Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:52:39 -0500
From: Donna Kelly
Subject: Human Relations
Paul Caudros says that eliminating the Human Relations Director position was nothing more than politics because people were angry about the passage of the 287g immigration law enforcement resolution. He points out that the resolution carried no authority and only the sheriff could seek to implement the program. Doesn’t that mean that the resolution was passed solely for political reasons? Did the former board buy the support of a certain constituency with a meaningless resolution? Was the creation of the Human Relations Director position just more of the same?
He’s right that the resolution really carried no authority and it was the sheriff’s decision to seek implementation of the 287(g) program or not. That’s why most of the people I’ve spoken with about the resolution couldn’t understand why it was passed in the first place. There had been no local discussion about or push for the 287(g) program in Chatham. So what was the reason for the resolution unless they wanted to make a political statement? I expect Mr. Caudros will have a long wait if he’s expecting the new board majority to try to push the sheriff into pursuing 287(g). I think they believe that’s a decision best left to the sheriff and doubt they would make a statement about what he should do and then claim they’re doing it on his behalf.
I think he is right that the new majority and their supporters want to send a message and it’s that people are tired of political gestures and we want real results. We will see that in many areas of county government as they move forward. It’s not political payback to dismantle programs that were initiated primarily for political reasons in the first place or programs that are redundant or that we just can’t afford right now.
We will only move forward on improving race relations when people look at the real issues and focus on real solutions and stop calling everyone that disagrees with them a racist. Race isn’t the first thing that pops into most people’s minds as their motivation for everything they think and do. Unfortunately there will always be a small group on both sides of the issue that will always think that way, but broad brushing people as either racists or victims does no one any good. We should be focusing on success stories, not continually teaching certain groups of people that they’re victims and need help because they’re disadvantaged. How can we celebrate the great contributions of members of various ethnic or racial groups on the one hand and then tell them they need extra help to succeed on the other? Are we encouraging them to succeed by promoting success stories or telling them they’re incapable of success unless they get extra help? Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages and they have nothing to do with skin color or ethnicity.
This country and county have a rich heritage because of our diverse backgrounds, but we have to have common bonds that allow us to work together and to harness that diversity. Our society’s strongest common bond is the rule of law, which ensures that a democracy doesn’t turn into a lynch mob. Resolutions that encourage people to ignore the law only enables the culture of corruption that preys on the very people they’re supposed to help, that same culture so many of these people came here to escape.
Donna Kelly
Pittsboro