To the Editor:

My family and I recently moved from Westchester County in New York State to Norwalk, CT. In Norwalk, my 16 year-old son has been treated with respect from all, like he's been in the past. He has played baseball since he was four years old. We are a family of color who have always lived in caucasian communities and have never felt so intimidated, as we did June 29 in Newtown. As a child, I also grew up with caucasians in NYC and never felt inferior. Now, in the 21st Century, I was confident, as I have been for years, that my offspring would have the confidence to live and socialize anywhere throughout the USA without feeling threatened due to the color of their skin.

I was unaware that my son's teammate had accidentally struck two batters while I had stepped away from the field. As my son was at bat, I noticed that his coach was frequently looking at the dugout of the Newtown HS team and the umpire called time out twice. Suddenly, the coach walked off the field and asked his players to do the same. It is apparent, that while my son was at bat, some of the Newtown players were using racial slurs and planning to attack his team. It would have been considered a hate crime, which has zero tolerance in America.

Yours truly,

Marisa Marte

Norwalk,         June 30, 2015