The Nevada County Youth Commission wholly condemns violence in our community. Recently, we have seen violent attacks that make people, especially young people, feel unsafe in our schools, our neighborhoods and our daily lives. These attacks have targeted people because of their race, sexual orientation or other parts of their identity. Violence and hate like this have no place anywhere, and least of all in Nevada County.
As youth representatives, our foremost goal is to help create a safer, stronger and better community for everyone who lives here. When acts of hate occur, it is an assault not just on one individual, but our whole community and the values we share.
We are working toward a better tomorrow for all of Nevada County, but to get there, we must leave behind violence, prejudice and hate. Even in moments when our community feels overshadowed by fear or anger, we can choose how we respond. We can choose dignity over discrimination. We can choose to stand up for one another.
As young people, we believe our future depends on learning to treat each other with respect and humanity. If we cannot do that, we cannot thrive as a community. But if we choose compassion, courage and understanding, we can build a better Nevada County.