Show Your Town Where You Stand: A Call to Action in the Face of Hate

Posted by Patrice O'Neill, AlterNet at 8:24 AM on June 20, 2009.

Last week’s murder of Stephen T. Johns at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC was a call to action for all of us. James W. von Brunn, who had devoted many of his 88 years to hating “Jews and blacks,” walked into the museum with a shotgun at his side and opened fired on Johns, an African-American security guard who held the door open so the elderly von Brunn could enter. Before von Brunn could harm others, nearby museum guards shot the killer several times, leaving him critically wounded.

People across the country are grieving with the Johns family and the community that surrounds the Holocaust Museum. But while we mourn, we also have to organize. Hate violence leaves a wave of fear that spreads far beyond those who are close to the crime. Think of what it is like to walk down the street or gather with your community and worry that someone who doesn’t know anything about you may decide to harm you because of your identity. Every Jewish person, every African-American, every American is harmed by this shooting.

Shine a light
Maybe von Brunn doesn’t come from your town, but others like him are being fed a hatred stew on the internet everyday. When those with hate in their hearts walk away from their computers and into the light of day, we can show that our communities have a different set of values–and that we will stand together against those who would do harm to our neighbors.

Be a role model
Young people are often the most at risk. Although von Brunn was old, over 50% of hate crimes are committed by young people. Von Brunn’s son spoke to the media about the traumatic effects of being raised by a man who was sick with hatred. Our towns and our schools can be a safe haven for young people whose parents may try to spread the disease of intolerance to the next generation. They can be a place where young people learn from history about the perils of inaction. Our civic and social spaces ad our houses of worship can provide examples of diverse groups of people working together to counter hate with a message of inclusion.

Don’t let talk divide us
In April, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about the threat of domestic terrorism, but the agency was attacked by media talk spinners. Their verbiage is creating a drumbeat of division that is pushing people with different world views into a dangerous divide. While we may have different political perspectives, we share some deeply human and American values. The conservatives I know would never, ever identify with von Brunn or condone his act of terrorism. Are these talk entertainers really trying to spin decent people into de facto support of terrorists? We can agree to disagree about some things, but not about hate and murder.

The symbolism of the site of this crime is stunning. It is a place we all go to remember the horrors of hate in our recent past. But the story and the scenes that line the walls of the Holocaust Museum carry a clear message: in the face of bigotry and hatred, our only recourse is resistance and action.

Here’s what you can do:

• Announce your resistance and share your ideas for action. Write a blog post or letter to the editor. Share it on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites.
• Make a contribution to the Not in Our Town movement. Your donation will be used to document stories of hate and shine a light on communities that are standing up against intolerance. Your support will also help build our new social networking site that will connect communities and schools that need resources to fight hate.
• Host a Not In Our Town screening party in your home, community center, or place of worship. Visit www.niot.org, our YouTube site, our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter for inspiring stories, video, and resources for people building safe, inclusive communities.
• Young people: Make it cool to stand up to hate. Reach out to people who are being harassed at school, and say something when your hear a harmful remark. Start a Not in Our School program at your local middle or high school to teach children and young adults the inherent value in all people.

Tagged as: racism, von brunn, holocaust musem shooting