Copy of Elks Lodge - For dropoff(2)

Dear Mr. Corey,
The incident at the Elks Lodge involving Muslim Girls Making Change has come to
our attention and we are writing to express our grave concerns.
The facts are clear and unacceptable: Last week, Burlington Elks Lodge Secretary
Moe Decelles called the police on four teenage girls of color without just
cause—while the girls waited to perform as invited guests of the lodge. By calling the
police on Kiran, Hawa, Lena, and Balkisa when they presented no objective,
reasonable danger, Mr. Decelles not only violated their civil rights, he and the Elks
Lodge have inflicted upon them a psychological trauma that has ​far reaching
consequences​.
Tragically, as part of their lived experiences as young people of color in this country,
Kiran, Hawa, Lena and Balkisa are most certainly aware of the potential outcomes
that can result when police are called, ranging from humiliation to ​death.​ By making
this call, Mr. Decelles imposed a wholly unjustified stress on these four young
women that they should never have had to absorb.
Beyond the irresponsible misuse of of police manpower, Mr. Decelles’s action also fits
squarely within a larger and nationwide pattern of disregard, devaluation, and denial
of basic civil rights to people of color. Here are some things that have happened in
the past 30 days alone:
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Police called on black woman over dispute involving plastic eating utensils.
Police called on two men for being at Starbucks while black.
Police called on Yale student for sleeping in dorm common area while being
black.
To dismiss the call that Mr. Decelles made to the police or view it in a vacuum
ignores the reality of the lived experiences of people of color in this country, and we

insist that you ask yourself the following questions before ever again calling the
police on a person of color:
1. Is my or someone else's life in imminent danger?
2. One more time, am I absolutely certain that the situation is life threatening?
3. If the people that are involved were white, would I still call the police?
4. Is there anyone else I can call or any other resources available to address the
situation?
In addition to this, we demand that the Elks Lodge provide bias training for all staff,
and issue a public written apology that is free of rationalization and expresses a true
commitment to positive change.
Thank you,
Marie Lallier, Co-Chair
Kristen Vrancken, Co-Chair
Women’s March Vermont