Mayor, councilmembers denounce ‘hate’ in wake of Charlottesville

 

Members of the Maricopa City Council and local clergy offered their thoughts and condolences Tuesday to those affected by the violence that erupted over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, after a clash between white supremacists and counter-protestors turned violent, claiming the life of one counter-protestor.

During a regular meeting of the council, the speakers acknowledge the tragedy that occurred when counter-protestors challenged the “alt-right” demonstrators in the streets of Charlottesville Aug. 12, and one white nationalist, drove his car into the crowd killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others.

During his invocation, Family Life Pastor Ben Gores from the Maricopa Church of Celebration recognized the impact the incident had on the state of socio-political affairs in the country.

“We know that there are so many that are hurting and suffering and scared,” Gores prayed. “[God] bring healing where there is suffering, for where there is fear that you [God] bring peace, and for where there is anger and bitterness that you [God] bring forgiveness.”

Gores went on to invoke the ideas of Ghandi, saying, “We want to be the change we see in the world,” and praying for God to “help us love our neighbors as we love ourselves.”

Mayor Christian Price, in his bi-weekly report, echoed Gores, reiterating an anecdote he had heard regarding another mayor who, when asked by the residents of his community what they could do to help their city, responded by saying, “I need you to be better neighbors.”

“Though we are all different, and we all have our different backgrounds, and we all have our different perspectives and political beliefs,” Price added in his own words, “[in] being a better neighbor, you kind of put that aside and look at each other for the right ways and the right reasons, and I hope that we can do more of that.”

The city of Maricopa, Price said, for the most part, “does a good job of that,” though at the same time he acknowledged “we all have room for improvement.” Overall, he said, he was grateful and appreciative his city has embraced its diverse demographics, and he hopes Maricopa, and the world, can learn from the incident.

“It is a sad tragedy that we go through, but I hope that we learn from those tragedies and that we put in place what it means in our own lives, what it means to be a good neighbor and a better servant, one to another,” Price said.

Councilmember Julia Gusse spoke plainly, saying there is no room for bigotry in Maricopa.

“It is important that we show to the people of Maricopa, that we do not tolerate hate,” Gusse said.

Councilmember Henry Wade reiterated Gusse’s words, stressing, “We do not tolerate hate.” He also acknowledged his pride in leading such a diverse community, but said such faith is a two-way street.

“I also want you to understand that just as you put trust in me to represent you as your councilman, I put a lot of love in you to be the kind of city that I want to be a councilman in,” Wade said.

See letter to the editor from Councilmember Wade

White supremacist demonstrators, including members of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and other white nationalists, organized the rally in Charlottesville to protest the removal of a monument to Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

According to NBC reports, 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. has been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count related to fleeing the scene of an accident involving an injury after allegedly driving his car into a crowd of counter-protestors, killing Heyer and injuring others.

Fields was photographed the day of the incident standing with the white nationalist organization Vanguard America.

President Trump, according to another report by the Associated Press, has been chided by activists and politicians from all ends of the political spectrum, for failing to initially denounce white nationalism by name. He was then further criticized on Tuesday after attempting to place blame on “both sides” of the conflict, and making comparisons between Robert E. Lee and George Washington.

The statements have been hailed by the leaders of white nationalist groups as a defense of their ideologies.

Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday, Aug. 22, organized by his re-election campaign.

Fox News recently reported Trump has also indicated he may pardon former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio after Arpaio was convicted in July of intentionally violating a court order and racial profiling as a result of his “discriminatory” policing policies.

Arpaio faces sentencing for those convictions Oct. 5.

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