Councilors Decry Racist Handbill Circulated in Amherst. Call for Tangible Action from Council

The following statement was made by Town Councilors Jill Brevik, Amber Cano-Martin, Hala Lord, and Ellisha Walker at the meeting of the Amherst Town Council on May 4, 2026,  concerning the distribution of a racist handbill on the windshields of parked cars in Amherst on April 29, 2026. They decried the harm inflicted on the community and called on the council to take tangible actions to better support the community’s black and brown residents.

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We want to take a moment to speak directly to the racist letter that was circulated in our community last week.

First, we must be clear that harm was done.
And not just abstract harm but real fear, real pain, and real re-traumatization for members of our community, particularly Black and Brown residents and those of African descent.

To those residents: we see you, we hear you, and we acknowledge that this moment is not new. It is part of a pattern, one that shows up not just in moments like this, but in everyday experiences, in microaggressions, in exclusion, and in the ways systems do or do not show up for you.

The Town has already issued a statement condemning this letter and affirming that Amherst is a community built on inclusion, respect, and the belief that every resident deserves to feel safe, welcomed, and valued. 

We stand firmly in those values.
But tonight, we also need to be honest: values alone are not enough.

Because the question before us is not just whether people should feel safe in Amherst,
it is whether they actually do feel safe, and whether they are safe.

And for many Black and brown residents, the answer is complicated.

We often speak, in this room, about equity initiatives about investments like a BIPOC youth empowerment center, a multicultural center, or the continued development and expansion of CRESS. And we have heard questions including:

Why is this needed?
Who benefits?
Is this the right investment?

Tonight, we can add this to part of our answer.

This is why.

Because safety is not just the absence of violence, it is the presence of support, resources, and systems that people trust.

If a resident feels targeted, unsafe, or threatened, who do they call?
If we ask them to call CRESS, are we ensuring that CRESS is fully resourced, fully staffed, and available when they need it?
If not, what are we asking people to rely on?

If we say we value belonging, where are the spaces that actively build it?
Where are the investments that ensure young people of color in this town feel seen, supported, and protected, not just in theory, but in practice?

If we say we value belonging, where are the spaces that actively build it?
Where are the investments that ensure young people of color in this town feel seen, supported, and protected not just in theory, but in practice?

We cannot continue to celebrate ourselves as a progressive community without confronting the gaps between our intentions and our actual impact.

Because the truth is:
Experiences like receiving this letter do not happen in isolation.
They exist alongside the everyday realities that many residents navigate quietly.

So tonight, we are calling on ourselves as a council to move beyond statements of recommitment and toward meaningful action.

That means:

• Investing in the systems that actually produce safety
• Resourcing the programs we ask people to depend on
• Prioritizing spaces and initiatives that support Black and brown residents
• And being willing to ask harder questions about where we have fallen short

This is about the responsibility we hold to the people living in this community.

We have an opportunity, in this moment, to respond with more than just words. 

This moment should not end with a statement. It must lead to action. We are calling on this Council to engage fully and honestly in the conversations that too often get delayed, softened, or avoided. 

We must be willing to confront the gap between how we see ourselves as a town and the reality that many of our residents are living every day. We are calling on this body to invest in real, tangible ways in the spaces, programs, and systems that our residents can actually use. Not symbolic commitments, but resources that are accessible, reliable, and designed to keep people safe.

We also call on the Town Manager to share more information with residents about this incident and any ongoing efforts, including the investigation, so that our community is informed, prepared, and able to support one another. 

Because right now, we are asking people to navigate fear without a clear understanding of what systems are in place to protect them. How can we expect residents to feel safe when the supports we point to are under-resourced, incomplete, or unavailable when they are needed most? 

This is about more than just this letter. This is about our response and what comes next. We see this moment as a preface to the actions this Council must take. And so we urge our fellow councilors: In the days ahead to sit with this. Reflect honestly. Listen more closely to the lived experiences of the people in this community, especially those who have been telling us, consistently, that something is missing. Let us move forward more aligned with our community’s actual reality and their actual needs. Because our responsibility is not just to respond. It is to lead.

And finally, to our Black and brown residents:

We want to say this clearly. You are valued here. You matter here. Our community is richer, stronger, and more whole because of you.

You deserve to feel safe. You deserve to be protected. You deserve to live in a town that does everything in its power to ensure your safety, your dignity, and your wellbeing.

And we recognize that saying this is not enough. It is our responsibility to make it true in practice, in policy, and in how we show up for you every day.