Dear editor,

NAOMI is a coalition of interfaith congregations and individuals organized to empower people to act together for justice and fairness in our communities. We believe that the proposed resolution serves to affirm that we all are called to do the hard work required to achieve more tolerance, more understanding, more compassion, more justice, more freedom for the oppressed, and more love for each other.

We realize how simple it is promoting “love thy neighbor” while recognizing that consistently following this directive is exceedingly difficult. But this does not mean we do not move forward in the struggle. Similarly, this proposed resolution is a simple affirmation of some of our important human values, yet living these values is a struggle for all of us. Nevertheless, the proposed resolution is a courageous step in the right direction and passing the resolution is the right choice for our community.

We expect that the proposed resolution will assist the county in removing barriers that often stand in the way of individuals having a fair opportunity to achieve an equal outcome for themselves.

The proposed resolution rather than being redundant to existing county policy, concisely, in one document, affirms important principles of fair treatment that cannot be overstressed at this time in the evolution of our county, state, and nation.

We do need to openly listen to and trust the marginalized people in our community to get a better idea of the challenges that they face daily.

We need to find ways to further open our hearts and embrace our collective resolve to be the kind of diverse and welcoming community in which we can all be proud to live.

We urge passage!

Sincerely, the NAOMI Board of Directors: Bruce Chopp, Mike Kolasinski, Kati Maier, Ron Alexander, Ted Sperduto, Tee Vang, Dan Barth, Kathy Konle-Barth, Andrew Holloway, Vicki Calderon

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