I do not apologize for being at the VFW post. I do not apologize for being against defunding the police. It is a stupid idea and if there is protest asking to defund the police next week, I will speak out again. I do not support one race over another, and I will not say that “only” Black lives matter because when I was fighting for our country all lives mattered.  I fought for everyone’s life.  I placed my life in the hands of Black men and women, and they placed their life in mine. I support racial equality, equity, and fairness for all.

Somehow in this country we have gotten off track. People see one moment of a phone video and they think they have all the facts. Since this incident I have been physically threatened and received death threats, I have been raked over the coals on social media, all by the same people that I fought to protect. My resignation from the volunteer position of school director has been demanded by an anonymous online” change.org” petition signed by people who don’t know me or even live in the school district. It’s the work of cancel culture. There is even a colleague on the board who has asked for my resignation. Well, I will not be resigning. I do apologize to my colleagues for whom this has brought unwanted attention at a time when we are trying to open schools but I ask them to challenge their own principles and ask themselves if my voice should be silenced by a bullying mob of social media protestors who have no idea of the facts. After all I have given to my country to protect these freedoms I will not be silenced.

Christine Alonso, Glenolden