To the Editor:

I write from our small town of Hampton, where the land is quiet and our relationships run deep. And while we may feel far from the flashpoints of current events, I believe our voices here still matter—perhaps especially so.

Recently, ICE agents conducted an arrest outside a Norwalk police station. The scene was disturbing—masked agents aggressively without due process taking a man away in public view. Many see this as standard procedure, but it raised deep questions for me: Is this what safety looks like? Who feels protected—and who feels targeted?

Even in towns like ours, where there may not be large immigrant populations, we are part of a larger moral fabric. The culture we shape here—what we say or don’t say—has ripple effects. What we normalize in silence becomes the air we all breathe.

I’m writing to speak to my own community, my neighbors, and to ask: Can we be a town that leads with dignity and care, not fear? Can we make clear that our public spaces—our libraries, schools, and emergency services—remain places of safety?

I’ve written to our Board of Selectmen to ask whether Hampton might join other towns in affirming this commitment. I’m also speaking with neighbors to explore how we can support those more directly impacted, in nearby places like Willimantic.

Sometimes, justice starts in quiet places.

With care,

Robin Thompson