NEW SALEM — At least three articles on this year’s town meeting warrant ask residents to think both locally and nationally.
Adoption of the articles would make the town designate the second Monday of October (Columbus Day) as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, instruct its representatives in the state Legislature to support the Safe Communities Act, and affirm that the United States is a country dedicated to equality.
Town meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Monday in Town Hall. If necessary, the meeting will be resumed Tuesday, June 6.
One article, mirroring similar efforts in towns like Amherst, Northampton, Cambridge and Wendell, acknowledges that though civilization as it is known in the Americas today would not exist without the voyages of Christopher Columbus, there is a darker side to this chapter of history that must be told. The article aims to honor the continent’s original inhabitants. It states the famous explorer’s first voyage to the Americas also introduced the trans-Atlantic slave trade and his journal entries show his desire to enslave the Caribbean’s native populations. It also states Columbus’ second voyage of 1493 was “one of conquest” and his governorship of the Caribbean “instituted systematic policies of slavery and extermination,” especially of the Taino people, whose population was reduced by 3 million between 1494 and 1508.
Another article asks if residents will instruct their elected state politicians to support the Safe Communities Act, which would, among other provisions, prohibit state support for any federal registry program based on national origin, religion or “other protected characteristics.”
The law would also require law enforcement agencies to inform detainees, in a language they understand, that they have the right to decline an interview with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and to have their own attorney present, at their own expense, if they choose to. Another article asks if residents will adopt a resolution cementing the town’s commitment to non-discrimination.
The resolution reads, in part, “We recognize the inherent value of all individuals in our community, regardless of race, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or immigration status. This commonwealth of ours has been committed since its founding to the common good. It is our belief that policies which deter certain individuals from contacting government officials, law enforcement, or medical assistance, or accessing educational opportunities, out of fear of deportation, create a community which is less welcoming and less safe for all residents.”
New Salem’s proposed operating budget is $2,848,778, which is $68,888 higher than this year’s budget. This year’s non-school proposed budget is $1,136,334. There is a proposed $333,727 for public safety, including $81,148 for Police Department salaries and $34,990 for police expenses, and a proposed $227,154 for highway costs.