11/30/2017, Glen Ellyn, IL -

We, the members of DuPage United, demur President Trump’s misguided demonizing of Muslims and his use of publicly-known extremist propaganda. We believe that the use of this hate-filled speech puts the lives of not only our Muslim neighbors’ at risk, but all minority groups. The rise in virulent anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and anti-minority messaging has already resulted in a rise in Hate Crimes, most notably against Muslims in 2016 according to the FBI.

The President’s targeting of American Muslims plays on people’s fears, biases, and prejudices. It creates visceral reactions not thoughtful considerations, promotes people’s differences, not their similarities, it demonized and reduces multi-faceted individuals to a single attribute. His words are not representative of DuPage United, nor of most Americans. This has always been a country of immigrants, and of opportunity not exclusion: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

DuPage United’s Prepared and Rapid Response Team was created to act as a shield with a plan of action ready to respond to acts of hate, racism, and discrimination in DuPage County when/if they occur. We will stand with all groups that feel discrimination.

The President of the United States has a responsibility to all American citizens, to protect each, regardless of religion, race, or ethnicity. Democracy flourishes when people of different ideologies and religions engage in dialogue, putting aside their differences and working together to make their society stronger and more resilient; when the strength of our cultural similarities is more binding than the sum of our differences, when the belief in the American dream and democracy is paramount.

We acknowledge this nation’s less than stellar record in bringing people together. We have had our failures; we have also had our successes. Through our struggle we have become a pluralistic, heterogeneous society that rewards hard work and intelligence, not the accident of birth.

This is why we urge the President to stop engaging in the spreading of derisive, dividing language that sparks prejudice and anger. The long term damage from such behavior may be significant, and threaten the very nature of the American Experiment.

To become a signatory please send an email to prr@dupageunited.org with your name or your institution’s name and it will be added to the list.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Weiskopf,

Volunteer Leader, Chairman of the Prepared and Rapid Response Team

Signed:
Joe Follrath
Greg Eakins
Steve De La Rosa
Lucy Tarbour
Jeri Shaw
Mohammed Saeed