And Our Flag Was NOT Still There

Barren flagpole at Hampshire College this Sunday morning

Hampshire College has symbolically seceded  from The Union, although I'm sure the Governor or President will not bother sending in troops to bring them back into the fold.  No great loss.

Last week Hampshire College acquiesced in the best Neville Chamberlain fashion to the vocal minority and lowered the flag to half staff as a sign of mourning over the surprising election of a Presidential candidate not of their choosing.

Since our flag is only lowered to honor and remember the dead, doing so for petty reasons only demeans the sacred act itself.  A better choice would be to fly the flag upside down as a symbol of distress.

Then after miscreant students burned the flag they put up a new one in time for Veteran Day, but still at half staff.

But now they have sunk even lower by removing the American flag entirely.  Although the brave bureaucrats chose the perfect time as area colleges and UMass take a Thanksgiving break and then we're on a fast track to Christmas, err, the "Holiday Season," and the end of the semester.

 Although as of Monday morning a flag is still flying at Hampshire College PD

It would be one thing if Hampshire College were an upstanding good citizen of Amherst but they are the only tax exempt institute of higher education  who pays nothing for our vital ambulance and fire department protection and yet continually tie up AFD with "cooking smoke" false alarms.

And they loved getting all the free press from the left leaning bricks and mortar media for their scholarship program for undocumented students who do not have official citizenship.  

So yeah Hampshire College, by all means, lets welcome those who come to this great country to make a better life for themselves through education but at the same time show disrespect for the ultimate symbol of who and what we are:  the American flag.

And so it begins 

Amherst College flag atop Johnson Chapel.  That's the way I always heard it should be

"An Extreme Form Of Dissent"

 Hampshire College flag at half staff protesting election of Donald Trump

The pernicious burning of our flag at Hampshire College does not surprise me.  At all.

What does surprise me is College President Jonathan Lash had actually endorsed lowering the flag to half staff the day before, a violation of federal flag protocol, in response to the election of Donald Trump.

Click to enlarge/read

 Hampshire College Board of Trustess statement

Symbolically that misses the mark because lowering the flag to half staff is always to mourn the death of an individual or a large group due to terrorism or natural disaster.    So a better response would have been to fly the flag upside down, which symbolizes dire distress.

15 years ago, only five weeks after 9/11, a group of Hampshire College students and one professor infiltrated an "Assembly for Patriotism" at nearby Amherst College and as the rally was winding down spread a large flag on the ground, stomped on it chanting "This flag does not represent us," and then burned two small American flags.

That photo of those two small flags ablaze in the hands of a nitwit dressed in all black appeared on the front page of the Boston Globe the next day setting off a firestorm.

In response Amherst College President Tom Gerety issued a public statement that perfectly addressed the sad situation.  Then and now:

   Amherst College Flag Burning 2001 by Larry Kelley on Scribd

The Pressure Grows: Raise That Flag

Amherst Select Board will stick heads in sand and hope flag controversy goes away

So as usual I crossed that line between journalist and activist -- which, after 30 years I do pretty well -- and asked the Amherst Select Board during their 6:30 Public Comment segment to get involved with the Hampshire College flag fiasco by pressuring Jonathan Lash to do the right thing.



Since it was public comment their policy is not to discuss or engage with the speaker but I notice a few hours later just before they adjourned Chair Alisa Brewer brought it up because she wanted to give some "direction" to Town Manager Paul Bockelman, a Hampshire College graduate.

Ms. Brewer found the appearance at the rally of Springfield Mayor Sarno "weird" since he has no connection to Amherst in general or Hampshire College in particular.  She struggled with the idea of attending because she is after all Amherst's highest elected official but decided it would be "awkward."



Andy Steinberg pointed out each of the five Select Board members are kind of like one fifth of a Mayor so it's hard to act like an actual mayor aka  Mayor Domenic Sarno.

None of the five Select Board members expressed interest in now getting involved in the dispute since Hampshire College is a private tax exempt facility.

Although that would be some leverage since unlike Amherst College who pays the town $120,000 Payment In Lieu Of Taxes for Amherst Fire Department services Hampshire College pays the town nothing.

Thus this internationally embarrassing flag flap is now only going to get worse.  I told the Select Board another rally was planned for December 10th but now I see from my Facebook feed that one will also be held this Sunday as well.

Maybe this time Chair Alisa Brewer will attend to experience the power of people rising up in defense of the America way.   Even in Amherst.

Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash requesting APD come rescue him as Fox News followed him home.

— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) November 29, 2016

APD:  "Aggressive reporter bothering Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash was from Fox News O'Reilly Factor.  He's gone, I'm clear."

— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) November 29, 2016

What are they afraid of?

Stan Rosenberg:  Raise the flag

Those Who Fail To Learn From History

Hampshire College is the 3rd largest landowner in Amherst (but pays no property taxes)

So you know an issue has really gone stratospheric on the national stage when Snopes weighs in on it.  

The flag controversy at Hampshire College -- or perhaps I should say the lack of a flag -- is streaking along the same fast track to Public Relations nightmare Amherst regrettably wallowed in 15 years ago ... a shit-storm only pigs would love.

On the eve of 9/11 the Amherst Select Board voted to allow 29 commemorative flags to fly in the downtown on only 6 occasions and to keep them down until the first day on that list -- Veteran's Day.

At that now infamous 9/10/01 meeting a UMass professor branded our flag "A symbol of terrorism and death and fear and destruction and repression."  It would be later dubbed by the Wall Street Journal in a front page article as "The ill timed quote of the century."

Because of course only 12 hours later terrorism and death and fear and destruction reined down from a crystal clear blue sky, and before the smoke cleared 3,000 innocent people were dead.

To show what a slows news day 9/11 started out as, the Associated Press put out a brief mention of the Amherst flag flap story around dawn that morning.

In the wake of information overload a few hours later as stunning images beamed worldwide of Twin Towers making their last stand, both Fox News and CNN erroneously reported that Amherst was banning the rights of private citizens to fly the American flag.

Ouch!  

And now we have Snopes correcting that same mistake about the current flag flap.

Obviously Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash has little to no institutional memory, otherwise he would have leaned from the Amherst 9/11 commemorative flag debacle.

Especially since Hampshire College students and a professor were involved with burning American flags at an Amherst College rally only six weeks later, which garnered nationwide condemnation. 

Let's hope Mr. Lash shows up Sunday afternoon for the rally-round-the-flag demonstration at his front gate.

After all, seeing is believing. (But you have to remove your head from your ass.)

The Other #1 Story Of 2016

A sea of flags at Hampshire College protest called by VFW Post 754

The Maria Geryk debacle that I declared the #1 story of 2016 was based on number of Blog hits and comments on the initial story that appeared a day or two before other media sources picked it up.

So it was a pretty easy call declaring it the top story of the year.  Mainly because it had such a far reaching impact over long period of time, which still has not concluded since the $67 million Mega School -- Maria's Folly -- comes up for a revote at a Special Town Meeting January 30th.

But the story that reached far more eyeballs than the Geryk affair -- mainly on Facebook rather than my Blog -- was the embarrassing deja vu incident with the American flag at Hampshire College. 

Or perhaps I should say the lack of an American flag at Hampshire College.

My Facebook post of B2 video showing the enormous flag waving crowd on the day of protest called by our local VFW had almost 30,000 views on Facebook alone.  Which goes to show the power of that website for news distribution.

Interestingly enough the first blog post I did on the flag controversy lamenting the initial idiotic decision to fly the flag at half staff to protest the election of Donald Trump was the first time I was banned by Facebook for 24 hours.

Maybe some of the Facebook moderators are Hampshire College grads.

A Little Disruption Now And Then

Anti-Trump protesters block traffic in town center this busy Sunday morning

After about 5 minutes APD "moved them along"

One of the criticisms of the huge gathering of Vets and their supporters at last week's Hampshire College "Raise The Flag" protest was, well, they were scary.

That many people waving American flags is scary to some I guess.

 Last week Hampshire College:  A sea of flags is scary to some

 Aerial photos show NO Confederate or Nazi flags in the crowd

But certainly none of them were accused of breaking any laws and neither APD or AFD had to respond to the scene.

This morning in Amherst town center a crowd of anti-Trump protesters used their God given, err, Founding Father given right to assemble and use their Free Speech on the Town Common which has seen protests like that for over 350 years.

Fair enough.

But then before the rally/demonstration dispersed they blocked traffic on South Pleasant street at a busy time of the morning inconveniencing those average citizens going about their business.

The specific target of their blockade I suppose was to stop a patriotic convoy that left Whately and toured through UMass and were enroute to Hampshire College.

The rally had been planned a few weeks ago and was to coincide with yet another "Raise The Flag" rally which was canceled at the last minute due to a gracious VFW leadership.

An admirable trait these downtown protesters seem to know nothing about.

Note to readers:  At no point was B2 directly over anyone's head except my own

A lone Vet with a flag greeted the caravan at main entrance to Hampshire College

In The Name Of Freedom

On Sunday Hampshire College will learn a valuable lesson that one would think an institute of higher education would find self evident:  Don't mess with Old Glory.

Or to be more precise, Free Speech is a two-way street.  You have a right to say what you will but folks have the same right to respond.

Removing the American flag from the prominent location it formerly occupied in the center of campus borders on hate speech.

From half staff to gone

As a private institution Hampshire College can do whatever it wants with their flag, but by choosing to cave in to demands of privileged white kids they have embarrassed the town on a national stage.

So lets bring some glorious colors to Hampshire this Sunday afternoon:  red, white, and blue.

Decision universally panned on Hampshire College Facebook page 

Perhaps they should move campus to Saudi Arabia —> Hampshire College Stops Flying All Flags https://t.co/Cbf2uMKpa0

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) November 23, 2016

Awash In Red White & Blue

Large crowd was orderly and respectful

If Hampshire College is trying to forget what our flag looks like, well over 500+ folks from all walks of life showed up Sunday at their front gate to remind them.  Let's hope that even institutes of higher education can benefit by a teachable moment (or in this case a teachable hour).

Video taken 12:30 PM

 The crowd started gathering before noon for the 1:00 PM rally

Video taken 1:50 PM

B2 briefly put a flag back up on Hampshire College main flagpole

 Only their main flag in campus center was banned

Hampshire College Police Department and Alumni Relations flags still fly

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno

Northwestern District Attorney Dave Sullivan

VFW Post 754 main sponsor of the demonstration  getting ready at 11:30 AM

Pissed off Pubbies...Oh My!

So even though I too used the comparison of 9/11 and gay rights (see video) and agreed that explicit how-to sex posters (straight or gay) should not be posted publicly at the Campus Center, I’m not with the Young Republicans on this one.

The Stonewall Center is an official Umass RSO group and as such should have access to the listserve.

Yes, Ralph Hexter is President of Hampshire College but he’s acting as the keynote speaker for an official Umass event. But I’m sure the Stonewall Center will love all the extra press this angry release generates.

And of course, now Mr. Hexter has got me wondering, “What if the President were Queer?”

UMASS-Amherst campus leadership:

Regarding the below message:

Why is the enormous (1000+ student) UMASS Signature Responsibility email list AGAIN being used for these ridiculous purposes???

Let me state for the record that the UMass Republican Club finds these emails being sent on the UMass server a *criminal and incomprehensible waste of valuable taxpayer-funded IT resources and unconditionally absurd*.

I have cc'd 14 state elected representatives - 8 state reps and 6 state senators - for their perspective on this matter.

I don't care about a "queer graduation invite" and if these gay rights activists at Hampshire College have access to the entire school SR email list here at *UMASS*, then why don't I – a fee-paying and taxpaying UMass student and citizen of the Commonwealth, and leader of one of the largest and most well-funded groups on this campus – have this same access ???

Dean of Students Joanne Vanin has consistently denied me access to this list for matters of disseminating information of patriotic 9/11 Veterans Day Flag Displays and legitimate UMass events, yet gay rights activists at A DIFFERENT SCHOOL are allowed use of this huge email list to promote an obviously exclusionary event at Hampshire???

UMass campus leadership continues to let nonsense like this go and then cries to the state legislature about being under-funded and ignored - something has to give.

Someone in Whitmore must have granted the approval to send this extremely unnecessary email: can someone inform me who that person was?

This is an obvious misuse of power and boggles my mind.

We, as a campus community, need to do better and be more aware than this, or else I strongly urge the elected officials of this state’s General Court to continue to cut our funding as a campus.

With administrators like the ones we have in charge apparently asleep at the switch yet again, we clearly don’t deserve any more funding from the hard-working taxpayers of this state.

For efficient tax-dollar and resource use,

Brad DeFlumeri

President, UMass Republican Club
Petty Officer, United States Naval Reserve

-----Original Message-----
From: rso-information-bounces@stuaf.umass.edu [mailto:rso-information-bounces@stuaf.umass.edu] On Behalf Of Brett-Genny Janiczek Beemyn
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 11:27 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: [Rso-information] Queer Graduation invite

The Stonewall Center cordially invites you to The 10th Annual Queer Graduation & Awards Ceremony

Monday, May 12, 2008
Memorial Hall Lounge
6:30pm: reception, 7pm: ceremony

Keynote Speaker:
Ralph Hexter, “What If the President Were Queer?”
Ralph Hexter is the president of Hampshire College and one of the first openly gay college leaders.
Please RSVP to the Stonewall Center:
stonewall@stuaf.umass.edu, 545-4824

Our Flag Was Still There?

Town Hall Turret Saturday morning

You sagacious local types may have noticed the official town flag disappeared sometime on Friday afternoon, and as of this morning was not yet back in its perch.  As usual the wind was to blame.

Of course this past weekend was peak time for all the returning clients to our lifeblood, our salvation, our reasons for being: UMass/Amherst, Amherst College and yes, even Hampshire College.

 Amherst Town Flag

Although Amherst is 256 years old the official town flag only became a reality two years ago, but don't ask why wheat plays a major design role since it was never an Amherst thing even back in the good old pre higher education agrarian days.

The Chamber of Commerce picked up the tab for six of the flags ($88.48 each), with one going to hang in the Boston Statehouse Hall of Flags.

One of the many reasons I fight so hard for the 29 commemorative American flags to fly every 9/11 rather than every five years (on "milestone anniversaries"), is precisely because of our returning students.

To those of us who were old enough to drive on that stunning day no symbolic reminders are necessary.

But if you were age six and under -- as many thousands of incoming college freshman were -- nothing adequately captures the misery of those moments forever frozen in time, when those majestic towers of glass and steel vaporizing before your eyes.

While some in Amherst -- okay, maybe only one -- view the American flag as a symbol of "terrorism and death and fear and destruction and oppression," to the vast majority of us it represents hope.

An ideal worth trumpeting -- especially on the saddest anniversary in our recent history. 

Let Freedom Ring

Today's Springfield Sunday Republican is a perfect example of the things print MSM does right even in this instant, always on Internet age: Tailoring articles to the moment--with the moment of course being the celebration of our freedom, the birth of our great nation.

Page one above the fold (written by a Managing Editor) featured a patriotic, advance teaser for the Barnes Air National Guard air show coming up in August and on the sports front break page a typical "give 'em Hell" column from outdoor editor Frank Sousa colorfully illustrating an incident from his Harry Truman like past where he kicks a protester in the ass for wearing an American flag on their butt.

Since I once got into it with Mr. Sousa 25 years ago on the Kennedy-Thurmond mailorder martial arts weapons bill and he still buys ink by the barrel, all I'll say is my journalism professor would probably not recommend a physical reaction to folks exercising their First Amendment rights, but I can't say I disagree with his sentiments.

I remember a still popular local TV news anchor once telling me he almost covered the flag burning incident at Amherst College five weeks after 9/11, but something came up at the last minute. A few Hampshire College kids and their professor crashed that patriotic rally and threw a flag on the ground and stomped on it while chanting "this flag doesn't represent us" as another protester (all dressed in black) ignited a American flag--with that searing photo appearing on the front page of the Boston Globe.

He said he would have put down his microphone and punched one of them. Again, can't say I disagree with his sentiments--just, maybe, the methods.

And not to be left out--as Amherst seldom is--another article later about the District Attorney turning over to the Attorney General the "investigation" into blogging by Amherst School Committee member Catherine Sanderson and how it could--they hope--violate the Open Meeting Law (dare I dub this "bloggergate"?)

But with the ACLU declaring OML--even if it did apply--trumped by the First Amendment, that most basic of American rights we celebrate today, I don't think Ms. Sanderson's husband will have to learn how to bake a cake with a hack saw hidden within.

A Sporting Gesture

The Rally heard round the world

The veterans who rallied around the flag at Hampshire College -- both figurative and literally -- have canceled tomorrow's Raise The Flag event, which was originally scheduled as another demonstration to pressure Hampshire College into doing the right thing, but then became sort of a victory celebration after they indeed DID THE RIGHT THING.

 Click to enlarge/read

Probably because they don't want folks to think they are gloating.

So no ticker tape parades through Times Square as we saw over 70 years ago on V-E and V-J Day, but still a major victory to be savored ... until the need arises once again. 

Freedom requires eternal vigilance.

B2 however is dissappointed

A Protest A Day

TD Bank main sign is covered over

About the same number of folks showed up today at the somewhat downtown TD Bank on Triangle Street for a protest over the Dakota Access oil pipeline although I did not see a single Sioux tribesperson among them.

Yes the Army Corps recently nixed an easement needed over the property so the battle is somewhat won so I guess this was a victory celebration to some extent.  Unlike the Veterans 'Raise Our Flag' protest/celebration which was cancelled yesterday so as not to seem like gloating.

 Since B2 can't sneak up folks turned their signs to her

Another pro-Hampshire College protest yesterday in town center attracted about the same small number of folks as today (75) but they decided to block traffic in town center -- specifically a legally permitted convoy enroute to Hampshire College.

 Yesterday APD had to move along protesters blocking traffic

 With gentle persuasion from APD sheet is removed

Today's protest was much better behaved, but they did cover over TD Bank's main sign for almost an hour and also tied up four Amherst police officers for nearly a half-hour.

And Our Flag Was Still There

Hampshire College main flag this morning

Flag Rally Peaceful Demonstration Sunday

Our flag may be many things to many people but almost everyone would agree it's a powerful symbol never to be taken lightly.

 Jonathan Lash (General Robert E. Lee) greets Victor Nunez Ortiz (General Ulysses S. Grant)

For the second time in 15 years the town of Amherst or one its major institutions found that out ... the hard way.

God bless America -- warts and all!

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” 

Even In Amherst

Although trounced 10-1 in Amherst -- and some insiders were surprised it was not greater -- the town will display the 30 commemorative American flags tomorrow or early Friday morning in the downtown to honor the peaceful transition of power occurring in Washington, D.C. aka Inauguration Day, when Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the United States.

Some of you may remember back in 2004 after the contentious reelection of President Bush, Amherst Town Meeting member Pat Church confused the flag of Puerto Rico with that of Texas and snatched it from the pole immediately in front of Town Hall.

So I am a tad concerned about the security of the 30 commemorative flags -- especially after the flag burning incident at Hampshire College.

Our country is founded on the fundamental right to peacefully protest.  And yes, even flag burning is protected by the First Amendment.

Just not these taxpayer funded public flags originally paid for out of the Veterans Department commemorations budget.

#####

Click to enlarge/read

UPDATE Friday morning:

Amhersst even broke out the really BIG flag, although not nearly large enough to absorb all the tears that will be shed in town today.

People's Republic of Amherst to Governor: "I don't get no respect!"

Click to enlarge

Okay that's it. Governor Deval Patrick is definitely not invited to our 500'th anniversary birthday bash. Sheeshh. I mean, you only turn 250 once! And you don't get more liberal, Clinton-like left of center than the People's Republic of Amherst. Maybe the Gov figures he's doing such a great job that he does not need the outreach.

Top photo: Stephanie O'Keeffe behind podium using semi-prepared remarks (only looked down 2 or 3 times.) Armed elf behind Stephanie is Harrison Gregg Amherst Town Meeting moderator (running unopposed this year.) Far right: Hadley Select Board Chair Gerry Devine (who I'm sure was tempted to say Hadley was glad to be rid of us 250 years ago.) On Queen Stephanie's immediate right townie developer and 250'th Chair Barry Roberts, guy in front right of him Vice President of Hampshire College Aaron Berman (who did a one minute commercial for all the wonderful things the college does for the town...of course he knows we are going to hit them up soon for a payment in lieu of taxes for all the services taxpayers currently provide them).

Non-New England native standing in front of American flag: Rober Holub, Umass Chancellor (with two children in the public schools costing Amherst taxpayers $25-k per year) , to his right appropriately dressed Amherst College President Tony Marx; and you gotta love the way the venerable Amherst Select Board lined up in descending order from most seniority to least: Gerry Weiss, Diana Stein, Alisa Brewer (nice shoes), ultra-rookie Aaron Heyden, also running unopposed for reelection. And at the very bottom (no metaphor intended) Amherst Town Manager Larry Shaffer.
Even when I still thought the Governor of Taxachusetts was going to make an appearance, I was not concerned with security as both Amherst Police Chief Charlie Scherpa (left) and Captain Mike Kent (right) were on duty.

Top Story Of 2017?

No doubt our little college town will made a few "Best in America" lists

Trying to predict what story will captivate readers in the coming year is like trying to predict what the weather will be like in early-to-mid March. 

Which would be a valuable skill if only to illuminate the potential recurrence of an obnoxious event that made my top story of 2013 and 2014, The Blarney Blowout.

Blarney is primarily an outdoor event, thus weather dependent.  Combine the old maxims  "bad weather is a cop's best friend" and "March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb" and there's always a good chance for Mother Nature alone to mitigate the rowdiness.

Last year's Blarney Blowout -- or I should say Blarney Blowover -- still made my top ten list for hits but since nothing really happened that readership was down dramatically from those two years when it was my top story.

And with a mutual aid agreement in place with all surrounding police departments and UMass willing to fund extra boots on the ground that day, I'm confident this year's event will be about as exciting as a Boy Scout Jamboree.  Much to the chagrin of ZooMass aficionados.

Major building projects will generate a lot of buzz in the coming year.  The controversial Jones Library expansion comes up for a vote at the Town Meeting starting in April to allow the project to apply for state funding and then again at the Fall Town Meeting to set the all important matching amount the town will need to chip in.

The equally controversial new DPW building will need $350,000 at the Spring Town Meeting for "schematic design" phase as will the new far less controversial South Fire Station.  The DPW initial cost estimates are three times that of the new Fire Station so it will be a much harder sell.

In fact the town currently has enough money stashed away in savings accounts ($12 million) to cover the entire estimated cost of the new Fire Station.

Zoning issues are ALWAYS controversial especially if they are, gasp, pro development.  The Planning Board will also probably bring a recreational marijuana article to Town Meeting and the Select Board will also probably place a referendum question on the election ballot to limit the number of recreational sales permits the town has to allow.

K-12 School issues are ALWAYS a page view magnet and with the need to hire a new Superintendent, the highest paid employee in town, that will generate more buzz than a fleet of quadcopter drones.

And since Amherst is still a bastion of naive liberalism there's always the possibility of  one of those "only in Amherst" type scenarios that could go viral at any time, as we witnessed not to long ago with flag controversy at Hampshire College.

For instance if the town refuses to fly the commemorative American flags on Inauguration Day later this month because they don't like who's being inaugurated, that would probably do it. 

Death is also one of those unexpected attention grabbers.  The tragic death of Town Manager John Musante on an otherwise gorgeous Sunday morning was my top story of 2015 as well as top ten story of all time.

Over the past year there were a number of suicides, heroin overdoses and an accidental gun death that received no media attention at all, but a couple a very high profile incidents that were hard to ignore:

The inexplicable head on crash into a parked Peter Pan bus in town center  that took the life of a 22 year old and the horrific truck piloted by a drunk driver trampling to death a man sitting in town center waiting for the bus both made my top ten list.

Oddly enough my top story of all time happened last year but it was routine District Court appearance links from a year earlier that attracted all the eyeballs when the national media linked to those dispatches as background for the infamous "Mac & Cheese kid," aka Luke Gatti.

Ah, the vagaries of the digital age.

All In A Name

Amherst:  "A Welcoming Community"

Is Amherst a Sanctuary City?  Well, err, sort of, kinda, maybe ...  Depends who you ask.

If you ask Town Manager Paul Bockelman, as the Finance Committee did recently, he would say "No"; but, it's "complicated."

But if you ask Select Board Chair Alisa Brewer she would seem to indicate that we are but would avoid an outright yes or no answer.

   Is Amherst A Sanctuary City? by Larry Kelley on Scribd

Either way a Town Meeting petition is now circulating to officially designate Amherst a "Sanctuary City" or town or community or whatever the case may be.  Amherst also now shows up on internet articles as being a Sanctuary City,

Certainly the Town Meeting resolution passed in 2012 contains all the sentiments of a Sanctuary City but never actually strings together those two words.

 Click to enlarge/read

So if President Trump's executive order to cut off federal funding to Sanctuary cities and towns really gets enforced how much will it cost Amherst?

Town Manager Bockelman told the Finance Committee we currently get about $200,000 from Department of Justice Grants to APD for sexual violence and alcohol education programs.

 Town Manager Paul Bockelman (left) at 1/26 Finance Committee meeting

But APD has a pretty astute grant writer and they have received a number of federal grants over the past few years. 

And Amherst also gets upwards of $850,000 in Community Development  Block Grants, which is federal money distributed by the state.

So I would not go poking the bear so to speak with an in your face Town Meeting warrant article directed at President Trump.  This being Amherst we are already probably on his radar, if only for the recent embarrassing flag incident at Hampshire College.  

Anti Trump pro Muslim Rally Amherst Town Common 1/19