Dear Greylock Together,
We are outraged at the news that the Williamstown Police Department broke the law and our community’s trust by engaging in retaliatory investigation of those citizens who have raised concerns about racism, sexual assault, and anti-Semitism. Americans are guaranteed equal protection under the law, and that means that the police can’t selectively target their critics. It is a positive step that Interim Williamstown Chief of Police Mike Ziemba has worked with many of the victims to begin to make this right, and we hope that the investigation will be concluded quickly and more information released immediately. But this was a gross abuse of power and cannot be tolerated.
We would like to send a letter to the Williamstown Select Board. The text is below. Please put your name in this form if you would like to be included as a signatory with us. You can also just reply to this email with your name and the town where you live, if the link doesn’t work.
Thank you!
Dear Williamstown Selectboard,
We write to you as members of the leadership team of Greylock Together. Greylock Together is one of thousands of Indivisible groups fighting for progressive values and a stronger democracy. We are grassroots, loosely structured, and action-oriented. Our advocacy efforts have included local, state and national concerns. Our core membership base resides in north Berkshire but we have members from across Berkshire County and beyond on our email list which includes over 900 individuals.
We are writing to express our outrage at the news that the members of the Williamstown Police Department broke the law and our community’s trust by engaging in retaliatory investigation of those citizens who have raised concerns about racism, sexual assault, and anti-Semitism in the police department and town government. These searches were a violation of Massachusetts General Law, Ch. 6, Section 167A. Americans are guaranteed equal protection under the law, and that means that the police can’t selectively target their critics.
It is a positive step that Interim Williamstown Chief of Police Mike Ziemba has worked with many of the victims to begin to make this right, and we hope that the investigation will be concluded quickly and more information released immediately. But this was a gross abuse of power and cannot be tolerated. Our friends and neighbors have been targeted.
Greylock Together is committed to using our collective voices and advocacy to support you, members of the DIRE committee, and the Williamstown Racial Justice and Police Reform group and other parties. We must have a full independent investigation of misconduct; the current independent investigator should be tasked officially with doing what they can to examine this issue, as well as existing concerns. Further, we are committed to community dialogue and advocacy and to a new chapter in public safety in Williamstown that ensures every resident of the community is equally and equitably protected.
Alexander, Wendy, and Jess