Events

Town, Gown, and Police Accountability: Civic Engagement in Williamstown

Thursday, February 18 – 2:45 PM

In this Claiming Williams Day 2021 panel, members from the Williams Record, Williamstown Racial Justice Police Reform (WRJPR), Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee (DIRE), and other community members discuss their role in forwarding equity and justice in Williamstown.

This event is free and open to the public. Closed captioning provided.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://williams.zoom.us/j/92003501548?pwd=dXhXdDlZcHV1bHhxa04rTXNFRHNrQT09

Webinar ID: 920 0350 1548

Passcode: 701962

Thank you to everyone who gathered on Field Park week after week in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Now that election day has passed, no more Friday vigils are planned. If you are wondering what to do next, we want to encourage you to be a witness at the DIRE Committee and Select Board meetings. DIRE meetings are the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 5pm. Select Board meetings are the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7 pm. The Zoom link will be posted here.

• As DIRE proceeds through a democratic format with full transparency, you can find agendas for each Monday evening meeting, email comments that have been received from the public, as well as all documents, resolutions and responses linked here.

• All DIRE meetings are recorded and can be watched live and in perpetuity at WilliNet here.

• All DIRE meetings are open to the public.

• Public comment is received at the end of each session.

• Protesters showed up in response to the allegations of racism and sexual assault within the Williamstown Police Department.

• Read the Berkshire Eagle's coverage here: Article link

• Read iBerkshires' coverage here: Article link

• Read iBerkshires' coverage of Town Meeting here: Article link

• Town residents voted almost unanimously in favor of two racial justice and equity-related citizens' petitions: see Articles 36 and 37 on the Town Warrant

• Link to flyer advocating for Articles 36 and 37

• Musical protest in honor of Elijah McClain - PHS orchestra members

• Voter Registration

• NAACP Membership Drive

• Watch Bilal Ansari's remarks here: iBerkshires

• Read iBerkshires coverage of the event here: Barrett Answers Williamstown Residents' Call for Law to Address Racist Covenant

• Read Bilal Ansari's letter to the editor: Williamstown's Racist Legacy

• Read Jess Dils' reflection on the event linked here.

• A protest in response to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless victims of police brutality. Hundreds joined together to protest systemic racism and police brutality in our country.

• Read Kevin Yang's coverage of the event in the Williams Record here: Williamstown protest calls attention to anti-Black racism, policing in Berkshires

• Photograph by Justin Biasin