Our nation has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social unrest and protests against the killing of George Floyd in police custody. These crises have been a strike at the root of American life; working, running a business, practicing your faith, attending school, and feeling safe in your community.
Firstly, as an advocate for the best interests of the Chester County community, Friends of Chester County will support candidates who advocate for commonsense health measures to protect against the spread of disease, in this case especially for the elderly and immunocompromised. However, our response to this health threat must not create more collateral damage than necessary or disregard the rights of citizens. We support the right of small businesses to reopen within guidelines, and support the right of citizens to take reasonable risk at their own discretion. Total lockdowns should be reserved only for the gravest circumstances, such as to avoid an overload of the health system.
We also strongly condemn and denounce police brutality and misconduct, anti-black racism, and all those who perpetrate or justify it. We are committed to exclusively support candidates who share these ideals. Police who violate the law should face criminal penalty. However, policing is a difficult job, and most law enforcement officers do this difficult job well. While personally held racist attitudes are a very real scourge among some in our society, recent academic research and Justice Department studies have concluded that there is little evidence for systemic-level racial bias in policing practices in most major cities. More research should be done. However, police reform must not make it impossible for local and state police to do their jobs, nor give license to criminal behavior. Unintentional bias, racial or otherwise, is of course often present in our day-to-day lives. We should all seek to guard against the negative effects of these blind spots, and such efforts are fortunately becoming increasingly common.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once remarked that “riots grow out of intolerable conditions”. While poverty does not justify violence or criminal behavior in any way, we can recognize poverty and ignorance as causes of social unrest and criminal acts, and recognize that in some cases poverty is the legacy of past racism. Chester County, and Pennsylvania as a whole, must address poverty and civic decay, both in rural and urban areas. We believe this starts with a focus on education, strong families, and the prevention of substance abuse. These recent crises have highlighted and, in some cases, accelerated disturbing trends of economic disruption and inequality that have been worsening for years. We must incentivize civic participation and make access to the middle class easier for all of our citizens. Our primary focus is on finding candidates who can advance these goals.
We are fortunate to live in a country where our rights are not subject to arbitrary suspension. We support the right of every Pennsylvanian, and every American, to assemble and protest peacefully, live free from surveillance or harassment, and to access public resources freely. These rights to privacy and against censorship must also extend to our online life. Whether protesting against lockdowns, or in favor of police reform, or for any other peaceful cause, these rights are afforded to every American regardless of our disagreements. During these difficult times, Friends of Chester County offers our sincerest commitment to listen to every voice, and to advocate for the well-being of every person in our community.
Sincerely,
Chase & Elise Englund