(Editor’s note: The letter below was delivered to Peterborough Police Chief Scott Guinard Saturday. Read his response here.)
Chief Guinard and the Peterborough Police Department,
We are a group of engaged community members who are reaching out in order to build partnership and accountability between our community and the police department. To our knowledge, the Peterborough Police Department has yet to condemn the violence perpetrated by law enforcement against the public, beginning with the murder of George Floyd. We feel it is crucial that we join the national conversation of racial justice, not only with our words but also our actions. Too many lives have been lost and too much is at stake. When George Floyd took his last breath it was not his humanity that was lost, but the humanity of the police who murdered him.
The common rhetoric of small-town white America is that issues of racial injustice, racial profiling, and police brutality against Black Americans does not affect us. However, denying racism is a problem. By doing nothing about racial justice we are actually doing a lot — we are marking our community as dangerous for non-white people. We are telling People of Color that they are not welcome here.
Will you work with us to make our town and the Monadnock Region safe for Black Americans and People of Color? Will you work with us to create a local and national example of what genuine citizen-police partnership can be? Will you work with us to open our arms and hearts so that people of all races can enjoy our beautiful mountains, lakes, and woods? Will you work with us to spread the message across our state that all people should feel safe and protected?
This is what we are looking for:
Publicly condemn racism and police brutality;
Hold public forums and mediated conversations to discuss anti-racism practices;
Test the police force for implicit bias, and assess current training practices. Are the current approaches working?
Conduct a study of traffic stops by police over the past 5 years, as demonstrated by Vermont state police;
Develop a long-term accountability plan among the police, the citizens of New Hampshire;
Develop partnerships with Non-Governmental Organizations to further education, advocacy, and action;
Research and enact policies that end police violence
Most importantly, we need to re-envision what the future of policing looks like. As we write this, communities are exploring mutual-aid practices that lead the way to a different future — the meaning of policing is already shifting. It is up to us to move forward with this incredibly vital mission. We believe this is ongoing and there will be conversation and action to continue to take in the future.Will you join us?
Sincerely,
Toni Nagy
Zachary Zalman Green
Sarah Steinberg Heller
Grace Aldrich
Ian Aldrich
Wes Aldrich
Seth Chatfield
Carter Hammond
Emily Cashman-Mills
Jessica Nelson
Caitlin Walker
Anna Von Mertens
Chris Anderson
Carrie Buczynski
Tyler Snitko
Jessica Sullivan
Ryan Sullivan
Emma Shapiro-Weiss
Brenna Morss-Fish
Josh Blair
Storm Welch
Madison Safer
Sonya Arroyo Martino
Dianne Chatfield
Yvonne Gifford
Bill Chatfield
Alexandra Walker
Sue Martin
Cathy Lanigan
Austin Wright
Corrina Wright
Ben Rogers
Shana DeLorie
Jacqui DeLorie
Roz Hanchett
Josh Hanchett
Morgan Carpenter
Eliot Pelletier
Abby Mattson
Kate Coon
Marissa Bryant
Posy Bass
Henry Taves
Debbie Aldrich
Ivy Vann
Hugh Beyer
Nancy Reimer
Michael Reimer
Karen Johnson
Olivia Holmes
Elina Barbosa
Ellen Klempner-Beguin
Peter Straus
Kate Gardella
Emily Drury
Sarah Burt
Daniel Thiebault
Dariana Travis
Kim Johnston
Kylie Procita
Violet Procita
Caryl Procita
David Garland
Kristen Garland
Ginny Kemp
Jason Frank
Amy Pope
Alex Pope
Edmund Pope
Avery Pope
Isabelle Laskey-Rigrod
Olivia Laskey-Rigrod
Meagan E. Burger
Chelsea Purington
Heather Chadinha
Ashley Gauvin
Nate Bosworth
Annie Henry
Ben Henry
Kristen Reilly
Sandra J. Garcia
Jen Bonsu-Anane
Cameron Harrington
Louise Sandback
Jocelyn Brown
Sarah Aborn
Nora Fiffer
Adar Cohen
Swift Corwin Jr.
Tricia Bell
Alex Bell
Daniel Fox
Charlotte Miller
Nick Morris
Madelyn Morris
Jaynt Hardikar
Maja Hardikar
Deven Hardikar
Emma Adams
Erin Moore
Sage Wheeler
Judy Blake
Tara Greenblatt
Lauren Garcia
Margaret Yates
Peggy Shaughnessy
Lydia Blackmer
Matthew Hodder
Marybeth Hallinan
Carol Kraus
Esther Rhoades
Diane Raum-Green
Ursula Doris Johannesson
Amelia Schwabe
Kymra Kurinskas
Kristin Bay
Mia Stendahl
Bob Holt
Kiki Post