Lockhart Mayor Lew White addressed the public before the Tuesday, June 16 meeting of the Lockhart City Council, where he shared his thoughts on racial tension in the community and around the country as well as his impression of Saturday’s “8 Minute 46 Seconds” march:

This weekend, many people from across our community came together to protest the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others.

I would like to congratulate Margaret Carter, Sterling Riles and all of the volunteers and participants. They delivered a powerful message against racism, injustice and inequality in a peaceful way.

Several city council members were present, as well as county commissioners and LISD officials. We were there to listen and interact.

I want to say that the City of Lockhart stands committed to promoting racial equality. To be upset about acts of racial violence but do nothing about it is doing nothing. We have the responsibility as leaders in this city to challenge racial injustice and inequality wherever we see it. We have got to talk face to face, not on Facebook arguing and name calling.

There are questions in this town that need answers. Some issues are complicated and take time to sort out. Not everyone is going to be happy with the outcome, but we’ve got to keep coming to the table to talk. We’ve got to keep talking and working on solutions – not just the council, the whole community.

It’s like a marriage: You’ve got to keep working at it. Sometimes the only thing you can control is what you practice, what you teach your family and how you treat the people around you.

A smart guy told me: Be the example, not the problem.

To be transparent, our police chief will be briefing us on our police training policies and use of force in the near future.