or another.
They are all unacceptable: every instance of discrimination, every attempt to use race as a tool or a weapon, every offhand slander among community members or in a workplace.
But injustice experienced at the hands of a public institution that’s supposed to be rooting this out — that can often be the most despicable act of all.
The Color of Law — a book about housing policy in America that was published two years ago — pointed out the profound and long lasting impact of decades of discriminatory federal housing policy on the housing wealth of white and black Americans.
It adds up. The slights and injustices — big or small. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year.
The cumulative effect of these moments whether they are large or small, whether they are caught on camera or not — add up. The cumulative impact is countless and terrible. It can rob someone of hope — destroy a sense of personal safety. And over time, it can incite anger.
It’s a truly wretched combination: fear, anger, and hopelessness. Fear, anger and hopelessness experienced alone is a dead end.
But there are avenues that do lead to progress.
Last night I saw tens of thousands of people unite to continue the work to build a way forward for everyone who feels trapped at that dead end of fear, anger, and hopelessness.
By an order of magnitude I can’t add up, the number of people that want to build on progress and do well for one another dwarfs those who want to do the opposite.
There are few things in public life more powerful than the united message of an overwhelming majority grounded in compassion.
That’s what I will take away from last night.
How we move forward is up to us.
I know that I and public officials everywhere have asked a lot of all of you lately. We have asked you to sacrifice to help the elderly, the sick and your community. You do it and have been doing it every single day for a long time now.
We know you are strong. Now we ask you to choose to use your strength again.
Use it to say something when it would be easier to be silent. Use it to be kind when it would be easier to be bitter. Use your strength to lift someone up when it would be easier to walk by.
And use it to build a grand coalition of the willing, instead of supporting those who would tear us all apart.
It can work. On civil rights. Disability rights. Pay equity. Health care reform. Criminal justice reform. Addiction. And many others.
We owe it to one another — and to those who come after us — to find a path forward.
The injustices black Americans experience every day — and their devastating, cumulative effect — don’t care about state boundaries.
We all have an obligation to see and address these issues. We have an obligation to use our strength the right way to continue the march toward progress.
I have been speaking with elected officials, public safety experts and members of the black and Latino communities over the last few days.
There are lots of very bright ideas coming through these discussions.
We must find ways to enhance transparency & accountability in the law enforcement and criminal justice systems.
Without it, bad actors will continue smear those who do the right thing every single day. And the very best among us will never get the gratitude they deserve.
There are no easy answers. But there is opportunity. Opportunity to make progress and improve.
The public rightly expects its elected officials to be humble enough to admit their flaws, and open enough to find a better answer.
It is up to us who serve to understand that, and make it happen.
On a final note, I heard what the President said today about dominating and fighting.
I know I should be surprised when I hear incendiary words like this from him, but I am not.
At so many times during these past several weeks when the country needed compassion and leadership the most — it simply was nowhere to be found.
Instead, we get bitterness, combativeness and self-interest.
That’s not what we need in Boston, it’s not what we need right now in Massachusetts, and it’s not what we need across the great country of ours, either.
Thank you.
