Paso Robles town hall looks to bridge community divide. ‘We have to come together’
More than 100 people gathered in a small room at Paso Robles on Wednesday night to discuss how to mend what at times feels like a growing divide in the population of the North County city.
The unity roundtable discussion was sponsored by the Paso Robles Diversity Panel.
Using large poster boards, Post It notes, markers and index cards, town hall attendees fueled by chocolate and string cheese began unraveling issues such as racism, ageism, isolation and fear — all with the goal of making the community feel like a community again.
“Sometimes you just need someone to make the table,” co-organizer Sondra Williams told The Tribune prior to the event. “Make the table so people will come — you never know. It’s really hard to hate people that you know.”
Williams said Wednesday’s event has been in the works for several months, though its timing is convenient given a number of high-profile events that have divided community members in recent weeks.
On Nov. 10, someone displayed an “F--- Biden” flag during a pre-Veterans Day demonstration held on the Paso Robles High School campus by students.
That sparked outrage among members of the public and inspired a contentious social media post by a school district employee telling the students who were involved to “jump off a bridge.”
On Tuesday, the Paso Robles Unified School District called the decision to fly the anti-Joe Biden flag “a misguided action” that is not condoned by district officials.
The district also said that social media is not an appropriate venue for district employees to criticize students, adding that it does not condone cyber-bullying of any sort.
In September, a rainbow Pride flag was ripped off a Paso Robles High teacher’s classroom wall and apparently defecated on. And a face mask with a Pride flag pattern was “desecrated” by an unknown student or students in October, school officials said.
Those incidents prompted a Coming Out Against Hate community forum aimed at sharing the experiences of the district’s LGBTQ students.
Although the most recent events did not inspire Wednesday’s town hall, Williams said she hoped it would be an opportunity for people to address the underlying tensions in the community that may have sparked such incidents.
“We already had our finger on the pulse of what is happening in our community,” she said. “It just sort of organically happened that we’re in a rough patch right now, and here we are tonight.”
Attendees at Wednesday’s roundtable discussion were separated into table groups, with local leaders such as Mayor Steven Martin and district Superintendent Curt Dubost moderating each table.
Then participants were tasked with answering questions about Paso Robles’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as what can be done to make the community more welcoming and inclusive.
“The idea with this roundtable unity type discussion is that everyone takes ownership in a bridge back together,” Williams said. “So hopefully at the end of this event, we have some solid plans on how to grow back together in a time that’s been so bridged and divided.”
Throughout the night, attendees — who spanned a variety of backgrounds and ages — tackled a variety of difficult topics.
“And nobody killed anyone!,” co-organizer Niya Williams joked at the conclusion of the town hall.
Williams, a Paso Robles High School graduate and political science student at San Jose State University, moderated the event.
At the end of the town hall, Dubost thanked everyone for their participation.
“This is the start of a long process,” he said. “We have to come together as a country. Let’s start right here and now.”
The Paso Robles Diversity Panel will host a Martin Luther King Jr. unity walk at Downtown City Park in Paso Robles at noon on Jan. 17, 2022. The public is invited to attend.
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