The Salida City Council began their Oct. 6 meeting with a proclamation celebrating diversity and encouraging tolerance and respect. This proclamation is in response to the vandalism that occurred weeks earlier throughout the city. Many citizens gathered before the Council to express their concerns and fear over what the vandalism, including the defacing of public art, the destruction of yard signs celebrating diversity, and messages put on shop doors that expressed support for the Black Lives Matter social justice movement.
The proclamation states “the Salida City Council does hereby proclaim and declare Salida, Colorado as a hate-free zone and condemns racism and any acts causing fear, intimidation, harassment, and harm motivated by bias or prejudice, and furthermore, declares and affirms a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of a person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, military or veteran status, socio-economic class, medical condition, or physical or mental disability.”
Mayor P.T. Wood (Photo by Taylor Sumners)
At the end of the meeting, Mayor Wood made a statement in reference to his beliefs in the proclamation.
“I had the pleasure of reading the proclamation around ethnic diversity and being a hate-free zone. That’s a council decision and not something that I get to say, so I wanted to make it really unequivocal where I stand,” said Wood.
“I condemn white supremacy. I condemn racism. I condemn antisemitism. I condemn misogyny. I condemn homophobia and I condemn all violence and hatred perpetrated by anyone,” said Wood. “We are definitely better than that.”
To read the full proclamation, click here.
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