Forum on Bias & Hate Crimes

By Steuart Pittman

Thank you to everyone. You’re here, and that means a lot. This might not be easy, it should not be easy, what we’re going to do tonight. But I want to set the framework a little bit about why I think we’re here.

Our country was built on a system of racial terror, and racism has persisted throughout our history. When times were tough we always looked for someone to blame: Native Americans, African Americans, Italian immigrants, Jewish immigrants, Japanese immigrants, Latina and Latino immigrants, LQBTQ Americans and LGBTQ immigrants. The list goes on and on.

For some of us, when we end our Pledge of Allegiance with the words Liberty and Justice for All we kind of trail off and get quiet. We know it’s not our history, or even our present. It’s the unfinished business of America.

We have made progress. Nobody tracked hate crimes twenty years ago. Fifty years ago hate speech was part of mainstream media. We have made progress by most measures. But not all measures. And in recent years an argument can be made that we’ve actually lost ground. That’s why we are here.

Today, America is divided. White nationalism and the activities of white supremacist groups are on the rise. Some people are clinging to hate and racism as though those are the things that made America great. They are not. Those are the things that weakened us.

When I got the Maryland State Police Hate Bias Report for 2018, I knew it was time to act. Not only did we have more reported incidents than any other county, but our trend line was going up: 22 in 2015, 46 in 2016, 63 in 2017, and 78 in 2018.

I appreciate that our police department reports these incidents honestly, and that they investigate each one, whether it can be prosecuted as a crime or not. But I am sad to admit that I was not surprised by the numbers. I already knew we had a problem. I knew. The victims knew. But a large percentage of our residents don’t know. I believe they should know, because when they know, they can help us make change if they are so inclined.

After getting the data, I met first with Police Chief Altomare, because recent incidents at high school football games had both of us concerned about public safety and we needed to act. I also met with Superintendent Arlotto. I had attended his forum on this topic at Chesapeake High, and knew that I would have an ally in any efforts we undertook.

I gathered my own staff together and we committed to developing a response, a response that has included a change in our county slogan, a plan to create an office of health equity and racial justice, and an acceleration of bias training throughout county government, starting in my office.

I sat down with my friends at the Caucus of African American Leaders, and nobody should be surprised to hear that they were prepare, with a ten point plan. Fortunately it aligned closely with what my staff was discussing. Tonight’s event is one of those ten points. A strong leader named Monica Lindsey pushed hard for a summit on hate crimes. I hesitated. I didn’t want just another Town Hall. And I’m glad I waited.

It turned out that I was waiting for was our new Human Relations Commission, the one that is now mandated by county law, and has the power to adjudicate violations of our new fair housing law. I and our County Council appointed an all-star group of county residents to this new commission, and before their first meeting they started planning this event, along with our friends at the Annapolis Human Relations Commission.

Their leadership and a woman who works on our staff made the plan and made it happen. That woman is Alanna Dennis. She rarely gets the recognition she deserves for the extraordinary commitment she makes, the hard hard work that she does, and the professionalism that she exhibits every single day. Thank you Alanna. I think you hit this one out of the park.

Finally I knew that I would need some inspiration before this forum. I asked for a meeting with some young folks. Some young leaders. They included members from the NAACP Youth Chapter, Paridhi Chery, the Secretary of CRASC and the student representative on our Joint Initiative to Eliminate the Achievement Gap. Rida Alvi from our school board was not able to attend but she sent me a long email with her thoughts. And then as I was entering the building a group of students from Chesapeake High School were on their way in and I grabbed them and invited them in.

So for the last thirty minutes I’ve been in a room with about fifteen teenagers who taught me a lot in thirty minutes. Some of the things that they said made me very sad. Some of the things that are said in school are cruel. Kids can be cruel to each other. I ended it by thanking them and telling them that it actually gave me some hope, that unlike my generation at least they’re talking about it, and they’re fighting back. They’re incredibly smart and articulate and insightful about the challenges that all of us are facing. And they live it every day. So thank you to those of you who taught me for half an hour before this meeting.