Salem wants to hear from its residents - Itemlive - Daily Item

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SALEM — Two surveys were released this week in a citywide effort to reach out to residents on some of the most important issues we face going into 2021.

The first, released Tuesday, is a COVID-19 response survey intended to gauge resident feedback on a variety of aspects of the City’s ongoing pandemic response.

“I encourage all Salem residents to take a few minutes to share their input with us through the COVID-19 Response Survey,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “Your feedback is critical in helping to shape and guide our continuing efforts to keep our community safe, healthy, and vibrant.”

Driscoll decided to limit access to tourists during October, prohibiting MBTA trains from stopping in Salem on certain days leading up to Halloween.

The city requested that businesses close at 8 p.m. in the weeks leading up to Halloween, and made this request mandatory on Halloween night.

They also tripled fines on Halloween for all violations of COVID-19 protocols around town.

These measures severely limited the number of tourists in the city in the weeks leading up to Halloween, which diminished what could have been a massive spike in virus deaths, but which cost struggling businesses and workers reliant on the tourist season.

The survey will be available online in English and Spanish through Jan. 15. It takes about eight minutes to complete.

Another survey, released Wednesday by the new Salem Race Equity Task Force, is about racial and economic justice issues that were brought to the forefront of political conversation this year in the wake of the George Floyd killing.

“Racism is hard to unpack because so many of us don’t know what it actually is. We all have different experiences and therefore are often at odds when trying to confront it,” said Shawn Newton, Chair of the Race Equity Task Force. “I believed that it was important for the Task Force to start slow. Before even diving into the work, it was essential to get to know one another as people.”

The survey asks residents about their experiences with the Salem Police Department, the curriculum in Salem Public Schools, and about the accessibility and diversity of city programming.

The survey is in both English and Spanish and is anonymous. The link will remain active until Jan. 8.

“If I didn’t think race equity could be achieved, I wouldn’t have agreed to participate in this task force. I’m sure that together, we can make progress,” said Newton. “I once heard that a journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step, and as long as I’m able to, I intend to walk to wherever this road takes me. Let’s do it together.”