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Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 10, 2020 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark Vogler H ere are a few tidbits that you might want to know about this week in Saugus. Don’t get careless with Coronavirus It’s hard to believe that Saugus is still hovering around the top 20 communities in Massachusetts as far as the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population. Especially considering there has only been one case of a town resident testing positive for the Coronavirus over the last two weeks, according to Wednesday’s version (July 8, 2020) of “The Weekly COVID-19 Public Health Report” posted on the state Department of Public Health (DPH) website. There has been a slight variance between what other local media outlets and the town Board of Health have been reporting. We notice some numbers given out by the town sometimes clash with the state totals. We decided to stick with the report that comes out every Wednesday. It is the only report where the state DPH breaks the data down by specific community. I’m not sure just how accurate a measurement the weekly report is, as it is possible that Route 1 restaurants and businesses could be contributing to the spread of the virus if social distancing isn’t practiced on their premises. But we’d never know it, because the state looks at the statistics based on each community’s residents – not its visitors. It has been 16 weeks since we began reporting on Saugus residents testing positive for COVID-19. And it’s been 15 weeks since we introduced “The Coronavirus Count,” our weekly story that focuses on the data released every Wednesday by the DPH on confirmed cases testing positive for COVID-19 in Massachusetts cities and towns. And we will continue to include this analysis in The Saugus Advocate, through the duration of the Coronavirus. Let’s hope the downward trend continues and Massachusetts doesn’t experience a surge in new cases like some three dozen other states have been seeing. It’s not a good time yet to go back to the way things were in our everyday lives before COVID-19. Be well. Be safe. A “giant Shout-Out” for Done Right Landscaping Here’s another nomination from Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo: “This giant ‘Shout Out’ goes to Bruce Aleo owner of Done Right Landscaping and his workers for volunteering to landscape the island at the Veterans Park on the corner of Central and Winter Streets. “The flowers are just beautiful! They truly did a great job on it. It makes such a huge difference to the area when you drive by and highlights the memorial park to our Veterans. Many thanks!” A posthumous “Shout-Out” to Steve Horlick It goes without saying that Town Moderator Stephen N. Doherty will call for a special moment of silence on Monday night – for former Saugus Town Meeting Member Steve Horlick – before commencing the Special Town Meeting (7:30 p.m. via Zoom videoconferencing). Steve, who passed away this week at home, had his critics, just as everyone who engages in Saugus politics does. The one thing that’s clear to me – as an observer of town governmentover the past four and a half years – is that Steve must have devoted an inordinate amount of volunteer time to the betterment of Saugus. Ten years as a selectman. Seven years as a Finance Committee member. Six years as a Town Meeting member. Plus participation on the School Building Committee and the Zoning Board of Appeals, in addition to his volunteer work around town with various groups. As I mentioned this week to his close friend, Selectman Debra Panetta, Steve seemed to have a good sense of humor. At least that was a side I saw of him. Frequently I would see him milling around Town Hall or the Saugus Public Library. I’d have to say he was always respectful and usually positive in conversations I had with him. I never had any dustups with him. If I wanted a quote – as I frequently seek from public officials who take a solo stand on an issue – he would speak freely of why he voted the way he did. He never dodged questions. And it was always clear to me that he believed he was doing what was best for his town. That’s all you can ask of anyone participating in local government. Steve Horlick was part of the political landscape in Saugus for over two decades. That’s a lot of public service for one’s community. Want to “Shout-Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with the mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout-Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or photo. Town Meeting Part II Town officials are calling the meeting set for 7:30 p.m. Monday (July 13) a Special Town Meeting. If you want to get technical about it, it really is the zoning and ordinance part of this year’s Annual Town Meeting, which was held last Monday and Tuesday. But town officials opted to confine this year’s Town Meeting strictly to passing a budget for the 2021 fiscal year that began on July 1. The warrant for Monday night (which will probably extend to another night) is 27 articles. I would rather drive 30 miles down Route 114 and Route 1 to Saugus Center if I had my preference. I would rather cover the preceding live than via Zoom videoconferencing. But I will be tuning in Monday night. Ever since my days as a cub reporter covering 11 Annual Town Meetings in the Sebago Lake area of Maine for the Portland Press Herald, I have always enjoyed observing the New England Town Meeting. It was always great theatre, too, during my three years as editor of The Nantucket Beacon. So, I look forward to next week’s proceedings, whether you want to call it a Town Meeting or Special Town Meeting. Will the Saugus Sachems survive? I’m starting to hear more local chatter that the Saugus Sachems could be targeted for local residents who may want to strike a blow for social injustice. So, the question again is surfacing in town over whether the Saugus Sachem is derogatory toward the Native Americans. I’m hearing that local supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement do have the Sachems in their crosshairs and are ready to broach the issue with town officials. And this week, I received a request from a local reader to publish this statement being publicized across America by the national group, The Society of Professional Journalists, also known as SPJ. Here’s the statement: “The Native American Journalists Association joins the National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association, and Society of Professional Journalists to call for immediate discontinuance of race-based sports mascots in media “NAJA is joined by NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA, and SPJ to reiterate its demand for the immediate and permanent discontinuance of racialized sports mascots by news outlets. This discontinuance should include clear policy development and implementation, that clarifies the harm they cause, and the practical editorial methods to avoid their use on all platforms. “The continued portrayal of racialized mascots in news media directly violates fundamental tenets of professional journalism. The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics makes clear that journalists should act to minimize harm: “‘Consider the long-term implications of the extended reach and permanence of publication. Provide updated and more complete information as appropriate.’ “A growing body of scientific research clearly demonstrates the harm caused by the portrayal of race-based mascots in media. The harm includes negative impacts on the self-esteem of Indigenous youth, increased prejudicial attitudes toward Indigenous people, and increased stereotyping of other minority groups. “This evidence has been ignored by media outlets to the detriment of Indigenous people, and media outlets owe it to their organizations, readership, and society to do better. The socially responsible remedy to this grave injustice is to cease any further dissemination of sports mascots, nicknames and logos. “This policy change is long overdue. NAJA has long held the stance that Indigenous-themed mascots and team names inherently reinforce racist attitudes and behaviors. They perpetuate stereotypes and act as a replacement for the accurate and authentic portrayal of history, culture and lived experience. This replacement ‘disappears’ contemporary Indigenous lives in the broader fabric of society, rendering it more difficult to address the life or death issues confronting many Indigenous communities. “Multiple professional organizations have recognized the negative impact racialized mascots have on the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous people. The American Psychological Association has affirmed that Indian mascots establish unwelcome and hostile learning environments for Indigenous students and foster negative stereotypes of Indigenous people. “In 2014, the US Patent and Trademark Office canceled trademark registrations that it deemed disparaging to ‘a substantial composite’ of Native Americans. Webster’s New World College Dictionary has also labeled the Washington NFL team name as a racial slur. “NAJA demands that all media outlets treat these images, names and logos in the same manner as other racist terms and images and cease using them. We encourage our nonIndigenous colleagues to refer to the SPJ Code of Ethics, the AP Stylebook and NAJA for guidance when presented with an editorial choice to publish or broadcast racialized sports mascots. For further guidance and to access research, please refer to the Reading Red Report page on the NAJA website.” The concerned reader who sent along this statement to me also posed a question of her own in an email that contained the above statement: “FYI–-I wonder what the SPJ’s take would be if they drove RT1 North and came upon a graphic depiction of an American Indian in full headdress etched into the façade of a brand new multi-million dollar school in Saugus, MA??” I guess we will find out in the coming weeks. That’s the spirit, John Cannon! American Legion cook John Cannon is trying to drum up some support for the players of Post-210 Legion Baseball Team, who played their first game on Tuesday night against Newbury in Saugus. Newbury beat Saugus 5-1. “Not to be discouraged,” John wrote in a recent email. “The team consists of high school age players. We had about 1012 members of Post-210 attend the event. We would like more.” “The next home game is set for today (Friday, July 10) at 1800hrs – or 6 p.m. “ALL THE HOME GAMES ARE ALWAYS PLAYED at WORLD SERIES PARK-DOW ST. SAUGUS, MA. (behind the Belmonte Middle School) “We have about 8 home games. I will keep everyone SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 13

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