Thomas Breen photo
Farmington Canal graffiti, as seen on Thursday.
(Opinion) I have often been biking or walking on the Farmington Canal Trail, a trail that I have enjoyed since my arrival in New Haven seven years ago. It is so pleasant to be on a beautiful trail, with no car traffic or other motorized vehicles. Pretty much everyone on the trail is friendly and in good spirits. It is a place to enjoy nature, meet and greet strangers and, hopefully, leave our divisive politics at home.
One cannot fail to observe in reading the papers, listening to the news or podcasts, that our society has become dangerously divided and polarized – in a way that’s simply hard to escape, at home or away. The trail was a place where one could take a breath, escape this scourge and become what we once were, just people being with other people, relating to and caring for each other.
Sadly, even this tiny refuge from political strife and divisiveness has been invaded by the toxicity of partisan politics.
Someone, probably well-meaning and passionate, has seen fit to etch the word “Trump” or “Maga” or even politically charged obscenities, at regular intervals along the trail. Thankfully, this individual uses chalk to pen these words, and they usually wash off with the next rainfall. But shortly afterwards they reappear, to assault each and every trail walker, jogger, rider and rollerblader with their partisan message.
I am one who strongly believes in the Constitutional and reasonable right of every individual to express their personal opinions here in our free country, but I still feel that it is an intrusion on the shared space of the Farmington Canal Trail or other publicly shared locations. One’s personal political views and opinions have their place: put them on your lawns, write them in the opinion pages, talk about them at work or in school, try to convince others, but not in their faces when they are seeking peace and some serenity.
I guess my plea to the “artist” on the trail is this: Have respect for others. Scribbling your personal messages on public spaces in everyone’s faces is a violation of others’ ability to enjoy the peaceful and neighborly sharing of these public spaces. It is not going to change anyone’s mind and only further divides our already dangerously fractured society. For example, just yesterday I saw several ad hoc additions to the “Trump” or “MAGA” inscriptions, such as “…must go!” or “…is a Fascist”. So where does this end and how does it make us any better as a society.
I say all of this not to imply any self-righteousness on my part or to assign blame to any particular political group; the same would apply to opinions from the left as well as the right. So, before you whip out your chalk the next time, just think how you would feel if others with whom you disagree, did the same thing that you are doing, thus turning our beloved trail to a political billboard.
