Last November, in our municipal elections here in Norwich, Connecticut, we elected Swarnjit Singh as Mayor by a rather wide margin. Even though Norwich is in the less-than-populous Southeastern Connecticut portion of the state, we are, according to late-2024 census estimates, very cosmopolitan.
I'm sure we're not the only place in Connecticut, to say nothing of the rest of the country and world, where sometimes the things we do speak so loudly I can't understand what we're saying.
I voted for our current Mayor because he promised to bring new impulses to a city I've called home for almost thirty-five years, which cannot seem to get out of its own way in entering the twenty-first century.
Other people cast ballots for the other candidate, which is their right and duty. But shortly after the election and swearing-in, small-minded, big-mouthed, noise-making generators who disagreed with Mayor Singh's tenure in office (and, in some instances, his existence) surfaced across a plethora of social media platforms.
The mayor is a Sikh, part of a population that is no stranger to prejudice and animus. I've lost count of the number of posters who fear 'sharia law,' which has nothing to do with Sikhs. The tenor and tone of the comments in the seven months since our elections have darkened and deepened and have long since abandoned any pretense of policy disagreement, instead, heading straight for racial and religious prejudice and hatred.
Earlier this week, finally, an online poster was held responsible for his own actions and (I hope) is now learning that freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from the consequences of that speech. I learned he isn't even a resident of Norwich, causing me to wonder about many things, including the 'nooks and crannium knowledge' he claims to possess (and I think the Thomas' English Muffin guys may want a word as well with him).
From space, we all look alike. We should try harder to remember that.
-bill kenny
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