SHREWSBURY – In a split vote on August 25, the Shrewsbury Select Board decided, 3-2, to reject a “welcoming community statement” put forth by the town’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. The committee was looking for a commitment from the Select Board to consider creating something similar to Natick’s statement, which prohibits municipal employees from asking residents about their immigration status.
The DEIB Committee had worked on the proposed policy for two years. Prior to the Select Board’s vote, several residents spoke in support of the measure.
“As someone who works with undocumented people in the area, I have seen firsthand how fear shapes even the most basic decisions of daily life. I know parents who delayed taking a sick child to the doctor. I know survivors of crime and abuse who chose not to call the police. I know people who kept their children out of school activities, avoided public services, and quietly stepped away from public life,” said Sanam Zaer…