Lucas --
Like many people in our community, I worked hard to save St. Vincent's hospital. We did it for so many reasons.
Not just because our neighborhood needs a full service hospital.
Not just because St. Vincent's treated people living with HIV/AIDS with the compassion and care they deserved at a time when other hospitals would not.
Not just because we need a hospital more than we need additional luxury condominiums.
We also stood up for our hospital because we have a vision for a community where people can express themselves, start businesses, create art, create jobs, go to work, raise their families and be treated fairly and humanely. Those are our values; that is who we are.
People can disagree on facts or positions - that's democracy. But I am deeply concerned with recent reports in which some of our trusted leaders and even candidates running to be trusted leaders have taken to engaging in physical altercations and other antagonistic behavior when they disagree.
Instead, we should be reasoning things out, and engaging in the exchange of ideas.
While I welcome differing ideas and an honest debate of the facts, I hope you will join with me in encouraging everyone to commit to peaceful expressions and respectful exchanges when we disagree.
Sincerely,
Yetta