Hello all,
Our community supports strong unity (among all in attendance tonight) and we are
as of this week, the newest chapter of Anti-Racist Action Network with one of
ARA's principles being Go Where They Go. After long diliberation among a diverse
group of locals, including far too few people of color, gay, lesbian, and Jewish
citizens we have decided that tomorrow we are definitely having a press
conference in front of the Aryan Nation's military compound in Hayden Lake,
Idaho to loudly say No to fascist Nazi's. Lemons to Lemonade hasn't worked in
Idaho.
I only hope that we can all continue in unity after tomorrow to do the work
necessary to stop this in our community and all communities as far as we can
reach. I'm exhausted, I don't know how Lori's done it with all the press and
organizing. If only there were 72 hours in each day and each of us in this
meeting tonight had half of Lori's courage.
all the best
/donna
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Hi!
>
> Since we were talking about white supremists groups and hate crimes - I
> forwarded this message I read from another list - 10 Ways to Combat Hate.
>
> Thanks!
> Angela
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Subject: Alternatives to Censorship
> >
> >Here are some ways to combat hate speech, rather than censorship.
> >
> >Taken from the Southern Poverty Law Center web site:
> >http://www.splcenter.org/klanwatch/kw-3.html
> >
> >[For fair use. No permission to reprint is implied.]
> >=================
> >Ten Ways to Fight Hate
> >
> >A Community Response Guide to Hate Crime and Hate Groups
> >
> >Headline: Hate comes in many forms.
> >
> >It can be stark --- from anti-Semitic graffiti and the racist chanting of
> >Klansmen to brutal assaults by Skinheads. It can also be subtle --- from
> >the reasoned racism of modern neo-Nazi leaders to the pseudo-
> >intellectualism of those who claim that the Holocaust did not occur.
> >But whatever form it takes, an expression of hatred usually causes an
> >intense reaction in a community.
> >
> >Although some people argue that hate crimes and hate groups should be
> >ignored, many others look for ways to express their opposition and to send
> >an unequivocal message that racism and bigotry will not be tolerated in
> >their community.
> >
> >What follows are 10 ways to fight hate, drawn from Klanwatch's experience
> >monitoring white supremacist groups and hate crimes and from successful
> >methods used by communities throughout the country.
> >
> >They are not the only ways to fight hatred, but they are a place to start.
> >
> >1. STAY AWAY FROM WHITE SUPREMACIST EVENTS
> >
> >2. ORGANIZE AN ALTERNATIVE EVENT
> >
> >3. DON'T TRY TO STOP WHITE SUPREMACIST EVENTS
> >
> >4 PLACE ADS IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER
> >
> >5. FORM COMMUNITY ANTI-RACISM GROUPS
> >
> >6. RESPOND QUICKLY TO HATE CRIMES WITH A SHOW OF UNITY
> >
> >7. FOCUS ON VICTIM ASSISTANCE
> >
> >8. RESEARCH HATE CRIME LAWS IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND STATE
> >
> >9. ENCOURAGE MULTI- CULTURAL EDUCATION IN LOCAL SCHOOLS
> >
> >10. FIND UNIQUE WAYS TO SHOW OPPOSITION
> >
> >
> >1. STAY AWAY FROM WHITE SUPREMACIST EVENTS
> >
> >When hate groups announce plans to march or rally, people are often unsure
> >about the proper response.
> >
> >It is tempting, but counterproductive and often dangerous, to confront
> >white supremacists at their public events.
> >
> >The principal reason is that violence by counterprotesters is becoming
> >commonplace at white supremacist rallies and marches. Some anti-racist
> >demonstrators travel from rally to rally, actually hoping to provoke
> >violent confrontations with the racists. Others may attend the event
> >simply to protest peacefully, only to find themselves enraged by the
> >inflammatory rhetoric and caught up in the violence.
> >
> >White supremacists are skilled at turning such situations to their
> >advantage, gloating that the violence came from protesters, not the hate
> >group.
>
> >In Denver, violence marred the 1992 Martin Luther King holiday when angry
> >protesters at a Klan rally attacked each other, bystanders and police. One
> >anti-Klan demonstrator was seriously injured by another counterprotester,
> >and three police officers were hurt. Twenty-one people were arrested.
> >Order was restored only after police used nightsticks, tear gas and Mace.
> >
> >At a neo-Nazi rally in Auburn, New York, in September 1993, enraged
> >protesters in a crowd of about 2,000 attacked the racists and pelted
> >police with rocks. The crowd also chased the white supremacists' cars and
> >threw bricks and bottles. Two counterdemonstrators were arrested.
> >
> >Two Auburn residents, one a Jewish man, rescued a female neo-Nazi after
> >she was struck in the face and kicked. Some of the counterdemonstrators
> >threatened to kill another man who helped the woman.
> >
> >Finally, it is important to remember that the media often cannot
> >distinguish between curiosity seekers and the hate group's sympathizers
> >when estimating the crowd at white supremacist rallies. Peaceful
> >protesters can easily be mistaken for hate group supporters.
> >
> >All this can be avoided by simply staying away. Then the event, attended
> >only by white supremacists, will lose much of its appeal to the media.
> >
> >2. ORGANIZE AN ALTERNATIVE EVENT
> >
> >To discourage attendance at racist events, communities should organize a
> >multicultural gathering that encourages family participation. Ideally, it
> >should be staged in a different part of the city, at or near the time of
> >the hate group's rally or march.
> >
> >Examples of such events include the following:
> >
> >ï In Columbus, Ohio, citizens created a Unity Day in response to an
> >October 1993 visit by the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Hundreds of people
> >participated in activities that reflected the city's diversity. The
> >program featured rap music, traditional Hebrew songs, a school's Spanish
> >choir, the city's opera and a gay men's chorus. The city used grant money
> >>to fund most of the event.
> >
> >In Pulaski, Tennessee, the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan and the site of
> >numerous Klan rallies, residents have countered these events by
> >emphasizing the community's unity and its disgust for the Klan.
> >
> >On the day of the Klan rally, downtown merchants have closed their
> >businesses and staged a brotherhood march that is now an annual event.
> >
> >In Colorado, a ski resort offered discounts on lift tickets and rentals as
> >incentives to keep people away from a 1992 Klan rally.
> >
> >Some communities plan ecumenical services where people can express a
> >united front against hate. Such services should incorporate all of the
> >town's religions.
> >
> >In Wallingford, Connecticut, townspeople held ecumenical services in
> >December 1993 in response to a series of hate crimes.
> >
> >And in Texas, a woman invited 35 churches to a prayer vigil on the same
> >night as a Klan cross-lighting ceremony. "I figured prayer was what these
> >people needed, and a whole bunch of it would be better," she said.
> >
> >3. DON'T TRY TO STOP WHITE SUPREMACIST EVENTS
> >
> >People often try to keep white supremacists out of their area by
> >pressuring city officials to deny parade or rally permits.
> >
> >This tactic is seldom effective. White supremacist groups have won scores
> >of lawsuits on First Amendment grounds against communities that attempted
> >to block their public events.
> >
> >Ultimately, the event will be held anyway, and the furor surrounding
> >attempts to stop it will only gain more publicity for the hate group.
> >
> >4. PLACE ADS IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER
> >
> >When hate crimes occur, citizens should consider buying an advertisement
> >in the local newspaper.
> >
> >The ad should emphasize unity and support for the crime victim as well as
> >the target group to which the victim belongs. It should also convey the
> >message that hate crimes will not be tolerated in the community.
> >
> >Newspaper ads can also counter the publicity that hate groups attract.
> >
> >These ads should denounce the organization's bigoted views and should run
> >on or before the day of the white supremacist event.
> >
> >5. FORM COMMUNITY ANTI-RACISM GROUPS
> >
> >Another way to effectively oppose hate groups and hate crime is to form a
> >citizens' anti-racism group. The organization should be composed of people
> >from every race, religion, and culture in the community, including gays
> >and lesbians, who are frequent targets of hate crime and hate groups.
> >
> >The group should stress cooperation and harmony and discourage
> >confrontational tactics.
> >
> >Some anti-racism groups, formed in response to a particular racial
> >incident, hate crime or hate group, have found ways to sustain their sense
> >of unity and purpose indefinitely.
> >
> >One such group, the Friendly Supper Club in Montgomery, Alabama, was
> >founded to ease racial tensions after a violent incident involving city
> >police and black residents.
> >
> >With the goal of improving the city's strained race relations, black and
> >white residents began meeting over dinner at an inexpensive restaurant to
> >discuss issues affecting the city. There was only one rule---each guest
> >was asked to bring a person of another race to dinner. The Friendly Supper
> >Club has been active since 1983.
> >
> >6. RESPOND QUICKLY TO HATE CRIMES WITH A SHOW OF UNITY
> >
> >Concerned citizens should quickly put aside racial, cultural and religious
> >differences and band together to fight the effects of hate crime on a
> >community.
> >
> >In some areas, non-Jews have joined their Jewish neighbors to scrub
> >swastikas and graffiti off synagogues. Elsewhere, white and black
> >residents have gathered at black churches to remove racial slurs and to
> >rebuild black churches burned by racists.
> >
> >In mostly white Castro Valley, California, residents organized a unity
> >march in September 1993 after a black teacher's car was vandalized with
> >Klan slogans.
> >
> >In February 1997, in response to a spate of vicious hate activity on the
> >California State University campus at San Marcos, university employees
> >committed to making donations to an anti-racist organization each time>
> >>such activity occurs. They made their first donation to the Southern
> >Poverty Law Center.
> >
> >And in Palm Springs, California, a group of high school students wore
> >ribbons they had made to symbolize unity following a brawl between blacks
> >and Hispanics in October 1993.
> >
> >"We're trying to show the students who are causing a problem that we're
> >not going to stand by and let that happen," the school's student body
> >president said. "If enough people come together, we can overcome this."
> >
> >7. FOCUS ON VICTIM ASSISTANCE
> >
> >Hate crime victims often feel isolated, so it is important to let them
> >know that their community cares about them.
> >
> >"Network of Neighbors," a volunteer organization formed in 1992 in
> >Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offers emotional support to hate crime victims.
> >
> >Commander Gwen Elliott, head of the Pittsburgh police department's hate
> >crime unit, said the group offers a much-needed service.
> >
> >"A lot of times, (hate crime victims) don't know how the court system
> >works. They need support and help in dealing with their anger, so they
> >don't go out and do something irrational," Elliott said.
> >
> >Since hate crimes are not often solved quickly, volunteers should
> >encourage victims to be patient and cooperative with law enforcement
> >officers handling the investigation.
> >
> >8. RESEARCH HATE CRIME LAWS IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND STATE
> >
> >Some states and cities have broad hate crime laws that cover a wide range
> >of incidents. Others have limited statutes that allow only data collection
> >or cover only specific acts of vandalism.
> >
> >In many states, if a bias crime is prosecuted under a hate crime statute,
> >additional prison time or stiffer fines can be imposed.
> >
> >Five states have no hate crime laws. In those states, a racial slur
> >written on a black family's house is treated as simple vandalism.
> >
> >If a community does not have a hate crime law or the existing statute is
> >weak, citizens should urge their elected officials to support strong bias
> >crime legislation.
> >
> >9. ENCOURAGE MULTI-CULTURAL EDUCATION IN LOCAL SCHOOLS
> >
> >Because more than half of all hate crimes are committed by young people
> >ages 15 to 24, schools should be encouraged to join the fight against >hate.
> >
> >One way is to offer multicultural materials and courses to young people.
> >Educators have learned that once differences are explained, fear and bias
> >produced by ignorance are diminished.
> >
> >Many schools are already teaching students to understand and respect
> >differences in race, religion, sexual orientation, and culture.
> >
> >The Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance Project provides
> >educators with workable strategies and ready-to-use materials to help
> >promote tolerance and understanding.
> >
> >10. FIND UNIQUE WAYS TO SHOW OPPOSITION
> >
> >It is important to remember that there is no single right way to fight
> >hate, nor is there any one list, including the one here, of surefire
> >approaches that will work in every community.
> >
> >The suggested responses in this report should be adapted to local
> >circumstances, and community leaders should always be open to fresh
> >approaches to fighting hate.
> >
> >With a little imagination, many people have found unique, and often
> >humorous, ways to voice their opposition to bigotry and racism in their
> >>communities.
> >
> >Some recent examples include the following:
> >
> >In Connecticut, a community distributed anti-Klan bumper stickers reading,
> >"Our Town is United Against the Klan."
> >
> >In Lafayette, Louisiana, the editors of the Times of Acadiana said they
> >"felt terrible" about running an advertisement placed by a local chapter
> >of the Ku Klux Klan. So they decided to split the proceeds from the $900
> >Klan ad between two of the hate group's archenemies --- the NAACP and the
> >Southern Poverty Law Center's Klanwatch Project.
> >
> >Bayou Knights Grand Dragon Roger Harris apparently found the approach a
> >little hard to take. "I have to swallow hard. I really do," Harris said.
> >
> >In Springfield, Illinois, a couple gave the Louisiana idea a local twist
> >by turning a January 1994 Klan rally into a fundraising event for three of
> >the Klan's foes --- the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern
> >Poverty Law Center.
> >
> >Based on the adage, "When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade," the
> >event, lightheartedly dubbed Project Lemonade, was modeled after the
> >common walkathon.
> >
> >The project's donors pledged money for each minute the Klan rally lasted.
> >The longer the rally, the more money was raised for the three anti-racism
> >groups. The project's creators, Bill and Lindy Seltzer, said that the
> >response was excellent and that pledges were collected from throughout the
> >>state.
> >
> >Hate crimes and hate group activity touch everyone in a community.
> >
> >For that reason, people of good will must take a stand to ensure that
> >hatred cannot flourish.
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >© Copyright Information. All rights reserved. Southern Poverty Law Center.
> >400 Washington Ave.
> >Montgomery, AL 36104
> >fax (334) 264-3121
> >
>
> You needn't be a member to help build human power
> The POTENTIAL is in your hands ~ start a local study group
> For details, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> John Watkins Executive Director The Simple Society
> 303 Amherst St. Nashua, NH 03063 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://simsoc.org
>
>
> Institute For Social Ecology - http://ise.rootmedia.org/
