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Resident urges Needham HRC to revise March anti-bigotry resolution and raises alleged discrimination at local upholstery shop
Summary
David Sherman used public comment to ask the committee to reconsider a March resolution he said failed to name antisemitism, and to request committee follow-up after he says a local upholsterer refused to discuss flame-retardant treatment and replied to his review in a manner he called discriminatory.
At the June 12 meeting of the Needham Human Rights Committee, resident David Sherman urged the committee to revisit a March resolution that he said condemns "various bigotries" but omits explicit mention of antisemitism. Sherman told the committee he believed withdrawing a prior request for select-board endorsement had been wise given flaws in the resolution, but he asked the committee to revise the document so the town’s existing public statement clearly addresses antisemitism.
Sherman also described an incident he said occurred June 2 at a local upholstery shop. Sherman said he is a medical responder at his synagogue and, concerned about recent firebomb attacks around the country, went into an upholstery store to ask about flame-retardant treatments for sanctuary chairs. Sherman said the salesperson told him, "I don't wanna hear about it," and later replied to Sherman's Google review describing the visit. Sherman said the owner’s reply characterized him as "a man with a shirt that says God on it" (transcribed from Sherman's account) and that he was unsure whether the exchange had been motivated by religious bias.
Sherman asked the committee whether the incident could be discussed during the meeting’s unanticipated business agenda item. Committee members acknowledged the comment on the record and said they would follow up: staff noted the committee has a discrimination-complaint form and recommended using that form to provide details that would enable investigation or a formal referral to appropriate town offices. Members said they would take time over the summer to consider clear guidelines for handling discrimination complaints and public statements so responses are consistent and not reactive.
The committee asked staff to collect additional information about Sherman’s interaction with the upholstery business and to advise him on the discrimination-complaint process if he wished to pursue a formal complaint.
