What are the lines between public expression and private expression? What private expression should be counted as a factor in job performance? What can be forgiven and forgotten and what can't?

These are questions that have always been part of American life but have been complicated by social media. Social media has blurred a lot of lines.

It's important to note that everyone makes mistakes in judgment. Everyone is human. Having said that, one must also say that everyone should exercise common sense.

The controversy boiling in Chicopee is the removal of Police Officer Mike Wilk by Mayor John Vieau in his role of public information officer over comments made by Wilk on his Facebook page.

Various Chicopee Facebook pages and forums are filled with comments supporting VieauÕs decision and those condemning it.

Here is what Wilk said in case you missed it:  "Kaeprnick (sic) is just as wrong as those cops. Kneeling disrespects a flag that many have died for honorably. Those cops will be criminally charged and prosecuted, as they should be. Doesn't give someone the right to dishonor those that gave their lives for a country."

To be clear, former quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been very explicit in describing his knelling during the National Anthem when he was playing professional football. The action was not about disrespecting the military and veterans. It was about calling attention to black Americans who have suffered violence and death at the hands of police.

Wilk had it all wrong by equating a murder with a peaceful act of protest.  At best, this was a very insensitive remark. At worst, it reflected an attitude that is unwanted and unneeded today, especially by someone wearing a badge.

Wilk released a statement that attempted to put his comments into context but he did not apologize for his remarks and the harm or offense they have created.

To be clear, this writer has no relationship with Wilk, despite the fact I've been reporting in Chicopee since 1999. Generally, crime news is a daily news product and Wilk tailored much of what he did for television or the daily paper. He would respond to my inquiries when I sent them, though.

Through his many TV appearances, it is fair to say that people have heard more from him about police policy than anyone else in the city.

The role of a public information officer for a police department is to deliver information to the public and the press about arrests, missing people, scams in the city, unsafe road conditions and general police and public safety activity.

In Springfield, there had been an officer assigned to that duty working with the police commissioner, but he had other responsibilities. He was replaced by a civilian, whose job does not include any law enforcement duties.

There is always a question, based on the size of the community, whether or not such a position should be full-time, part-time, filled by an officer or a civilian.

The mayor now has the opportunity to review this position to see what would be best for the department and the city.

Considering the city is now using a joint dispatching service with trained civilian dispatchers to save money and to put trained officers back on the street, it would not be unreasonable to consider a civilian or perhaps a former police officer or reporter for this job.

It will be interesting to see if the mayor or any member of the City Council will consider who best could fill this job and if they are willing to question the status quo of the past.

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It is heartening to me that Springfield and Holyoke have both had peaceful demonstrations to raise questions and consciousness spurred by the murder of George Floyd.

One of the strengths of our area is that we are diverse. One of the problems in our area is that not everyone embraces this diversity.

Some suburban residents have asked me  – yes, that is code for white people who live in more affluent communities – if I'm afraid of covering stories in Holyoke or Springfield. The answer is a definitive  "No." I worked in Holyoke for years and I've lived in a working class neighborhood in Springfield since 1990.

I love Springfield and am proud to live here. I've brought visitors to Holyoke to show them a historic community.

 Understanding the potential of this country and understanding we must treat people as we want to be treated are two things that all of us should think about every day.

We are all frail, frequently stupid humans, but we don't give into fear, shouldn't give into stereotypes and shouldn't make assumptions. We need to be able to question, take action and hopefully learn from the past.