BodyWho does Austin want to hear from?
An open letter to Whitehorse Coun. Dave Austin:
At Monday night’s city council meeting during the discussion on whether the city should sign on to the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination, I was astounded to hear you say that you wanted to hear from the rest of the community. It left me wondering just what part of the community you were hoping to hear from.
You heard from representatives from the following:
* two racially visible minorities
* one religious minority
* the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce
* the Yukon Human Rights Commission
* Association franco-yukonnaise
* Bringing Youth Toward Equality
* one self-described “privileged white guy”
It looked and sounded like a pretty good cross-section of the community to me. And the people sitting around me in the audience looked like an even broader cross-section. You’d know better than I. You were facing them.
So once again, I ask: Exactly what part of the community were you hoping to hear from? Was it the people who trashed the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce office and left racist graffiti in their wake? Was it the representative of the group that thinks it’s OK to spray racist crap on an election campaign sign?
Who are these people you want to hear from, Dave?
Carl Maguire
Whitehorse /Body