Christopher Louras: A Champion Of Humanity

Christopher Louras: A Champion of Humanity As humans there is nothing that serves as a better quality for than benevolence to the less fortunate. Putting aside our pride and hope for self preservation to save another is one of the most beautiful and humane acts that can be undertaken by a person. According the United Nations Refugee Agency’s website (UNHCR.org), the number of people removed from their homes has reached over sixty-five million, over twenty-one million of whom are refugees, the largest amount ever recorded. After Palestinians, the refugees fleeing the conflict in the country of Syria make the largest group of refugees at over four-million. The countries that are stepping up and taking in the most refugees from Syria, such

Christopher Louras, the mayor of the city of Rutland, Vermont, is amongst those who are stepping up. Louras plans to take in one-hundred Syrian refugees to Rutland despite the sharp criticism of his Aldermen and a vocal group of citizens. Louras is very close personally to the plight of refugees; Louras’ Grandfather fled Ottoman Greece and came to Rutland seeking to gain opportunities for a better life, similar to the refugees his grandson now wants to bring in (Davis). Louras has been through challenges such as drug epidemics, gang violence, and population decline (rutlandcity.org), but his resilience through all of the problems has lead to his popularity as a mayor. Louras, however, hit a problem when, in April of 2016, he announced that his city would be taking in one-hundred refugees from Syria. Louras knew very well that his commitment to this issue would not be shared with all; many citizens and the city councilmen of Rutland expressed their dissatisfaction at the mayor’s proposal (Aloe). By standing up and doing the right thing by offering to take in the refugees, Louras displayed immense political courage. Although he may have sacrificed some of his popularity, his decision could better the lives of

The population decline is such a large issue, that it is greatly affecting and stagnating the economy. According to rutlandvermont.com, from 2010 to 2013, the population of the city dropped 1.7 percent, and the population of the town is now over eighteen percent sixty-five years old or older. Louras claims that Rutland’s problems are not unique, he explains that Rutland is an exemplification of small cities across the country. He believes that by taking in the refugees, the population decline can be partially stemmed, vacant houses could be filled, and desperately entry level jobs would be filled. Louras bases his claims off of the success of other towns such as Fargo Indiana which saw drastic improvements following the arrival of around 350 refugees (Henderson). Louras also feels that adding the refugees to the town’s populace would contribute greatly to the diversity of the town