Rebecca Stevenson: Disappointed in the Mayor's Statement

                                                                                                                        June 11, 2020

Dear Mayor Neff,

 I am writing to express my disappointment with your statement regarding the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests. 

My first disappointment is in the delay in issuing a statement. The LSPD Chief showed great leadership by stepping up 10 days ago and making a statement condemning the actions of the police officers involved. I was hoping that you, as Mayor, and the Little Silver Town Council would put out a strong statement shortly after. 

My second disappointment is that the statement you did make was tepid at best and buried in a list of Coronavirus-related information. While I acknowledge that we are in the middle of a pandemic and that information is important, to write a letter with a numbered list gives the appearance of prioritizing. Your statement about George Floyd was listed as number 6; this suggests that the statement is of minimal importance. 

The population of Little Silver is predominantly white and the issues of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement may not appear to directly impact our town. However, I strongly beg to differ. Racist and discriminatory laws and regulations, such as red lining, loan discrimination practices and GI bill discrimination, have impeded social justice and created the inequalities which the BLM movement is seeking to redress. These have all added to the significant problem of de facto segregation in the State of New Jersey and created “white” towns like Little Silver.

I work at Red Bank Regional High school and sent all three of my children there, as I know you did. One of the reasons that RBR is a great school is its diversity. As Mayor of Little Silver, you need to be a role model to the children of Little Silver and publicly acknowledge that systemic racism is real, still affects our society and that we have much work to do. This is not a “black” issue, it is a societal one. Your statement failed to address any of this. At the protest in Red Bank on June 9th, it was powerful and effective when Mayor Menna spoke to the crowd. He acknowledged the long history of systemic racism and of the need to support one another and to work together as community. Little Silver can and should be part of that community.

Lastly, I was disappointed that your statement focused on the role of the LSPD in the protests in Asbury Park. I respect the LSPD and I work closely with Officer Smith at RBR; however, I was at the two protests in Asbury Park and I felt that the police presence was heavy-handed and provocative. Both protests were full of emotion but largely peaceful. Your statement oddly expressed concern that the protesters were putting the LSPD in peril during the pandemic. In fact, it was the police who were putting both themselves and the protesters at risk. The protesters were all wearing masks, while the majority of the police present were not. The police were also not physically distancing from each other. At the march on June 4th I observed large groups of police officers huddled together, mixing with officers from other towns. They were in no danger whatsoever from the protesters. There was no need for such a large presence of police and certainly they should have been practicing safety measures. 

I am grateful that I am able to live in a town like Little Silver and I am aware of the privileges I have had in my life that allow me to do so. As a community of privilege, it is important that we stand up for those who do not have the voice, the power or the ability to bring about a more just and equitable society. As the Mayor of Little Silver, you are in the unique position to provide leadership in this regard. Little Silver will be a better community should you do so. 

Respectfully

Rebecca Stevenson.