HARTFORD, Conn — Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined advocates in Bristol on Monday in response to an uptick in racist behavior in the city.
Bysiewicz said the state is seeing an “alarming rise” in racist and hate crime incidents, calling on both Bristol residents and city leadership to take a stand against the hate.
“Why do I have to be afraid to walk in my own town?” Bristol resident Mayra Berrios-Sampson questioned.
She was stunned when her daughter showed her photos on Facebook of a white supremacist group’s demonstration last week, in her town.
“I only live literally like a mile and a half from there,” Berrios-Sampson said. “What would happen if I were to drive to the store to go get milk or something?”
The Bristol native joined Bysiewicz and community advocates Monday, speaking out against a recent rise in racist behavior.
“I do not feel safe anymore,” said community activist Morris “Rippy” Patton. “I do not feel comfortable.
There were 207 white supremacist propaganda incidents statewide in 2022, a 115% increase from 2021, making Connecticut ninth in the nation for these incidents.
“We want our state to be welcoming, to be diverse, to be inclusive, and to be free of hatred of any kind,” Bysiewicz said.
The Anti-Defamation League reports about one in every 10 Connecticut communities was targeted in 2022 with white supremacist flyers, appearing across every region and size of town and city.
“How much more can we take?” asked Patton. “The answer is we don't know, but let this be the breaking point in which every single person here takes a stand and says no more.”
Monday, advocates called on the mayor and city leadership to address these incidents, saying Bristol hasn’t done enough.
“If our city leadership is not going to take a stand against this type of behavior, then we will,” said Democratic candidate for mayor, Scott Rosado.”
Bristol’s police chief was present at Monday’s press conference and while he didn’t want to speak on camera, he said the department is still actively investigating last week’s incident.
Berrios-Sampson came away heartened by Monday’s message.
“I'm feeling like action is going to be taken and things are going to be done,” she said.
Along with calling on residents to speak out when they see hate in the community, Bysiewicz says she has spoken with both the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI.
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