INC NEWS - Open Letter to Our Community re: racist literature

[Barry Ragin]

The Duke Park Neighborhood Association has posted the following on our 
website, and distributed it to local media.

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Open Letter to Our Community

This past weekend's distribution of hate mail in several Durham 
neighborhoods brought an intense flurry of response from our citizens: 
camaraderie, neighborhood action, proclamations for unity and support. 
The anonymous collections of flyers filled with bigotry and violence 
were quickly labeled for what they were: trash. While the message may 
have attempted to promote division, first reactions of extreme disgust 
turned to conversations of advocacy for continued healing in this 
community and the strengthening of neighborhood relationships.

Thank you to the Durham Police Department and the many neighbors who 
took time to pick up and discard the trash on Sunday morning. We have no 
doubt that the citizens of Durham will continue to reject this kind of 
bigotry and hatred whenever it appears in our city.

DPNA Board of Directors

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if anyone would like to add their name or their organization to this 
statement, please email DPNA secretary Claire Doyle at canyonwomn at 
yahoo dot com.

Barry Ragin
President, DPNA