I must say that the public hearing that was held on Wednesday, May 18 at the Multipurpose Center was one of the best civic events I have ever attended. Kudos to the House of Representatives, and especially the Natural Resources Committee and its staff, for facilitating such an admirable display of civic action and discourse.
Our island is changing and I am lucky enough to be witnessing that change firsthand. The Multipurpose building was filled on Wednesday, and the Representatives from the House established ground rules for the hearing, and followed them. People were able to speak their minds without interruption, heckling, or intimidation. A diverse cross-section of our community was present and the hearing was not dominated by one group or another trying to push a certain agenda. People of all ages attended, from toddlers to senior citizens.
The picture last night was one of a wonderful and diverse community. Although there were a couple of hate-filled bigots, as expected in every community, they were few in number and there was an overwhelming majority of caring and concerned individuals on both sides of the issue. It was refreshing. Representatives from all of the major media outlets were present to document the event. The House committee had a video camera rolling the entire time as well; I would encourage KSPN to obtain a copy and air the footage so that more people could view and learn from the hearing.
It is my hope that many more people will be moved to show up to more hearings and actively participate in the happenings of our community.
The forum was filled with about 75 people. I would say that approximately 98 percent of those who showed up were looking for answers, common ground, and resolution to the particular problem at hand. About 1 percent appeared misinformed and most likely were being manipulated and used. The remaining 1 percent were manipulative, corrupt, and abusive. These are impressive statistics, and the dialogue that occurred was also impressive.
To the 98 percent — the many people who attended with open minds and hearts — thank you so much for coming out! To the 1 percent who were misinformed — I hope the forum provided you with insight and clarity of the issue, and that you are now among the many who are searching for solutions. As for the 1 percent of corrupt and abusive individuals, I believe your day will come.
In the big scheme of things, those with racist sentiments who vilify people based on their content of indigenous blood (or lack of it) make up a very, very small percentage of people on Saipan. They are bullies and they are loudmouths so it may falsely appear as if they are a dominant majority. They truly are not.
We should always address the hateful comments as Mike White and Ron Muna so eloquently did at the forum that night. There is nothing more upsetting than the apathy of bystanders who witness injustice.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The Negro’s greatest stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.”
It is refreshing when we realize that for each ignorant or hateful person last night who made hurtful comments that cut at the hearts of those present, there were ten others who made everyone feel like we are all part of one of the greatest communities in the world.
We will always have the “Diego Blancos” and the “Herman Guerreros” in our midst who spew racist sentiment. Sadly, we most likely cannot change their mindsets within our lifetimes or theirs. What we can do is focus on the moderates that MLK Jr. spoke of and people who are the targets of hate-filled speech. We can hope that our fellow moderates will not witness the injustice spoken by the few and be too afraid to challenge it for fear of upsetting the order in their lives and what they believe to be an unchangeable status quo. We can also be hopeful that the victims will not be so abused by the harsh words that they cannot push them aside and rise above them and take the seat at the front of the bus or simply call things like they see them.
I am proud to be witnessing the tipping of the scale. Voices today are rising up. The bigoted comments are being challenged and the bullies who spew them are being marginalized. Change is happening. It is beautiful to see and it is what the CNMI needs more than ever.
I feel nothing but pity for the few who spew racist sentiment. They have been indoctrinated into a world of hate and fear in which they go through life feeling like victims and trying to justify their mentalities by stereotyping or denigrating others. Honestly, a few of them need to be thrown in jail for corruption — those who use the race card and the ignorance of others to cover up very corrupt transactions. The truth will come out and people will be held accountable for their corruption.
Thank you to all my Chamorro and Carolinian brothers and sisters who challenge racism or xenophobia when they see it, who do not ignore it but put the spark out before it erupts into flames.
Thank you to all the people who have been targets of hate speech, for not allowing it to alter your person. You are bigger and better than that, and together we create a wonderful community.
I am one proud mutt and I am so happy to be living in the only place I have ever known as home. I am grateful for the love and support from friends and family who make this place so very special to me.
Many people work their entire lives in a big city, and deal with traffic, high crime rates, congestion, harsh temperatures, and pollution. They save up money and hope to have enough when they retire to move to a small island somewhere to live out and enjoy the remaining years of their life.
We live out that dream on a daily basis.
I truly love Saipan!
GLEN HUNTER
Fina Sisu, Saipan
