Bob LaMettry raised good questions in his letter to the editor last week. Are those of us raising questions about the Pike Lake development acting out of religious intolerance? Is our reaction based on sound concern and the well-being of others, or about our own ego and insecurity – a desire to protect ourselves from those we think are different? Good questions. The last thing we want to do is cast ourselves as a community that does not welcome people because they are different in some way. This is not who we are.
And, we cannot look away from the criminal and civil court history, which is of course public. If we are inclined to “live and let live,” then we have not read that record. Some FLDS leaders (not all) have inflicted pain on their followers that most of us cannot imagine. The victims of these crimes deserve our respect and support.
Sam Brewer and Tonia Tewell, to whom Bob referred in his letter, have devoted much of their lives to providing support to current and past FLDS members, without judging or withholding support because of their religious preferences. We reached out to Sam and Tonia for advice and guidance, which they provided without compensation, and they joined us on short notice away from their personal and professional lives. Their message? Educate yourselves. Be alert and at your professional best. Do not allow religious intolerance, or claims of religious intolerance and indifference to divide the community. Be kind at every turn to FLDS followers. Work together. Hold each other accountable. Take the high road.
Bob, thank you for your letter. We will make mistakes, but the community is handling itself well—and your letter is a great example of this. We owe it to ourselves to ask hard questions—of FLDS leaders and of each other. Like you, I hope there is a way in the future to somehow reconcile with our new neighbors on Pike Lake Road, take the fear out of the conversation, and as you said so well, greet them with friendship. If that is at all humanly possible, let’s make it happen – together.
Jeremy Hanson
Cook County resident
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