Editorial

The time is now, the place is here

Posted

With the cable news channels showing videos and doing street reporting virtually 24 hours a day, it’s hard not to be drawn in by the tragedy, the protests and the chaos in Baltimore.

The city’s grieving, the demonstrations and the riots should impel all of our local leaders in New York to act aggressively and constructively right now to create dialogue that will promote mutual respect among our citizens and help them understand the issues facing our communities. Some of this discussion is already happening, and has been for years, but a renewed sense of urgency is required, now.

We call on Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano to lead the effort. He should seize this opportunity, before a crisis blows up here, to use his considerable power to gather, galvanize and — where needed — goad fellow elected and community leaders to listen, learn and act to heal already festering wounds.

Mangano needs to go beyond the current minority-community meetings that legislators and clergy often organize. He needs to amplify and enlarge them to include all segments of Nassau County communities. The trouble with our Long Island parochialism and multi-tiered governmental and school district structures is that it too easily enables us to cocoon ourselves off from areas and neighborhoods with which we believe we have nothing in common. We segregate ourselves from concerns we think we don’t share.

We all need to realize that the troubles of minority communities — their fears, frustrations and resentments — are everyone’s concerns. All of us have an obligation to address these issues.

The looting and arson following the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in Baltimore, coming on the heels of violent uprisings in response to the deaths of other black men in encounters with police, are evidence of a simmering anger in communities nationwide. Too many of our fellow citizens have had enough of what they see as racial, economic and cultural disrespect.

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