Racism
Garrettsville council member would back an anti-racism declaration in the village
Tom Collins: ‘I don’t have all the answers … but you should expect that I have the willingness to listen.’
By Michael Indriolo
A member of the Garrettsville Village Council said he “absolutely” supports an initiative to declare racism a public health crisis in Portage County.
Following weeks of divisive protests in the village, Councilman Tom Collins said it’s important for local leaders to acknowledge the systems that create racial inequality and take steps to make their communities more inclusive.
“I think the solution will be bigger than what one village or one council can do, but I do think it makes a difference to recognize it,” he told The Portager in an interview. “Hiram just passed a resolution recognizing the inherent racism in our system, and I think that’s important. All communities should do that.”
Portage County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde said recently she is working on a declaration, backed by local data, stating that systemic racism is a public health crisis in the county.
The Village of Hiram declared racism a public health crisis during its Aug. 11 council meeting, saying “the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion [are] central to a healthy community.”
Collins is the first elected official in Garrettsville to suggest taking any kind of action on racial injustice since the murder of George Floyd set off nationwide protests. A small group of Black Lives Matter protesters have been raising awareness in Garrettsville and have received several threats of physical violence for conducting weekly rallies on a sidewalk downtown.
Among the other council members, Larry Beatty declined to comment, John Chambers referred questions to the village mayor, and John Hardesty, Jeff Kaiser and Chris Knopp did not return phone calls.
“I think the first thing we can do is pass a resolution … similar to what Hiram just did a couple weeks ago,” Collins said.
Sasha Gough, the Garrettsville resident organizing the local Black Lives Matter protests, commended the prospect of local government action against racism and said she hopes a resolution against racism would be more than just performative. She said she welcomes such a declaration, but it “so far, starkly contrasts everything I’ve heard from the mayor and the council.”
Mayor Rick Patrick declined to comment on Collins’ statement. In a previous interview, he said racism has no place in Garrettsville but did not comment on the Black Lives Matter protests except to say he was “not crazy about” them and that they should ignore racist slurs directed at them “and not dish it back out.”
Gough said she hopes the council will lead the community toward addressing racism on a local level and as a systemic problem. And she would be willing to help the council do that, she said, through her nonprofit organization Free Skool. The organization seeks to foster community through “free and affordable education and events on diverse subjects,” according to its Facebook page. It is hosting a discussion of the book How To Be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi on Sept. 13.
“That’s really what we can do is educate people, you know?” she said. “We can’t really change anything else about the town other than arming people with the information that they need to make the community more comfortable for Black people who are coming in.”
Although Gough and other Black Lives Matter protesters have not yet voiced concerns to the council in any official capacity, she said she and the Free Skool could act as a liaison between the council and diverse people in the community in an effort to improve dialogue.
“The biggest reason I didn’t go [to the council] is because it was just, you know, if one Black person who lives in town says, ‘Hey, I’m seeing a racism issue,’ I’m just going to get a ‘We’re sorry to hear that,’ not ‘What can we do to help?’” she said. “Because that’s a huge conversation that’s really difficult to tackle, and I will admit that.”
Collins also emphasized the importance of an open dialogue, saying the answers to racism will come from “the people,” and that it’s his responsibility to listen to them.
“I’m a middle-aged white guy,” he said. “I don’t have all the answers, you know? And I think it’s almost too much to expect that I have all the answers, but you should expect that I have the willingness to listen.”
Carter Eugene Adams contributed reporting.
Click here to receive The Portager in your inbox
We’re the only locally owned news source covering Portage County, Ohio. Our mission is to help our community thrive. You can help us grow.
