Council to form subcommittee dealing with local race issues

Painting the street idea raises tensions

By Mark Reaman

The conversation about race issues in Crested Butte and how to be more inclusive to people of color will continue, as a subcommittee is being formed to delve into the topic and come up with concrete actions that could address the problem.

The idea of painting a Black Lives Matter mural on Elk Avenue appears to be a bit of a lightning rod, however; the Town Council will definitely consider it in the future.

In a 50-minute work session before Monday’s regular Town Council meeting and for 10 minutes at the conclusion of the meeting, the council listened to ideas and voiced some thoughts on the issue. Council members Will Dujardin and Mallika Magner have led the initiative for the town to take definitive action in response to the growing national conversation about systemic racism that has been taking place since the death of George Floyd.

“It is obviously a problem and a problem we have to face,” Dujardin said. “I have received a lot of positive impact over the issue and the negative feedback I’ve received has shown me how important it is to take advantage of this moment.”

“The conversations we’ve been having the last few weeks have been eye-opening to me,” added Magner. “I wasn’t aware of the extent of the racism some people here face every day.”

Mayor Jim Schmidt said he had been involved in standing against racism since 1968 and he had hoped the racism issue would not be an issue today. It is. He noted that the Town Council in 1993 passed an antidiscrimination ordinance mainly geared toward sexual orientation.

Chloe Bowman, who organized the Thrive March in Crested Butte at the start of the summer, spoke to the council saying she had lived in the valley for about eight years and wanted the conversation to not just disappear. “There remains a need for this conversation,” she said. “And I’m thankful we’re having it.”

Local businesswoman Karen Hoskin said she feels holding the conversation and taking real action is important. She said her nephew is a Black man who, when he comes to the valley, is “inevitably stopped by the marshals and asked to get out of his car.” She noted her white sons have never had that experience in the valley. She gave other examples of racism that people related to her during a three-week “listening tour.”

“I feel strongly that talk is one thing but action is another,” Hoskin said. “How can we ask, in the world in which we live, what can we do? I have been working with Chloe and nine or 10 other members of the Black community who live here and we have drafted a plan as a possible starting point. We ask you to be part of the assessment process. The goal is to change the things we can.”

The draft includes ideas such as:

—Having major institutions and organizations in the valley support better pathways for inclusion;

—Actively encouraging groups like the Brotherhood of Black Skiers and the Black Foxes mountain bike club to visit here;

—Evaluating all housing support programs in the valley and making sure that they have additional incentives for people of color and diversity recruitment in general;

—Creating a scorecard or a certification logo that businesses could display for being an entity that meets certain criteria dealing with standing against racism;

—Working with local financial groups to develop a lending program to assist businesses owned by people of color; and

—Letting people of color express their voices in various media throughout the valley.

Hoskin said messaging is very important as the conversation continues. “We need to send the message that the community stands against racism,” she said. “It needs to be bold. Make it clear that this is a welcoming place for those who may come and we take care of those who are here.

“We ask everyone to self-assess,” Hoskin continued. “Painting the street is a simple message. It is a strong message that we are against racism in the community.”

Schmidt said the council had received several letters from people critically stating the Black Lives Matter organization was run by Marxists. “But this to me is about the concept and not the organization,” said Schmidt.

“That is so frustrating,” responded Dujardin. “It is a massive effort of deflection. The movement is decentralized. But making that point is getting in the way of local places taking action.”

“Most Americans don’t align with Marxism,” said Bowman. “I think the charge is deflecting and ridiculous.”

“Any action is only as good as its messaging,” reiterated Hoskin. “What we do as a community needs to be clear. What is our goal? What is our message? We have to speak to what matters to us.”

“We hold ourselves to a higher standard with messaging in this town,” added Bowman.

“How can the citizens of Crested Butte be part of this national reassessment?” asked Magner. “All the little towns across America need to look inward. Otherwise we are complicit. There are so many people of color who love what we have here, whether it is mountain biking, skiing, fly fishing. Why aren’t they coming here? Let’s do what we can to make concrete change.”

“It is important to focus on practices and policies we can make better,” said council member Chris Haver. “I’m interested in learning more about Karen’s ideas. What areas of our practices and policies can we make better? It sounds like subcommittee work.”

Council member Laura Mitchell said, moving forward, she hoped there would be collaboration with the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office and the Mt. Crested Butte Police Department.

Council member Candice Bradley suggested the town could perhaps name a local park for a historic Black figure. She felt that could bring educational awareness to the situation fairly quickly. “Having the community see that on a daily basis would invoke a community message,” she said.

“I’m really interested in the town looking inward and seeing what we can do with inclusivity,” said council member Mona Merrill. “I want to make sure we stay positive and inward and pull people together with this.”

“It seems some of us are looking for a middle ground and if everything was okay we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said Dujardin. “This will take a lot of thought and hard work to make a difference. We need to listen to what the Black community is telling us and do a better job.”

More than 30 people were listening in on the Zoom meeting and some spoke to the topic.

Mary Boddington said she agreed with Hoskin and Bowman. “Things need to change and we can’t sit back and just think the problem is elsewhere,” she said. “Painting on the street would show more love. It is important for our family values and who we want to be. Small steps help.”

Turner Wyatt said that whatever action the council took, “It is important that it is informed by the lived experience. Don’t make assumptions of what is needed and wanted. Your subcommittee should include the voices of those who have lived the experience.”

NuNu suggested having a local event celebrating Juneteenth. “And do things like bring more Black culture into events like Move the Butte. As much as we all love what is happening, it is important to make things visible. That helps get people comfortable. There is also a need for representation of people of color on things like the Town Council.”

The council agreed to move ahead and form a subcommittee to look at potential action steps. It will be led by Magner and Dujardin, will include citizens and will be facilitated by town manager Dara MacDonald. Dujardin suggested Hoskin’s draft plan was a good place to begin with coming up with concrete action.

Mitchell noted the idea of painting the street with a Black Lives Matter mural “seems a bit of a hot trigger point for so many people. We should talk to the community about it first,” she said. “Maybe it harkens back to 2014 and Whatever USA when the street was painted blue.”

Bowman suggested the Thrive March indicated 300 people were in favor of such action.

At the end of the council meeting Haver circled around to the street mural idea. “Realizing we can be doing more and the town can have a positive impact that can be unifying, I think using Elk Avenue for messaging of any kind needs more discussion,” he said. “It is important that I’m clear that using Elk Avenue for messaging doesn’t seem like something that makes or breaks this movement. I would hate to go into this with controversy instead of something that is unifying for the community.”

Schmidt said perhaps another display of messaging could be more appropriate “since the streets are hopefully covered in snow much of the winter.”

“Those comments by Chris and Jim are pretty disappointing to me,” countered Dujardin. “I implore you guys to do some more homework. Get educated on the issue to try to understand the conversation taking place in the community.”

“I’m just being clear I’m open to other ideas since the streets are covered in snow,” said Schmidt.

“Even before the meeting ended you were being quoted on social media as being out of touch,” Dujardin told Schmidt. “It is important to have the conversation. I get having other ideas but we’re coming and we don’t want just fake gestures. It is important for everyone to understand the conversation.”

MacDonald will begin organizing the subcommittee. If you are interested in participating, contact her at the Crested Butte Town Hall.