U.S. Capitol Riots An 'Affront' To Democracy: Middletown Mayor

Middletown CT

12 January, 2021

5:17 PM

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MIDDLETOWN, CT — In a statement, Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim called last week's violence at the U.S. Capitol an "affront to our democracy and an insult to all who work to uphold our rights and defend our freedom." While there haven't been any reports of anyone from Middletown involved with the riots, Florsheim said "any association, membership, affiliation, or support of white supremacist or hate groups, or any insurrectionist activity" is unwelcome in the city's government. Read Florsheim's full statement, posted on Facebook on Tuesday, below: I would like to take a moment to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who lost his life as a result of the riot and violence at the United States Capitol last week, as well as my deep gratitude to all of those officers, National Guard members, and other patriots who put their lives on the line to defend American democracy. I also extend compassion to everyone harmed during the riot. What happened last Wednesday was not only an assault on people's lives and safety, but also an affront to our democracy and an insult to all who work to uphold our rights and defend our freedom. Furthermore, I would like to extend thanks to two key members of Middletown's federal delegation, Senator Chris Murphy and Representative Rosa DeLauro, for their quick action to launch an investigation into the security failures that allowed the Capitol to be breached in the first place. As someone who has worked in the Capitol, it is staggering to me that something of this magnitude was able to happen, and the American people deserve answers to the question of why it did. There have been no reports that anyone from Middletown, nor anyone associated with the running of the City, have been associated with this violence. However, I feel it is necessary to state in very clear terms that any association, membership, affiliation, or support of white supremacist or hate groups, or any insurrectionist activity is unwelcome in our City government both at the level of municipal employee and elected or appointed official. If at any point in the future a City employee or elected official is found to actively support such actions or groups, I will take immediate and decisive action. While this great experiment in democracy that we call America has weathered much during its history, that act that took place at the Capitol needs to be called what it is: a violent insurrection and threat to the idea of self-government that cannot and should not be tolerated. Many in this country have enjoyed the rights and opportunities of our democracy for hundreds of years. Sadly, it has only been 55 years since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 made the right to vote in this country more accessible to all citizens, and the work to improve upon the promise of this nation continues. Many still struggle today to make sure that everyone in this country can access the liberties afforded by our democracy. The mob violence and attempt to overthrow our government that took place at the U.S. Capitol threatens this progress and the ongoing efforts to ensure that every citizen of the United States has access to the full spectrum of rights and opportunity guaranteed by this nation. We must not "move on;" we must act now to ensure it never happens again.