Lafayette Community Day shows our city at its best
Lafayette residents again showed the power of coming together on June?3rd during the 2nd annual Community Day. After coffee and bagels, and the annual Pride flag raising, dozens of volunteers joined teams?to clean, paint, pull weeds, and beautify our neighborhoods. It was a wonderful day spent with people of all ages, political leanings, and occupations. Lafayette has never felt or looked better.
Unfortunately, a small clique of protesters unsuccessfully attempted to hijack the festivities, even "booing" during the flag raising celebration. These are the same faces that bully the community with protests at our elementary school and school board meetings. Their sole goal is to agitate the public by imposing their conservative nationalist views on children and adults in the most disruptive way possible.?
We can have worthy discussions around?bike lanes, budgets, housing developments, round-abouts, speed bumps, etc. In contrast, there should be NO debate regarding human rights for all individuals, especially historically marginalized and vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community.?
Lafayette stands together as an inclusive, accepting, and compassionate community that values everyone. Yes, even those who choose to fester in bigotry and hate. Next time I hope they join the community with a paintbrush instead of a picket sign.
Michael Dawson
Lafayette
Response to letter on bigotry
In your last edition Matthew Fogarty made an impassioned plea to stop bigotry against the LGBTQ community, which I respect. However, in the course of making his argument he took a completely unnecessary swipe at the Catholic church.?Arguing against small minded behavior with small minded behavior is going to get us nowhere. If he truly wants an inclusive community he should not demonize a large group of people by focusing on the actions of a small subset of that group.?In fact, that is exactly what he was arguing against in his letter.? Maybe Mr. Fogarty should familiarize himself with the pot and the kettle.
John Campbell?
Moraga
Lafayette residents again showed the power of coming together on June?3rd during the 2nd annual Community Day. After coffee and bagels, and the annual Pride flag raising, dozens of volunteers joined teams?to clean, paint, pull weeds, and beautify our neighborhoods. It was a wonderful day spent with people of all ages, political leanings, and occupations. Lafayette has never felt or looked better.
Unfortunately, a small clique of protesters unsuccessfully attempted to hijack the festivities, even "booing" during the flag raising celebration. These are the same faces that bully the community with protests at our elementary school and school board meetings. Their sole goal is to agitate the public by imposing their conservative nationalist views on children and adults in the most disruptive way possible.?
We can have worthy discussions around?bike lanes, budgets, housing developments, round-abouts, speed bumps, etc. In contrast, there should be NO debate regarding human rights for all individuals, especially historically marginalized and vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community.?
Lafayette stands together as an inclusive, accepting, and compassionate community that values everyone. Yes, even those who choose to fester in bigotry and hate. Next time I hope they join the community with a paintbrush instead of a picket sign.
Michael Dawson
Lafayette
Response to letter on bigotry
In your last edition Matthew Fogarty made an impassioned plea to stop bigotry against the LGBTQ community, which I respect. However, in the course of making his argument he took a completely unnecessary swipe at the Catholic church.?Arguing against small minded behavior with small minded behavior is going to get us nowhere. If he truly wants an inclusive community he should not demonize a large group of people by focusing on the actions of a small subset of that group.?In fact, that is exactly what he was arguing against in his letter.? Maybe Mr. Fogarty should familiarize himself with the pot and the kettle.
John Campbell?
Moraga
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA