VOICES

Unvaccinated Police a Danger to the Community

Dear Editor: I’ve lived in Gulfport for 24 years and I think it is time for a new police chief.

Chief Robert Vincent reportedly tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, July 15. A safe and effective vaccine has been available for many months but he chose not to get it, labeling his decision a “personal choice.”

Meanwhile, the Let It Be ice cream parlor has homemade ice cream and I’m just bananas over the mint chip in a waffle cone. Love it. This is an example of an actual personal choice. It has no moral significance beyond me. It’s just ice cream.

Choosing not to get the vaccine is not a personal choice because it can harm others. It does this in two related ways: An unvaccinated person, with or without symptoms, can transmit the virus to others and so is a carrier....an enabler of the virus. A virus friend. When another person becomes ill or dies through contact with the unvaccinated (almost all cases), is it bad luck? An act of God? In what other scenario can you knowingly make a decision that causes the death of another and avoid criminal responsibility?

On a macro level, the unvaccinated cause the virus to remain in circulation and mutate into more dangerous variants. As a part of this larger group, Mr. Vincent shares responsibility for the acts of the group. These mutations are happening in parts of the world where people would love a vaccine and cannot get it, but those like Mr. Vincent are willfully helping variants to flourish.

Chief Vincent’s personal choice argument is dogma among extremists. They claim a right that doesn’t exist, the right to cause harm to others if it suits them. He had an obligation to protect and serve his department and the public and did the opposite.

Also disturbing is the city manager’s assertion that he can’t discuss the matter because it’s a “personal issue.” No.... Ice cream = personal. Vaccine = minimal obligation as a member of the human family and everybody’s business. Gulfport deserves better than this. I encourage a search for a police chief who reflects the best values of our community. – Jonathan Micocci

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