January 17, 2011 – New York -- AJC has convened leading religious, labor, business and civic organizations in Arizona to support a call for civility and healing after the January 8 shooting in Tucson. The full text of the statement follows:

Statement of Civility
Convened by AJC Arizona
January 13, 2011

As Arizona community leaders, we are deeply disturbed by the tragic January 8 shooting in Tucson that yielded six fatalities and more than a dozen wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who remains in critical condition and is in our prayers.

Whatever the causes for last weekend’s unfathomable events – untreated mental illness, unregulated access to weaponry, vitriolic public discourse – we will be measured by how we move forward.  We must each commit ourselves and our communities to greater vigilance and compassion in our places of business, worship, and governance.  We must, each of us, take stock of our behavior and the consequences of incendiary rhetoric.  Whether this speech incites violence or simply prevents us from addressing the monumental problems facing our nation, it is poisonous to our democracy.

We, the undersigned, commit to mending the broken and troubled in our nation by placing greater value in mature, reasoned, and respectful civil discourse. As keepers of the world’s leading democracy, it behooves us to lead responsibly by embodying its delicate freedoms with heightened sensitivity and protection for all.

This week, we honor the life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a giant in American history whose brave actions paved the way for the civil rights movement. Dr.  King recognized the reciprocal nature and harmful implications of hate as he said, “Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.” Though he toiled endlessly to bring reason and civility to America, Martin Luther King was silenced by hatred.  Let us remember his message and his sacrifice as we mourn the loss of those in Tucson who fell victim to baseless hatred and violence.

This statement is supported by:
Lawrence Cutler, president of AJC AZ Region, Convener
Dalit Horn, AJC Belfer Center for American Pluralism
Paul Rubin, United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 99
Rabbi Linder, Temple Solel
Carlos Ferron, president of Westar Informatica
Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association Board of Directors
Luz Sarmina, president & CEO of Valle de Sol
Doug Hirano, executive director of Arizona Asian Pacific Community in Action
Gonzalo De La Melena, president of Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Jeff Cleveland, president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce

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