To:  Mayor Johnson, City Council Members, and Citizens of Bluffton, OH

I recently sent a letter to our mayor council members and also to the ICON, voicing concern about the thin blue line proposal.  At this time I would like to continue expressing my concern. While many of us oppose the painting of the street, we are not opposed to honoring our law enforcement community as a whole and our fallen officers, in particular.

That being said, I agree with Fred Steiner that an appropriate memorial to Officer Francis belongs at Town Hall, as a part of the memorial already in place for our fallen law officers.  Taking a cue from the examples of local memorials, it’s worth noting that the location of each is appropriately “matched,” so to speak, with the person’s school or place of employment.  Thank you, Fred, for providing us with this information. I’m betting that many folks weren’t aware of most of this.  

If the second floor lobby of our town hall is too small or too hidden, perhaps the grassy area on the south side of building, accessed by a sidewalk located between Town Hall and Dr Kirk’s offices, could become the location for a small law enforcement memorial, honoring Officer Francis and the others who were killed in the line of duty. I can envision a couple of the big flower barrels, some iron benches, possibly a small iron table with a couple of chairs. There could be engraved plaques in a simple outdoor showcase, maybe a fountain, perhaps a small flowering tree or two. This could become a place of rest and reflection for everyone in a location visible  and accessible to anyone traveling down Main Street and especially to those attending to business in the town hall. It would fit with the existing aesthetics of our town.  It would be easy to maintain as it is already being mowed regularly.  It should be safe from vandalism due to its location.  And it wouldn’t be offensive to anyone—assuming the absence of the misleading thin blue line symbols. Another such area is located directly behind the town hall, visible and accessible from Elm Street.  And both locations are at the site of our police local department.

I again emphasize that I am concerned that we have community members who might still promote and support the discrimination presented by the thin blue line,  whether it be painted on the road or flown on a flag.  In light of the recent spate of racist shootings across the country, the perennial violence that accompanies summer heat not only in large cities, and the pervasive unrest throughout the country, I would hope EVERYONE IN BLUFFTON  would be interested in avoiding  conditions that might bring violence to our community.  Painting the street and replacing the American flags are both actions that could create unwanted and unnecessary unrest and/or violence.  If that were to happen, it is almost guaranteed that there would be participants not just from Bluffton.  It’s far too easy to say that would never happen in Bluffton but we know that is simply untrue and NEVER  is simply an unrealistic pipe dream.

This is not and should not become  a political issue.  This is not an attempt by one party or the other to control the community.  It is, however, an opportunity for EVERYONE to SUPPORT and RESPECT our ENTIRE COMMUNITY, regardless of race, color or creed. 

Thank you.

Connie Anderson
Blufffton, Ohio