Citizens for Belknap condemn extremism and bigotry in all its forms. Regardless of who the perpetrators turn out to be, the recent Nazi white nationalist vandalism painted on walls at the Laconia State School and in Portsmouth shows how the actions of misguided politicians and agendas breed offensive and ignorant behavior by adults and youth alike. As co-chairs of Citizens for Belknap, Prudy Morin Veysey and I ask every elected official in Belknap County to speak out wherever such incidents occur. Send a message to your communities that such offensive speech is not what the good citizens of Belknap County stand for.

As Martin Luther King, Jr., stated, “Our lives begin to end on the day we become silent about things that matter.” Silence is the voice of complicity. Please do not be silent. Our community is an open and welcoming one. We must proclaim that proudly for all to hear. We applaud the diligence of Laconia Police and their counterparts around the state to arrest and prosecute those responsible. In view of the multiple incidents of this type, Gov. Chris Sununu rightly directed the NH Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Unit to investigate the issue. We ask Gov. Sununu to continue to be vigilant and to take swift and decisive action against continuing bigoted hate activities by these misguided extremists.

Alan Posnack

Alton Bay

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