Page 8 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 ~ OP-ED ~ A War Against Ignorance By Mayor Brian M. Arrigo A silent and sinister affl iction threatens our city. We wish it weren’t so, and we mobilize our municipal resources to fi ght it. It is a battle we must win, and it will take everyone’s cooperative eff ort to eradicate it from our midst, regardless how isolated I pray it is. I speak not of Covid-19, but of ignorance. On the morning of June 11 on Lantern Road in our city, we witnessed its latest manifestation when a car was vandalized with spray-painted swastikas and the words “white power” soiled the street. The police characterize it as a “hate crime” and rightfully so. When the perpetrator is identifi ed and brought into custody, our law enforcement community will exert the full extent of punishment. But I am neither a police offi - cer nor a law enforcement offi - cial. I am a Mayor of a city that boasts a widely diverse population of hardworking and cooperative people who look out for and take care of each other no matter their race, color, or orientation. And so when I see what happened on Lantern Road, I call it racism and a crime of sheer ignorance. And I am both infuriated and saddened at the depth of ignorance that can motivate such a hideous act. • It is an act of ignorance because the criminal who wielded the can of paint has no clue about the good and wholesome people whose lives are terrorized by such a cowardly act. Nationality or color or ethnic background all blend when people work to provide a fulfi lling life for themselves and their families. • When a person cannot understand that basic tenet of human life, and attacks the sanctity of a neighborhood in the dark of night with such a vulgar act of racist vandalism, that person is not only hateful; that person is ignorant. • It is an act of ignorance because the criminal who wielded the can of paint has no clue about sordid symbolism of the swastika. Almost 420,000 American soldiers died fi ghting against the swastika in World IGNORANCE | SEE PAGE 13 On the Campaign Trail U.S. Congressional candidate Caroline Collarusso (in center) along with candidate for State Representative Phillip Russo supporters on Squire Rd. last Tuesday night. (Courtesy photo, Joseph Fortunato) RevereTV Spotlight L ast week the RevereTV city government channel was practically taken over by the Ways & Means Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Hearings. These hearings spanned several days for multiple hours each time. The hearings streamed live and have been replaying on RevereTV’s television channels, but they are also available on RevereTV’s YouTube page at any time. Along with the Ways & Means meetings, you will fi nd the latest License Commission, City Council, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Zoning Sub-committee meetings. As a reminder, the city government channel is 9 on Comcast and 13 and 614 on RCN. RTV was able to team up with the Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center to record updates for two partnership programs. The newest, “The Senior FYI” episode, takes a diff erent approach than previous episodes and serves more as an informational session for seniors. Director of Consumer Aff airs Allan Fitzmaurice virtually met with Interim Director of Elder Services Debra Peczka DiGiulio to talk about current fi nancial scams that could be targeting seniors in the community. Another new episode of a senior program is an updated Zumba session with fi tness instructor Amy Borda as part of the “Senior Fitness Series” that plays on weekday mornings. RevereTV still airs various fitness programs for seniors at 9 a.m. through noon every weekday. On RevereTV’s community channel, it is still airing the RHS Car Parade for graduating seniors, and graduation slideshows from the Whelan, Lincoln, Garfi eld, Beachmont, Hill and Paul Revere Schools. Congrats to all our city’s graduates! The newest episode of “Cooking with the Keefes” is also playing this week, which features a restaurant in Beachmont, La Esquina del Sabor. Any community programs produced by partners in the city or RevereTV can be found on RevereTV’s YouTube page. On television, this channel is 8 on Comcast and 3 and 613 on RCN.
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