By John McNamara
New Britain – In the aftermath of the racially motivated killings at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo May 14th, the New Britain Democratic Town Committee (NBDTC) Thursday adopted a resolution calling for local action and condemning “white supremacy” that “remains a prevalent and dangerous reality in the United State today.”
Last Saturday a heavily-armed 18 year old espousing the far right, social media-fueled “great replacement theory” against people of color surrendered at the scene. Ten people died and 11 of the 13 victims were Black.
“The Democratic Party of New Britain stands in solidarity with the NAACP New Britain Branch and others in offering deep condolences to the families of the people who were murdered in this act of racist terrorism and to the entire Buffalo community,” the resolution states.
The resolution, introduced by DTC Trustee and NAACP Branch President Ron Davis, asserted that “overt racism” is being promoted by “powerful people” and “politicians, including some in New Britain and Connecticut.” It condemned “politicians, parties and organizations whose words, actions and politics fester racism, anti LGBTQ prejudice, religious intolerance and other forms of bigotry.”
The statement further called for “an end to the politics of murder” and the adoption of comprehensive common sense firearms control in the wake of the Buffalo attack in a predominantly Black neighborhood where 10 people were killed on a busy shopping day for groceries.
State Senator Rick Lopes (D-6) said the resolution was necessary locally because “we’re getting numb” to gun violence and domestic terrorism incidents like the Buffalo killings. He called for the DTC and city leaders in New Britain to speak out in opposition to racism and division.
The New Britain Town Committee resolution followed reactions from other Connecticut leaders:
In a statement the day after the Buffalo attack Governor Ned Lamont said: “Another day in America yields another episode of senseless violence and death at the hands of a deranged gunman. But what makes this mass shooting much worse is the hate at the heart of it. We cannot become desensitized by mass shootings, and we must remain vigilant against hate in any form, be it symbols painted on a building, shameful words said to others, or acts of violence. We should work together at every level of government to build a safer nation for everyone. Only then will our children be safe in school, shoppers safe in grocery stores, and journalists safe at work.”
On the floor of the Senate in Washington, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy called out Republicans for aiding and abetting racism, hate and violence: “The most visible political figure in America, Donald Trump, has spent the last decade relentlessly spreading the gospel of fear and anxiety and hate…There’s a straight line from this embrace of racism and fear to the increase in violence in this country. I know many of my Republican colleagues don’t use the same terminology, the same language that Trump does, but they know the danger he poses to this nation. They know that his movement has egged on violence, and they do nothing about it…Knowing America’s natural predilection towards violence, Republicans could have chosen to embrace leaders who seek to unite us, who would choose to push back against this tendency for Americans to be wary of each other. Instead, they did the opposite, and we’re paying the price.”
