Melrose's Traffic Sign Issue Is Not A Political Matter

MELROSE, MA — The following is from Melrose resident Brandon Reid. Patch asked Reid, who ran for state representative as a Republican last winter, to weigh in on the recent police traffic sign controversy.

Get in on the conversation by emailing mike.carraggi@patch.com.

Black Lives Matter. This is not a radical declaration or a loaded statement. It is not offensive or divisive. It is a statement of fact. A proclamation to those who do not value black lives, and an ask of those who do, to advocate as allies for the cause, and help spread this message. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” should not be met with criticism of any kind. It should, and must, be universally accepted as fact. Otherwise, all lives do not matter. All lives do not matter, until black lives matter -which brings us to the traffic sign controversy at hand.

As most of the community knows by now, a traffic sign that read; “…The safety of all lives matter”, and the removal of the sign, was met with national criticism over the last few days. Was this a not-so-hidden message, with the intent of making a contrary statement in response to the BLM movement? Or was this an unfortunate, but innocent choice of words during a time when “all lives matter” is often the response of someone ignorant to the “Black Lives Matter” movement? Whatever the case, there is no downside to changing the wording during a time when those words are viewed as antagonistic by many. “All lives matter” is not an offensive phrase in and of itself, but it is not a phrase that was being tossed around prior to “black lives matter” becoming a widespread message.

Personally, I’m glad that the traffic sign message was removed. I do not think that this would have become as big a story as it is if there was more mindfulness and sensitivity toward the experience black people face in America. A different choice of words could have simply been used to relay the message that the safety of all is important. I don’t think there needs to be a formal investigation into how those words appeared on the sign, as is apparently underway. I think the energy and focus needs to be directed towards educating anyone who has a negative response to the phrase “black lives matter”, including those who shoot back with “all lives matter.” This isn’t about punishing people, it is about challenging folks to think critically about their core beliefs around race, and taking active steps to address any blind-spots that they may possess. It is important for every one of us to acknowledge that black lives matter.

Lastly, this is not a political matter. Those who have been politicizing the BLM movement, are gaslighting in an attempt to deflect your attention away from addressing the very real racial injustices and inequalities that black people face in America. I'm a Republican, but that has no bearing on my position. I'm an American first and foremost. We must unite in our efforts to combat racism and bring about real change.