More than 2,000 people attended the Black Lives Matter demonstration in front of the historic Great Barrington Town Hall where the first resistance to British rule took place in 1775.
Longtime police Chief Bill Walsh told the board his department was an early adopter of the principles enunciated in President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
In a letter to the editor, Mae Whaley writes, "As much as it is necessary for us to stay aware of the overt ways in which police departments across the country are contributing to racism, we cannot allow the constant images and videos of tear gas, rubber bullets and concussion grenades to lower our standards for how we expect our police to behave."
"A high mail-in response will show the state legislature -- and the rest of the country -- that mail-in voting can increase voter turnout." -- Great Barrington Selectman Ed Abrahams
In a letter to the editor, Andy Moro writes, "It was only last week that we were informed the town needed to furlough (lay off) several employees, but we have money for this?"
Selectboard Chair Steve Bannon tried to reassure everyone that town government was functioning and that elected officials were active and town employees were still reporting to work.
If approved, the town wouldn't close on the property until July. If taxpayers rejected the funding, then there would be no project at all, or the trust would have to identify another site.
When selectboard Chair Steve Bannon opened the floor to comments from the audience, most seemed to agree that, in addition to placing restrictions on the stores, the larger question remains about what kind of image the tourism-minded town wants to project.
Selectman Ed Abrahams added that he is concerned that the same thing that happened at the gated parking lot at the end of Railroad Street will happen to the proposed gated parcel at the School Street property.
In 1976, Larkin purchased a former farmhouse on Stockbridge Road that had fallen into disrepair. He fixed it up and relocated Locke Stock & Barrel there.
