To the editor:

I attended the Justice Matters Nehemiah event on March 30. I was excited to hear updates on the issues and be a part of social justice in our community. I was concerned, though, that some information was reported without context and that elected officials who did not attend were publicly shamed.

There are many reasons why the Nehemiah event is not the right forum for elected officials to make commitments on behalf of the school district, city or county. The format of the event does not allow for an open discussion of ideas and information between the group and elected officials. It was reported at the event that many of the elected officials sent written remarks but they were not read aloud. The comments I read in the Journal-World from the spokespersons for the county and school district sounded like both groups are willing to meet and work with Justice Matters.

While I strongly support coming together as a community to work on social justice issues, I do not support the public shaming and bullying that was a tactic of this event.