Guest editorial …Is the pride flag issue really about ‘neutrality’?
By Linda Wolyniec
At first I was angry. OK, I was angry several times.
I put up pride stickers at my building. They were torn down. I put up fabric in the semblance of the pride flag on my fence. It was torn and ripped down.
Someone went into my yard and took stickers off my building, several times. A man scraped grooves into the stone at the front. (I saw you! I have your photo!).
All this over the rainbow flag. There is clearly anger and a lack of respect and tolerance for those that choose to express their views. That is a very startling and oppressing situation.
I have the right to fly any flag I want on my property. At this point I feel I MUST. For those among us who are afraid, for those that are unaccepted, for those that are hiding. The vandalism only emphasizes this need.
This current city government passed this poorly thought out, thinly veiled resolution singularly to ban the Pride flag. Many council members are not even trying to pretend this is about “neutrality” and admit it is a purely religious ideology issue.
There is a line between practicing your religion and forcing it on others. As far as what the “people” want, maybe if you reached out to a more broad constituency, you might have gotten a different response.
There is a mistaken impression that when you are in the “majority” (another subject altogether) that you don’t have any obligation to anyone outside your supporters. Decent politicians are not “rulers.”
They listen and make decisions based on what is right for the community overall. Not a segment, of which you answer to the most extreme and radical.
Respect is a two way street.
This will not stop me from respecting and loving my neighbors. This will not stop me from my right as a citizen to object to the reasoning and implementation of a poorly thought out action by my council.
This will not stop me from enjoying the rich life I lead here, many friends, walkable streets, conversations with people of all kinds, daily, hourly and by the minute.
I had a heated (my side) conversation with a very nice man walking through the alley to the mosque last evening. I was angry and aggressive. He was calm and I could see the concern in his response. He told me he was very sorry this was happening on my property and that it is not right. He completely changed my view of what is actually happening and important here.
The vandalism speaks for itself. Things are the same as always, rational people are here, we all have a place here and it really is the outliers and radicals that are the problem. Which is true in most cities.
If there is one thing about Hamtramck that will never change is that it is ALWAYS changing. There is a huge amount of crowing and hubris in the “winning” that this administration THINKS that they are doing.
I see absolutely zero outreach by any of these politicians who obviously serve ONLY a segment of our society.
In truth, our Mayor continues to dial up aggressive rhetoric instead of cooling down the situation and looking for ways the community can come together. Most other politicians in this situation would be looking for damage control or even attempting the illusion of damage control. Instead, he keeps stating that he will not back down.
This is nonsensical in so many ways. This is done. This is what this group of men decided. This is the message: sit down and shut up. Well, we’ll see how that works.
One of the council members keeps saying that this is what the majority wants. Ironic, in that many cultures here have come seeking a seat at the table.
Seeking understanding and the freedom from having decisions made for them. The freedom from being erased. This was completely understood when we became the first city to broadcast the call to prayer. That it is not understood in this case is truly ironic.
Now, the call to prayer is used as a muscle flex, decibels be darned. We live with it, complaining about the excessive loudness sometimes. When it was not being broadcast during covid, we acutely felt the disruption to what has become “normal” here.
Getting back to the “change” that is inevitable here, it’s coming. I see it every day. I see it in speaking to reasonable neighbors and friends.
I see it in business owners who are concerned about the bottom line, as our council should be, if they were responsible to the citizens. I see it in the children playing on the street, with each other, all different, all laughing and having fun with each other.
I see it in the interest young families have in being here. I see it in the many young people that want to live here for walkability, proximity, art and music and general quirkiness. I have seen it from the day I was born (here, in city hall!) to now that we have made this place our home, again.
The changes over those years have been many. The council has evolved and will evolve again. I am proud of being from this place, of this place and in this place, no matter what crazy decisions get made and then are part of history.
I’m asking my fellow citizens to register to vote. I’m asking you to take a long, hard look at how each member of council represents you, your future, your children’s future.
Your answer may be yes, and that is a good choice for you. But your answer may be finding other candidates, ones that reach out and actually RESPECT ALL your neighbors, friends and fellow citizens.
We are all in this together and I am truly thankful for that every day.
(Linda Wolyniec is a Hamtramck resident.)
Posted July 7, 2023
