Downey residents expressed their opinions of the city, with some defending and some explicitly voicing their negative experiences with other residents and community organizations.
In light of the recent protests against the murder of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement in Minneapolis, MN., several Downey residents took to Twitter to voice their allegations of racism toward fellow residents and educators.
Downey High School Principal Tom Houts went online early yesterday afternoon to congratulate the graduating class of 2020 for picking up their diplomas. During his video of congratulations, Houts took a moment to address growing concerns voiced online regarding the country’s current state and how Downey can do better moving forward. “We need to take an introspective look at ourselves and see where we can get better,” Houts said in the video.
Houts added, “there’s an old saying, its hard to hate someone when you know their story. So, we need to work on that this summer.” Houts invited individuals to speak up and be part of the dialogue, as seen in the original tweet below.