Flower Mound Officials Issue Statement Condemning Hate Speech; Calls for Equal Treatment for All

FLOWER MOUND -- City officials and community leaders here have come together in a united stand against hate speech.Councilmember Don McDaniel read a statement at the start of Monday night's council meeting reminding residents that hate speech "has no place" in the community.McDaniel said in his statement that officials wanted to express the city's dedication to the equal treatment of its citizens, no matter their race, religion, age, gender, national origin or sexual orientation. It also added that hate speech in the community would be rejected with "no reservation or hesitation. "The statement came about a week after Narayam Srinivasan, a 45-year-old Flower Mound resident, reached out to several council members asking for a possible response to recent reports of hateful actions and words in surrounding communities."I wanted this to make an affirmation that we accept diversity," Srinivasan said Monday. "Hopefully this will help people from those communities feel safe and deter others from using hate speech."He said he received several positive replies soon after reaching out to community members.Shaheed Luqman, another Flower Mound resident, said he became interested in the initiative after hearing about several letters distributed to some McKinney homes in late November claiming the country needs to "get rid of Muslims, Indians, blacks and Jews.""We thought it would be good for the city to take this initiative," Luqman said. "The response was fantastic. It's overwhelming."McDaniel said he took on the task of writing the statement after having several discussions with Flower Mound residents and realizing that some may feel uneasy after the presidential election."The conversation with the group made me realize, whether real or perceived, there are folks who have concerns," McDaniel said. "This helps make the community stronger and a better place to live."  Continue reading...