Leave it to Fairfax to be the first community to try to implement something concrete out of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The quaintly progressive town that once featured Grateful Dead softball games has created a Racial Equity and Social Justice Committee. It’s taken $100,000 from the police budget and given it to the committee, which is spending $40,000 of that on a consultant at $350 an hour for 20 hours a month.
The town is quick to say that it negotiated that rate down from $450 an hour. (Such frugality with taxpayer money, be still my heart!)
Look, I’m not going to pre-judge this effort even though a high-priced consultant looks like a bad way to start. But, a little truth-telling seems in order. Or, as we used to say in the 60s, question authority. Always.
The town says this is not defunding the police. C’mon, man! It most certainly is defunding the police. Town moms and dads took the money from the police department, not the library or parks and rec. The community leaders need to own that.
If the social justice committee can actually contribute something positive toward the health and welfare of Fairfaxians, then, you know, fine. Show us the way. But, it must be said that spending 40 percent of the budget on a consultant right out of the chute is a dubious way to start.
Fairfax is one of the coolest towns in Marin. I enjoy being there and I wish it real success at “racial equality and social justice.” But if all this means the community gets a jargon-laden report from some money-sucking consultant in six months, then count me out.
COVID FATIGUE
Here’s a meme that tells the truth about COVID-19 fatigue.
ONE MORE THING
— Calm down Christmas decorators. Mary hasn’t even told Joseph that she’s pregnant.
— The test of a good religion is that you can joke about — G.K. Chesterton
And with that, I’ll pick up my knitting and let myself out. Until next week, stay safe; mask up.
(Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, a journalist-based, family-owned company dedicated to the preservation of intensely local community newspapers, such as this one. You can follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/sherm.frederick/. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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