LEWES, Del. -- On Wednesday night, leaders with the Millville Volunteer Fire Company and Delaware activists, including the Sussex County NAACP, gathered at the Lewes Library for a town hall discussion aimed at advocating for the cessation of hate incidents and harassment directed at African-Americans in Sussex County.
The Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice hosted the town hall in response to the recent felony indictments of two Millville volunteer firemen who police say chased a Millville Volunteer Fire Company employee around the station with a rope tied in the shape of a noose in February 2024.
The Millville Fire Company says it launched an internal investigation upon learning of the allegations and permanently revoked the two firemen's memberships.
Millville Volunteer Fire Company PIO Gary Caunitis and President Greg Hocker were at the town hall to speak on behalf of the fire company. Caunitis said since the incident, the company consulted with outside experts and an attorney to implement new policies and mandatory anti-harassment and anti-discrimination trainings.
"I think there are always going to be bad examples," said Caunitis. "There are always going to be incidents that happen from time to time. It'd be nice to say that our policies and training will eliminate this entirely, but it's really there to react to them when they do occur, so we can react to them in the right way."
The panel also included leaders with the Sussex County NAACP, the Delaware Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, Speak Out Against Hate, and a trauma specialist at the Transformer Academy. They spoke about the widespread impact of hate incidents and ways the community can address them.
The community members who attended the meeting also had the opportunity to share their own feelings and experiences on hate incidents. They asked the panel questions about hate in the county and specifically addressed the Millville and Lewes Fire Companies with questions about their recruitment processes.
"It gave me some ideas as to how we can more surgically approach individual areas that may not be getting the general message," said Caunitis in response to the discussion.
Many people who attended the town hall say they walked away with optimism.
"It started the ball rolling," says Janet Maull-Martin. "It started the conversation. We can no longer be silent. We have to step up because we don't want to be a part of the problem. We want to be a part of the solution."
Leaders with the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice say the town hall may not bring about change overnight, but it is a catalyst.
"I think what's going to happen that you might not be able to see immediately is a gelling of the community around the idea of respect," said Joseph Lawson. "They will gel around the idea of treating people fairly and gel around the idea that hate is just not going to be tolerated in this county."