Mayor Berke Speaks On Protests, Progress, And Continuing The Conversation
For the last five nights, many Chattanoogans have come out to speak their minds peacefully. They expressed rightful outrage at the unjust killing of George Floyd and the many more racial disparities we see in our country. For speaking truth to power and calling on our conscience to make substantive policy changes, I say thank you to each of them.
We did see a few people who had other agendas -- to distract, divide, and destroy. That is unfortunate, but we cannot let the actions of a few pull us from the path of progress. There is so much that our city and country can accomplish if we turn the energy of protest into fairer policies and outcomes.
As always, I am committed to listening to those seeking change and working to advance our community agenda. The conversation never stops; the work never ends.
I hope you’ll join me tonight, Thursday, June 4 at 5:30 p.m. for another Facebook Live. I’ve used this platform to answer questions and share valuable information about COVID-19 as it continues to spread throughout the community, but I also want to answer any other questions you may have at this time.
If you’d like to submit a question you can do so by emailing me at mayor@chattanooga.gov or messaging me on Facebook or Twitter and let me know that this is a question for Facebook Live. We do these every week on Mondays and Thursdays and I really enjoy the opportunity to connect with you -- especially since we have to keep social distancing at this time.
Now more than ever, having a roof over your head is crucial to staying safe, healthy, and living a good quality of life. I’m calling on landlords to join us for a one-hour webinar, Friday, June 5 at 11 a.m., to learn how you can be part of solving homelessness in our community. You can learn more and register here.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge that this week we’ve lost three more community members to COVID-19, bringing our death toll to 18 Chattanoogans. While we are fortunate that number is comparatively low to other cities, it’s important to note that one of the individuals was in their 40s with no underlying health conditions.
It’s vitally important that we continue to practice social distancing and wash our hands, and please if you’re out in public wear a mask. I also encourage you to get a free COVID-19 test, especially if you’ve been in large crowds or around anyone who may be sick. To find the latest testing locations visit cha.city/covidtesting.
Please stay safe.