I know that it’s break, but I strongly urge everyone who can to take a minute to oppose racism in Massachusetts.
The gist of the story is: This Wednesday, the Worcester Public Library is offering a room to the racist organization North East White Pride (NEWP). In essence, this means that there is implicit public approval for racists to openly organize and recruit in Massachusetts. Wherever racists are allowed this level of recognition, they spread hatred and express it through violence against minorities. It is imperative for us to prevent them from doing this.
Please send a short message to Worcester Head Librarian Mark Contois. His email is mcontois [AT] worcpublib.org. Below is what I wrote him.
Dear Mr. Contois,
I am incredibly disturbed to have heard that the Worcester Public Library will be hosting a meeting of North East White Pride, and I strongly urge you to cancel their reservation. As a white supremacist organization, NEWP is dedicated to harassing and excluding all those who do not fit into their lily-white version of America. Their promotion of hatred and intolerance disrespects the members of our community and does a disservice to us all, and consequently they should not be allowed the privileges of a community platform.
Some will certainly argue that cancelling the NEWP’s reservation amounts to a restriction on free speech, but this is a bogus argument. It is not incumbent upon the community to provide a free platform for those who seek to tear apart the pillars of the community. NEWP is more than capable of meeting in private spaces; providing them space at the public library gives them the imprimatur of legitimacy as well as free advertising. Finally, consider the consequences of allowing NEWP space to organize. Wherever racists are allowed to openly recruit with implicit public approval, the result is entrenched racist organizations, community division and violence against minorities.
In closing, I strongly urge you to stand against racism by cancelling NEWP’s reservation.
Yours,
Jon Sussman
I oppose Nazism just as much as you do. However, under the First Amendment the library must allow the group access to the meeting room. The reason is that the library is an extension of the government and as such cannot discriminate on the basis of viewpoints. That would be censorship which is forbidden under the First Amendment.
What a joke.Maybe you should call the naacp like everyone else.When it's white people involved then it's racism.When it's "the "reverend"(used VERY loosely)al sharpton or some other LOUD MOUTH with an agenda then it's free speech or whatever they hide behind.White people will never outrun the "race card" in this country.White people are the minority and get trampled on everyday but that's ok.This entire country has become a sick joke and as far as massatooshits goes,there aren't even words to describe it.
Also it seems unfair to associate this group with random idiots posting anonymously on the internet like you mentioned Sahar. I say let it past, but judge the individual as the idiot they are, and let the NEWP speak for themselves.
The group protesting the supposed Nazis are communists. The communists have held meetings at the library. Should the library, kept alive by tax payers, be used to host communist meetings? The American answer is, of course, yes!
The NEWP group has come out and said it supports individuals rights to freedom of speech, and freedom of thought and therefore allows nazis and other right wingers to post on its public website, but that the group itself is not a Nazi group. They say they are there to support working class White people, do you have proof that the group itself is a “nazi group”, other than a few people posting on their website which they’ve already said they allow anyone to use freely, so long as they don’t discuss anything illegal?
It sounds to me like you’re just name calling and looking for attention. These people have been quietly meeting for months peacefully until the communist group decided to picket them.
So I was reading the Worcester Telegram and Gazette today, and turns out the meeting was postponed.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20110223/NEWS/102230358/1101/local
Why, you ask? Apparently there was a Black Culture Movie Night scheduled for the same night. The Library asked NEWP to postpone because they had signed up for the meeting latest. Other highlights:
-NEWP has been meeting there since November
-Several of the members are indeed Nazis, which just shows that we shouldn’t be splitting hairs here
-As Alum pointed out, the Library has rules about this sort of thing.
-NEWP doesn’t dislike blacks, it’s the Jews, homosexuals, and radical feminists that are the real problem.
Hey Sahar
Post the comment! As Mills would say, viewing it only illustrates what the truth is i.e. not what the person conveyed.
I just this morning visited the Supreme Court in Washington DC. Outside the building, there was a man with a sign that said “Jews Equal Nazis,” and he spouted hateful language while he stood on the steps of the Supreme Court. What was great about this, was everyone standing by just laughed at him and some even made fun of his comments! This just shows that even hateful speech can have positive results since it brings people closer to the truth.
Overall, all speech has value, and the substance of this censored poster is no different.
Random
So a legit Nazi (or elaborate troll) just posted a comment being straight up “Jews are the scum of the Earth Hitler’s spirit is rising” etc. I was thinking of letting it through the filter (though I normally wouldn’t) just to give us all a taste of who these people are.
It’s also scary how his “black people get to play the race card but if you talk about preserving white culture people say it’s evil” talk sounds a like what you hear certain other prominent people saying.
So do you guys want to see the comment or do we relegate it to the dustbin of history?
Mr. Random, Mr. Constitution, Mr. Sussman, and Mr. Jay: None of us like Nazis, and none of us like subverting the first amendment. But surely all of us like sparkling counter tops.
@ Mr. Constitution:
And the members of the NEWP don’t pay taxes? They have as much of a right to hold meetings wherever they’d like, regardless of whether your agree with the message or not.
And following your logic, could they validly argue that THEIR tax money shouldnt be going to host events that celebrate equality?
For someone with a name “Mr. Constitution,” Id expect you to be a little more familiar with it.
Mr. Constitution
Your understanding of the constitution, and more specifically the 1st amendment is flawed. The United States Supreme Court has held in numerous cases, most notably in Rosenberger v. UVA, that when the government opens up a limited public forum, it cannot discriminate access to that forum on the basis of viewpoint. For more information, See Widmar v. Vincent and Good News Club v. Milford Central School.
See contra PEA v. Perry which states that discrimination may be permitted if it “preserves the purpose of the forum,” but since it would be hard for the town to frame a forum that constitutionally excludes NEWP, I doubt that the type of discrimination Mr. Sussman advances will be permitted.
Even if the town wanted to, it probably could not constitutionally exclude the group. Ultimately, this is the appropriate outcome, as the Supreme Court and classical legal theorists have all extolled the virtues of an uncensored marketplace of ideas.
Random
You may support the white supremacists’ right to express their beliefs, they don’t have a right to expect public institutions supported by tax money and the community to host their events. This is why they list themselves mysteriously as NEWP. I imagine the library is too clueless/understaffed to investigate everyone who applies for space.
And a standard disclaimer is not enough justification for hosting a white-power meeting in a public library. Jesus.
Mr. Sussman
I do not agree with your position, which advocates censorship, and favors restricting the constitutional rights of American citizens. The beautiful thing about this country is that everyone is able to free express their opinion. Indeed, as John Stewart Mills pointed out, this quality is essential to a free, Liberal democracy, as it exposes the truth and allows onlookers to discover which position has the most merit.
You may call your opponents “Nazis,” but your own view closely resembles fascism. You would favor prohibiting freedom of speech and freedom of association to a class of people simply because of their viewpoint. This seems to resemble the efforts of the Nazi state in silencing protests in the midst of World War II, and is also similar to the efforts of dictatorial regimes in the Middle East.
In this country, we must allow all viewpoints, lest the government be entrusted with the precarious capacity to sanction only those ideologies that it most supports. Fortunately, this Orwellian nightmare cannot come to pass due to our constitutional protections, and though I oppose the views of NEWP, I support their right to express them.
Random
From the Worcester Public Library Meeting Room Reservation Policy:
“Permission to a group to meet at the library does not in any way constitute or imply an endorsement of its
policies, beliefs or program by the City of Worcester, any library official, or the Board of Library Directors.”
I would direct any complaints about the NEWP’s beliefs and policies to the NEWP itself.