The fact that the words “Black Lives Matter,” which had been painted with the city’s permission on Court Street in front of Springfield’s municipal group, were defaced almost as quickly as the paint had dried, points to the very deep divisions we have, not just nationally, but locally.

There were people on Facebook who posted Court Street is now the place to “burn out” before the mural was completed.

Clearly the fact that this was done was not random.

Mayor Domenic Sarno, released the following statement, “Upon hearing about the vandalism on the Black Lives Matter mural this morning, I immediately instructed Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and our city team to review the video footage from our surveillance cameras on Court Street to investigate this act of intolerance.  We will find out who did this and the individual(s) will be held responsible.  In addition, I have instructed our dedicated city crews to repair the vandalism on the mural and our city street.”

He added, “Our community came together peacefully over the weekend in a show of unity, mutual respect and understanding. Unfortunately, there are still some in our community that look to divide us – my goal will always be to unite us.  There will be zero tolerance with regards to the desecration of any monument in our city.”

It doesn’t matter if the people who did this act or advocated for it on social media were racists or just jerks; there is a continuing level of disrespect that is troubling to say the least.

The issue of systemic racism is something that is found everywhere in this nation. People of color believe that 400 years of it is enough. The strides that have been made seem to have been eroded and that is not acceptable.

Again here is my disclaimer: as a 66-year-old white male I can not thoroughly understand what it is like to be a person of color who faces racism in this country. Intellectually I can understand it, but emotionally I can not imagine the depths of feeling that racist acts create because I have not been the victim of racism.

I do know this: the very people who are indeed racists frequently describe themselves as “Christian.” So, here is my challenge to area racists: please show me where Jesus spoke of discriminating against people like him. Quote scripture at me. Show me where Jesus condones racism. Explain it to me.

Questioning the fairness and justice of American society is something we are supposed to do.     As Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.”

It is our responsibility as Americans to build a society that embodies the idea that all of us are equal under the law. It should be a given, but these days it’s clearly not.

There is no reason to prevent this from happening.

Another expansion

You may have heard that Reminder Publishing, in its quest for world domination, is expanding with another edition. Starting in November, we will be taking the Holyoke news out of The Chicopee Herald and creating a new Holyoke weekly newspaper that will also cover Granby and South Hadley.

Assistant Managing Editor Payton North will be in charge of the edition and Danielle Eaton will be the lead reporter. I’m hoping to contribute a bit, as Holyoke, South Hadley and Granby play significant roles in my life and career.

My family lived in Granby for about 20 years and I graduated from Granby High School. I worked in Holyoke at the old Transcript-Telegram, then at WREB radio and then at Wistariahurst.

I was fortunate to have been offered a job about the same time the city cut the funding for my position at Wistariahurst and that was to be the founding manager at Tower Theaters in South Hadley’s Village Commons.

All of us here are looking forward to better covering Holyoke and to once again carry news from Granby and South Hadley.