East Hampton Town's Anti-Bias Task Force has issued a statement on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol. Councilwoman Sylvia Overby, the town board's liaison to the task force, read the statement during the board's work session on Tuesday.
"The East Hampton Town Anti-Bias Task Force unequivocally condemns the violence committed at our nation's Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the ongoing lies that inspired it," Ms. Overby read. "Further, we as residents of the Town of East Hampton reject in the strongest terms possible the despicable symbols of hate on display that day, including nooses, Confederate flags, and neo-Nazi slogans."
"History has shown us that the inherent cruelty in these images and the ideology they symbolize must never be allowed to take root in our nation and in our communities again," she continued. "We dishonor the memory of the hundreds of thousands of American lives lost in the Civil War, World War II, and in the struggle for civil and voting rights if we stay silent in the face of intolerance. Our children are watching and they look to us now for guidance and reassurance in a time of unrest. So we ask our community to please join us at the Anti-Bias Task Force in renewing our commitment to promoting diversity, unity, and understanding as we do the work of healing together."
