Since April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance month, it seemed like an appropriate time to address the questionable behavior between opposing political parties this past Saturday, April 5, 2025.
My son, who is a non-verbal individual with autism, enjoys walking through Milford every Saturday. In every season, through all kinds of weather, we stop at the community house, then head down to Barckley Park and the river.
This past Saturday, we missed the political meltdowns by about an hour. I only learned about it through various sources posting videos and pictures on social media when I returned home.
As an autism mom, I do not have the luxury of yelling in front of my son unless it is a true emergency. I have taught him that a fire, injury etc., are on the list of acceptable reasons to raise your voice with passion.
Now, I am not professing to be perfect. I come short of this worthy goal.
Raising your voice at a protest is understandable. The anger, name-calling and profanity is not.
How would I have explained this to him? He reads countless social stories on managing his emotions when he is angry and strains every nerve to do so. All this with a genuine, neurological disorder?
And yet a group of, I am assuming, cognitively typical adults just let loose because they feel like it.
Has any other human produced great change like the amazing MLK? And yet, he encouraged peaceful protests. He believed “ hate cannot drive out hate, only love can.”
There seems to be a justification of hatred in the air. Do you want change? Follow in this good man’s steps who brought about lasting change for America without the hatred. We can do better, Milford. We are a lovely little town that can still shine brightly.
Annemarie Martin
Milford