Hate Crimes

[H2O Man]

In February of this year, a couple of students at the Unadilla Valley Central School put a noose on the door of the only black teacher's door. It was an ugly reminder of the combination of ignorance and hatred in this area.

Here is a link to one news report on this:

http://www.wktv.com/news/local/15675197.html

This weekend, police in Norwich arrested three teenagers for tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to a synagogue. An anti-Semitic message was among the "graffiti." The teens did unbelievable damage on all three floors of the Jewish Center.

Here is a link to a report on this incident:

http://www.evesun.com/news/stories/2008-04-14/4098/Youths-arrested-in-Jewish-center-destruction/

Today in the mail, I received a couple of items from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Included was a DVD with a trial update on the "Imperial Klan Case." It is where a gang of cowardly, sick KKKers brutally assaulted a teenager named Jordan Gruver. They targeted him because of his Latino heritage.

Hatred and violence aimed at people for race, religion, ethnic identity, and/or sexual orientation is a disease. It hurts individuals and families, and it damages the fabric of our society. People who are interested in helping to fight the disease are encouraged to join the Southern Poverty Law Center. Here is a link if you are interested in helping with the Klan trial:

www.splcenter.org/trial

Sometimes I think about how much effort people made in the past to fight against the threat of all these "-isms." Clearly there is an urgent need to do more. Thank you to anyone who supports SPLC.


On edit: The Norwich link may not be working; if not, go to the Evening Sun, and the story is front page:

http://www.evesun.com/

[Karenina]

1. K&R!

:kick:

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

2. Recommended. SPLC is an incredible service to humanity and democracy.

I do believe the roots of hatred must be addressed better.

[H2O Man]

3. An Update

I called friends at the Norwich Jewish Center, to offer my family's help in clean-up efforts, etc. Because of the severity of the destruction -- every piece of glass in 3 stories was broken -- they do not want to put anyone at risk, especially children. So it is requiring a professional service to be contracted.

Ten years ago, in an incident not unlike that of Jordan Gruver, a racist gang attacked my nephew at a "fair," and left him for dead. During the trials of some of the thugs, members of the Jewish Center came and supported my sister and brother-in-law and their sons. They had not met each other before that, but the members of the Jewish Center understood the need to take a stance, and to provide support to victims of hate. You don't forget that.