To the Editor:

The Newtown Democratic Town Committee was happy to join our Congresswoman this week to share our thoughts and concerns with the progress and state of our nation. Folks joined from across town to ask her direct questions about her representation of Newtown as well as the rest of Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District. This was not the first time Congresswoman Hayes has come to town to hear from us. Just months ago, she met a packed community center where she took on questions from people on health care, gun violence prevention, the impeachment, and more. Due to the pandemic she met with us online to answer our questions.

The meeting was attacked by a coordinated effort from racist cowards who hide behind keyboards, too afraid of the light of day to be seen for who they are. Screaming racial epitaphs and filling the chat area with Trump 2020 slogans and racist obscenities in order to denigrate, threaten, and disrupt a community meeting was a vicious reminder that President Trump and his Republican sycophants lead by example and embolden this hate. “Stand back and stand by.” Those were the president’s words to white supremacists at the debate. Looks like they are not listening. Is anyone surprised? Terrorist plots in Michigan organized by white supremacists, armed right wing militias storming state capitols to threaten legislators, how long before these happen here? It was only this spring that we found Sandy Hook Center plastered with propaganda for a white supremacist group. Just months before, Congregation Adath Israel was vandalized by hate. This is happening here, in our community.

The attack on Congresswoman Hayes is another attempt to disrupt our democracy. Fortunately, she didn’t let that happen. She and her team handled the situation with calm and she used the incident like any good teacher would and turned it into a learning opportunity for all of us. We learned how to handle adversity with an inner resolve, learned how to breathe and reflect on the work that needs to be done to heal our community. Congresswoman Hayes’ ability to maintain her dignity and continue to focus on us and our well being in the aftermath of a racist assault on her shows that her resolve cannot be broken by hate and that while we may disagree with each other on policies, we are all still Americans, bound together in this great experiment.

Eric Paradis, Chair

Newtown Democratic Town Committee

85 Riverside Road, Sandy Hook October 14, 2020