SMITHFIELD – At the first of many planned community conversations about racism and prejudice in Smithfield last week, parents said the town and its schools have an ongoing pattern of sweeping racist incidents under the rug, often allowing abuse to go unpunished.
More than 120 residents connected to the virtual meeting, discussing racist incidents. Last Wednesday’s forum stemmed from resident Kim Ziegelmayer’s discovery of racist graffiti on concrete pilings under Route 116 on the Scenic Stillwater Trail in January. Three Smithfield youths were subsequently arrested related to that graffiti and referred to the Juvenile Hearing Board.
Ziegelmayer has since founded the Smithfield Anti-Hate Coalition on Facebook, inviting residents to respectfully but firmly keep pressure on town leaders to respond to this incident but also to work to combat racism and all types of hate and intolerance in town.