Hopkinton continued to deal with divisiveness over the past couple of weeks, as an accusation of racism by a Select Board member led to support from many, while others questioned his integrity.
During the public comment portion of the April 16 Select Board meeting, vice chair Shahidul Mannan said he was the victim of “racial attacks” in town.
“In recent weeks and months, I have endured threats, harassment and racial profiling,” he said. “Among others, most recently, I was stopped at an event when I was with my wife and children and asked if and why I’m still living in this town. These actions have been made all the more poignant by their visibility in the local media … and solidified or normalized by the silence against such injustices. It is disappointing that not one voice among any of our current or former elected leaders in town or any other leadership has risen to speak against these acts until this moment.”
Reached via text message the following day by the Independent, Mannan clarified that his reference to the local media was directed at the HopNews website.
On April 4, HopNews had posted an opinion piece titled “Enough mansplaining already” that called out Mannan and fellow Select Board member Irfan Nasrullah for what HopNews owner/editor Peter Thomas deemed disrespectful behavior toward chair Muriel Kramer at the April 2 Select Board meeting. This occurred during a heated discussion that took place while Police Chief Joseph Bennett was having his midyear review.
Mannan, along with the other members of the board, has come under fire over the past few months from a vocal group of residents furious over the board’s decision to terminate the employment of Hopkinton Police Sgt. Tim Brennan earlier this year. The group started a recall petition for all five Select Board members, although after three months, organizers had yet to produce the approximately 1,320 signatures of town voters as part of the first step. Brennan supporters also have expressed their ire at recent Select Board meetings.
In the HopNews opinion piece — which ran below a photo of Mannan and Nasrullah with speech bubbles labeled “Blah blah” and “Yada yada” — Thomas accused the two men of being “condescending,” criticized Mannan for “rambling” and taking too long to make his points, and wrote that Nasrullah was “equally insufferable.” He ended by suggesting the two attend sensitivity training.
A commenter on the HopNews Facebook page — apparently a former Hopkinton resident — then wrote that Mannan and Nasrullah, both of South Asian descent (although Nasrullah grew up locally) “are from cultures where women are treated like third-class citizens and are basically chattel.” The commenter continued, “Just because these ‘Men’ can write code and buy a million dollar house in Hopkinton doesn’t mean they have evolved.”
The comment remained on the HopNews Facebook page, garnering some likes (indications of support), for two weeks until an individual brought it to Thomas’ attention in the days after Mannan’s public accusation. Thomas, indicating he had not previously noticed the “potentially offensive comment,” removed the post while suggesting it came from a “foreign state bot.” Thomas added that he is not responsible for posts on the HopNews Facebook page because “we do not attempt to moderate platforms other than our own.”
Nasrullah: Comment crossed line
The Facebook commenter’s accusation of how the two male Select Board members view women is off-base, Nasrullah said.
“That certainly goes toward our cultural background, and I find that offensive,” he said, also questioning the premise of Thomas’ piece that spurred the comment. “My defense of the chief is in no way a means of belittling Muriel. That was not the intent.”
Mannan declined an opportunity to further elaborate on his views for this article, although in his public comments at the Select Board meeting, he noted:
“The truth is, racial bias still exists among us, influencing perceptions and actions. It is evident when a person of color speaks with conviction, they are often perceived differently than their white counterparts. This is not just an observation. It is a systemic issue that we must address. When a white male speaks strongly, he is admired as a strong leader. When a white female does, she’s seen as a progressive, rightfully so. Yet, when a brown man speaks strongly, it’s often labeled a cultural issue. One can only imagine the reaction when a Black man speaks strongly, or a brown or Black woman, for that matter. This highlights clear systemic racism.”
Thomas stood firm in his belief that he had done nothing worthy of Mannan’s accusations. He enlisted an attorney to write a letter to Mannan demanding an apology, and he wrote on his site, “Mannan is not a victim in this particular instance; rather, he is the aggressor.”
The town’s legal counsel crafted a response Monday.
Ritterbusch backs Mannan
Select Board member Amy Ritterbusch said she does not question Mannan’s comments, noting that she was aware of prior race-based criticism.
“I listen, hear and believe Shahidul,” she shared. “I helped him with his campaign for Select Board a couple of years ago and was privy to some of the racist anti-immigrant comments and messages he received on his candidate Facebook page at that time. Given the controversy going on now in town, I am unfortunately not surprised to hear he has experienced more bias-based vitriol recently.”
Resident Amman Haidri, outreach director at the Islamic Masumeen Center on Wood Street, said it was a “shock” to hear Mannan’s accusations. He said while he has been aware of isolated cases of bias, he had not heard anything “to this extent.”
“After I read that, it was very hurtful,” he said. “Any racial attacks or personal threats are not acceptable. No one has a right to pinpoint who can live in this community. Calling out someone and asking if they still live here, that is not acceptable.”
Haidri said he and many other members of the community have reached out to Mannan to offer support. He hopes that the negativity in town dissipates.
“My message to everyone as a community would be that we need to unite,” he said. “Any personal hatred is not acceptable.”
Staff at the Hopkinton Public Library submitted a public letter supporting Mannan, writing:
“The Hopkinton Public Library is a place of learning, recreation and expression where members of the community can respectfully exchange ideas. This should also be true about other places in our wonderful town. We are one community and one Hopkinton, regardless of where someone was born or the color of their skin. In our community, there is no room for xenophobia, bigotry, homophobia, racism, religious intolerance or any form of hate.”
Mannan noted that he volunteers on the Select Board “with the intent to serve and improve our community, a value instilled in me by my family.” Calling Hopkinton “my beloved town,” he said he has no plans to leave.
“Let me state for the record, for today and for all future generations, that despite the challenges we face, I have unwavering faith in the heart of this country and this town, which I have called home for the better part of my life — 28 and 12 years, respectively, to be exact,” he said at the Select Board meeting. “This is my home, my country, my town. And I am here to stay.”
Anybody that would call into question the integrity and commitment of Mr. Mannan or Mr. Nasrullah should confront them in a public setting so that the entire community will be aware of who they are.