To the Journal editor:

The understandable infuriation felt by marginalized communities of color has unfortunately led to violence from a minority of demonstrators and it is distracting from the larger goal of the movement.

Clear demands have been laid out from organizers, including stricter vetting to become a cop and giving management the authority to remove an officer. The murderer in this case was previously written up 4 times, but because cops are treated like regular union employees, he wasn’t fired. To be a cop is not like being any other profession, though, and that’s why the protest organizers want these legislative changes.

People of color have been marginalized another way lately. A disproportionate number of deaths has plagued communities of color in the pandemic. Risk factors for COVID-19 are more prevalent in communities of color because of lower income levels and a lack of access to health services and healthy food, leading to diabetes.

Asthma, another major risk factor is unacceptably high among low income and communities of color where factories and power plants get placed.

One clear legislative approach to solving this problem is the Energy Innovation Act, which would overwhelmingly financially benefit low and middle income Americans and people of color, while reducing the pollution contributing to health problems.

We are entering hurricane season. We’re expected to see 10 of them, with 6 of them large. Let’s work together to ensure a reduction in climate change and severe weather, which also disproportionately affects people of color and low income communities.

When Congress gets a chance to vote on this bill, please be on deck to call in and urge your support. Take some time to read up at EnergyInnovationAct.org and sign up to help when the time comes at cclusa.org/text

JOHN O’BRYAN

Skandia