assault. I have been overwhelmed by the response. I am deeply grateful that
people spoke up about this issue, and that Framingham is going to work to
become part of the solution.
I learned something very important in the last 24 hours, and that is that if
you see a wrong and point it out to others, people come through! It reminds me
that not everyone reads the paper, or tracks issues like domestic violence. I
was reminded that sometimes, we need to be the voice that calls attention to an
issue, not because no one else cares, but because maybe they donโt know!
One post yesterday made by someone not politically connected was the impetus
for changes in the way Framingham handles issues like this. If ever you
doubted that one voice, one person, one vote can make a difference, just look
at what that one post has accomplished.
I heard from many people on and off line, many candidates both on line and off
line, and many people whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence. The
community is engaged on this issue, and that engagement has resulted in change
already. Who would have believed that?
Now, we need to work to stay engaged. This issue does not go away because we
all raised our voices together in the last 24 hours. We need to continue to
speak and advocate on this issue. I am hoping you will agree.
Right now we are focused on elections, as we all should be. This issue is NOT
a campaign issue. We should not allow anyone to make it one. But after the
elections are over, I will be reaching out again to our newly elected officials
and our community as a whole to sit down and start a dialog about what we can
do to address this insidious evil. Framingham is not alone in having to face
this issue. But I believe, based on the outpouring of support from the
community in the last 24 hours, that Framingham can be a leader in how to
address this at the local level.
Jim and I and our family have truly been humbled to have so many people reach
out to offer support and sympathy. But we are long past looking for sympathy.
We are looking for action! Please stay engaged and join us, after the
election, to talk about next steps to making Framingham the leader in how to
handle the type of issue we are facing. I have never been prouder to say I
live in Framingham! I am sure my sister, Kim, is smiling at what we
accomplished together yesterday!
We can do better, we should do better, and if we want to save lives, we must do
better.
Thank you!