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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Governor orders flags lowered to half-staff following Sen. Bates' death ... Ash falls on Rim Village as battle with Crater Lake fire continues ... Ready and waiting ... Governor orders flags lowered to half-staff following Sen. Bates' death ... Ash falls on Rim Village as battle with Crater Lake fire continues ... Ready and waiting ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: A response to OSF's letter Comment By James Adams DailyTidings.com By James Adams Posted Aug. 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM By James Adams Posted Aug. 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Editor's note: This was written in response to the letter to the Ashland community from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I was struck by this paragraph in your recent open letter to our community: "You may have heard by now about the racist verbal assault directed at one of our actors, and about a death threat leveled at another female company member of color only days later. As far too many people in our community have experienced, these are not isolated incidents — they are happening daily in Ashland, and all over our country. They are happening to our box office employees, who bear the brunt of racially charged and homophobic complaints about our approach to casting and season selection. They are happening to our education staff, who sometimes must weigh their own sense of safety and ability to do their job against their instinct to turn an ignorant comment into a teaching moment.” What this paragraph states very clearly is that racist incidents and death threats are "happening daily in Ashland.” That in turn suggests two things: that Ashland is an unsafe town and that the town is racist. While I cannot speak for Baton Rouge, La., Washington, D.C., or other troubled cities across the country, I would take issue with your description of the town I have lived in for 15 years. First, let’s look at your description of Ashland as racist. Webster’s defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Are you seriously suggesting that Ashland fits this definition? You’ve lived here long enough to surely appreciate that it is a hotbed of liberal sentiment, an oasis of liberal thinking that it would be hard to find mirrored anywhere else in America. You also state that verbal assaults and death threats are happening daily in our community. Really? What evidence do you have for this? I would assume that the police logs would be filled with reports of such incidents and yet we both know that is not the case. In fact, the contrary is true: Ashland is an extraordinarily safe place to live and work. Many people don’t lock the doors of their homes, burglary is rare and shootings or murders extraordinary. So, quite contrary to what you write, Ashland is, by any measure, a safe place to live and work. Finally, your open letter makes a bunch of accusations against the town that seem untethered by fact or location. Ashland is a town with a population of around 21,000 and receives more than 200,000 visitors each year. It’s logical therefore that there is only a 1 in 10 chance that threatening behavior of any kind originates with an Ashland resident. Or perhaps you know the origin of every offensive act and so can precisely pinpoint that Ashland residents are responsible? The Oregon Shakespeare Festival owes its existence to the support of the Ashland community. For you to turn on that community and accuse it of racism and creating an unsafe town seems factually wrong, intellectually indefensible and ill-advised. As you may already know, the letter has caused great offense to the very people you will be turning to in future for financial support. With best wishes, James Adams Ashland By James Adams DailyTidings.com By James Adams Posted Aug. 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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