For most of us, summer is cause to celebrate — vacations, road trips and relaxation are foremost in our minds. But recently, angry citizens have been seen on the TV news demanding to know why they have racist literature littering their backyards.
Perhaps it is because summer is also prime recruiting time for hate groups across the nation, the Southern Poverty Law Center reports. Such racist literature has turned up in the quiet neighborhoods of the Puget Sound at an alarming rate. Following a bittersweet Fourth of July that commemorated a tragic year in American history, we should take a stand against those who threaten to undermine the values of freedom, justice and tolerance.
Ten active hate groups have been identified in Western Washington, the SPLC says. And as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates, they have redoubled their efforts to distribute hate mail in addition to threatening synogogues and mosques and polluting public property with swastikas and hateful slogans. However, no matter how hateful and hurtful it may be, racist literature is a protected form of speech. Like cross-burning, it is permitted under the First Amendment as long as it does not violate other laws. In the first four months of this year, 24 incidents targeting Jews were recorded, compared with four incidents in 2001. Similar incidents have been reported targeting the Muslim community, as well as many other violent race-motivated attacks that occurred in the wake of September 11. A hate crime is committed in America every hour.
Our communities are not powerless to respond to such reprehensible acts. In a successful stand against anti-Semitism in Marysville, the Human Rights Coalition in Snohomish County recently helped to turn away a nationally-known Holocaust denier scheduled to speak at an area restaurant. Programs and organizations that promote community action, problem-solving and an appreciation of cultural differences — such as human rights groups, study circles and community watch programs — are taking shape in our towns and cities and are committed to supporting victims of hate crimes.
The message is clear: racial and religious scapegoating is not acceptable here. Take your hate mail somewhere else.
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