Dear Residents,
Last Sunday (June 7), approximately 500 people gathered around Canton’s Charter Oak to demonstrate their support for Black Lives Matter. It was an impressive display, from the high school students who organized the rally to the townspeople who held up signs and took a knee, to the town officials who joined in, to the traffic passing by on Route 179 shouting and honking support. We joined together and made our voices heard.
To all who demonstrated against police violence and systemic racism – thank you for giving our country a real opportunity to end these two scourges. Our challenge in the months ahead will be follow-up. Too many principled movements have ended without action, which has brought our country to where it is today.

Let me ask you to commit to helping our town, state and national government ensure that Black Lives Matter. Our government becomes greater when people get involved, respect each other’s opinions and decide important issues based on a broad spectrum of views. You can start by asking questions, reading meeting minutes, attending the meetings and by speaking up. Your idea might be the very one that helps our nation heal.
If we can send people to the moon, we can end the tragedies that have made the Black Lives Matter movement necessary. This is what democracy looks like.

Stay well,
Bob Bessel