I received a letter as an alumna from CCNY (City College of New York) from the President of the Alumni Association. The letter from CCNY is in the white section and my open letter response is in the gray section.
July 15, 2020
To: Gary Calnek
President, Alumni Association of CCNY
As a student of constitutional law, I graduated from CCNY in 1990 with a Bachelors degree in Political Science. I am very disappointed in your letter sent out to all CCNY alumni dated July 9th, 2020, that misrepresents history, distorts the facts and paints a false picture of the current events in our country.
According to the FBI, In 2018, 81% of African-Americans Homicides were committed by other African-Americans compared to other races or unknown offenders for a total of 2,600 deaths. In 2018, police had killed 215 African-Americans in total with an overwhelming majority of those incidents being lawful and justified.
It is also disappointing that you have forgotten that the police in this country are comprised of people of all colors, men and women.
In addition, the history of our great country espouses that Americans of European and Irish descent, African-Americans, Native Americans and people of many races and cultures have all experienced slavery in the last couple hundred years. Senseless and countless murders are not limited to the African-American population, rather have been felt by all races and cultures in our great country, like: Kate Steinle, a white woman, who was shot and killed at a San Francisco Pier in 2015 by an illegal immigrant with a criminal history, when a white churchgoer was killed and 7 other white churchgoers wounded in Nashville in 2019 by a black man, and when 11 congregants murdered and 7 others wounded by a white man during morning prayer in a Pittsburgh Jewish synagogue in 2018. Let’s not forget the 58 people who were murdered and 800 injured during the Vegas massacre in 2018- an indiscriminate slaughtering of people of all colors. For you to ignore all these other humans who have been senselessly murdered, is you rewriting history and a complete abuse of power in an authoritative position.
Acts of hatred are not specific to African-Americans but rather effects people of all races. People who hate people and demonstrate violent behavior, ie. murder, pedophilia, rape should ALL be prosecuted by the American Justice system to the full extent of the law and set as an example for all to witness. If you are concerned with all hate crimes, you make no mention of Jewish people that comprise 2% of America, yet were victims of hate crimes 12% of the time.
https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2018/tables/table-1.xls
You have asked for support to "protesters" which I'm assuming means the Black Lives Matter organization, founded by Marxists from the Black Panthers, Black Liberation Army, and Muslim brotherhood who idolize cop killers and people that openly call for the extermination of Jews and the destruction of Israel. Of the victims you have mentioned, the police officers involved have been removed from their positions, and laws which were already in place were applied. These "Protesters" are calling for the destruction of America and the replacement of police officers with roaming enforcement gangs which negatively impacts the minority community disproportionately.
In 2019, there were two unarmed Black people wrongfully killed by police in the United States (which were prosecuted in both cases) and there are 20 Black people killed by other Black people each day. It seems as though your comments are more politically motivated to support the Black Hate Groups rather than actually focusing on issues that most affect Blacks in America.
If you are so concerned with "lynchings" which exist in America during a time when 99% of the world had slaves (there were 40 lynchings per year to put in perspective) why are you NOT concerned with the 529,000 to 869,000 Black slaves that exist in African today?
Your letter is disappointingly narrow focusing on the rare exceptions to demonize the 100,000 American police officers to support Anti-American sentiment. If 2 CCNY graduates worked at Starbucks, it would be unfair to say that CCNY graduates overwhelmingly use their degrees to become baristas at coffee houses.
It is time for us all to come together as a people in love not hate nor fear. It is time for all of us to support each other. We must hasten our unification and dissolve all divisiveness. Truth be told we are all the same color as we bleed the same color blood.
The majority of New Yorkers have family, friends, acquaintances and know shop owners, employees and support businesses with people of all races and colors. We stand together in support of one another. We stand together for all voices to be heard. We stand together in the explicit denouncement of all those who perform despicable acts of violence and cowardice.
May we all remember that the fabric of this country is built on the strengths of each and every one of us. May we honor each other, the light in each of us and move forward in peace. God bless each and every one of us. May the hearts of those who seek to do harm on others be softened and may those people reconcile with their own demons.
We are at a most critical time in history when the lives and hearts of our children and generations to come are at stake. “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4). May we all work together in changing the trajectory of the climate of this country. May we walk in peace, speak words of peace and hold peace in our hearts.
Robyn Lev, MS, OT/L
CCNY class of 1990, BS in Political Science
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons class of 1995
Author of Your Divine Inheritance: Learn to Use Your God-Given Spiritual Gifts