Groups mobilize against neo-Nazis By Venice Buhain The Olympian 19 June 06 http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060619/NEWS/606190353 OLYMPIA - After three encounters with neo-Nazis in Olympia, local groups are planning what to do when the National Socialist Movement, a group trying to establish itself in Western Washington, comes to town for a rally July 3. Previous encounters with the neo-Nazi group, including its appearance Sunday at the Downtown Neighborhood Association Street Fair, have resulted in shouting matches with locals angered by the group's messages in favor of white separatism. Some groups, such as the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, plan to protest the National Socialist Movement at the scene of its July rally. But other groups are organizing a different type of response. Nonconfrontational Rather than setting up a confrontation on the steps of the Capitol, Unity in the Community is organizing a series of events to raise awareness and support for multiculturalism, including a diversity festival July 2. The community celebration in Sylvester Park downtown will include music, food and speakers who support diversity. "We respect the breadth of responses," Unity in the Community co-chairwoman Reiko Callner said. "The neo-Nazis appeal to the worst parts of human nature. We want to have a life-affirming, positive response. That's been an important distinction from the get-go." Unity in the Community events will include fundraisers for organizations that support diversity, screenings of documentaries, panel discussions on gender issues and poverty, workshops on nonviolence and a diversity fair. If all of that sounds like normal fare for the Olympia area, Callner acknowledged that they are activities local groups already would support. "One of the good things about the neo-Nazis coming here is that you get around to doing things that you mean to do because you believe in it," she said. Unity in the Community also called on mainstream organizations and Thurston County residents who have not protested the neo-Nazis to sign on to a public pledge that they support diversity. Among the organizations and people that have signed on to Unity in the Community are Lacey Rotary, the city councils of Lacey, Tumwater and Olympia, Gov. Chris Gregoire and a long list of county residents. The list of people, which ran in advertisements donated by The Olympian, has hundreds of names, and some local groups were disappointed that they inadvertently were left out of the newspaper, said Anna Schlecht, a Unity in the Community organizer who is in charge of compiling the list. "It was exciting to type in names I've never heard before," she said. The group is trying to get its message to the public, taking a cue from a documentary called "Not In Our Town" about people's response to hate crimes in Billings, Mont., said Kathy Baros Friedt, Unity in the Community organizer and chairwoman of the state Human Rights Commission. Unity in the Community is not a formal organization but a coalition of local groups, including volunteers from the state Human Rights Commission and people involved in synagogues and Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays. The group's goal is to bring into the open as many groups and people as possible who support diversity and oppose neo-Nazi ideas but might not want to protest the July rally. Different responses The National Socialist Movement rally is likely to attract many of the same people who protested the group the first two times, said Marco Rosaire Rossi of the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, or OMJP. That group also plans a peaceful vigil at the Capitol's Tivoli Fountain after the National Socialist Movement rally ends. Some people plan to attend both protests, said Teresa Sykora Lovaas, a Unity in the Community volunteer. She said she understands why some would avoid the National Socialist Movement rally. "There's a certain segment of the community who is not interested in any confrontation," she said. Lacey Mayor Virgil Clarkson said the Unity in the Community response and park celebration are set up purposely for people to avoid confrontation. "This is an opportunity to express our feelings," he said. The July strategy is similar to April's, when Unity in the Community had a counter-rally at Heritage Park, away from the neo-Nazi rally planned for Sylvester Park so people could express their displeasure while avoiding heated confrontations. As the Unity in the Community event was closing, however, participants found out that the National Socialist Movement members had gathered on the nearby steps of the Capitol, and much of the audience left Heritage Park to protest at the Capitol. "I think, as with anything, there is a spectrum of responses," Rabbi Seth Goldstein said last week. "Some feel that the neo-Nazis need to be responded to and that their message needs to be countered. Some people feel the neo-Nazis want the attention and want the response, and that's their modus operandi, so we should ignore them." David Lynn, who spent time with leaders in the National Socialist Movement to make a documentary film, recently videotaped an unannounced demonstration in Everett, which drew one protester - a woman who happened to drive by. Lynn's video shows members of the National Socialist Movement, wearing swastika armbands and brown shirts, waving large flags and handing out fliers to several young white men, including one with a swastika drawn on his torso under his T-shirt. "In the hour that we were there, three people walked up to us," Lynn said. "They were free to do what they want to do, which is recruit people. A counterdemonstration prevents them from doing that." Get the message out State leaders of the National Socialist Movement say it's only fair that their message against multiculturalism is heard, even though mainstream Thurston County groups have come out against the idea of "racialism," which is the idea that races should intermix as little as possible. John Brandt, unit leader of the Snohomish County National Socialist Movement, said all members of the group have been lumped with its more "radical" members and that the group's basic message is not being heard. "Part of it is propaganda and fear," Brandt said. "We talk about people who are traitors - sometimes we call them 'traitors to the race.' " Brandt said some people affiliated with the National Socialist Movement are more "radical" than he in their message - for instance, the Web site nukeisrael.com, run by Oregon resident Jim Ramm, features a copy of a computer game in which a player can "Bust up the Jewish invaders, n------ and their mixed-raced mongrel allies with machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers, mini-guns & more!" [Note: the "n", included in The Olympian's paper copy was omitted from its online version. --CL] Brandt said that kind of invective serves to alienate those who might be sympathetic to the "racialist" message. "I don't believe in dropping leaflets in neighborhoods. You don't get votes that way," Brandt said. He said he respects Unity in the Community's right to express its opinion, but he hopes his group's message can be heard and that he can change some minds as well. "A lot of your mainstream groups will denounce racialism," Brandt said. "Sixty years ago, most mainstream groups would have denounced Martin Luther King Jr." Callner said when National Socialist Movement members started coming to Olympia, several activists discussed ignoring the neo-Nazis in an effort to minimize their event. But she said media attention makes a counter-response necessary. "We have to tolerate odious speech." Callner said. "But you respond to odious speech with more speech." Times and Dates The National Socialist Movement's "Patriots against White Genocide" Rally will be from 2 to 4 p.m. July 3 on the steps of the state Capitol building. As part of the weekend events, the group will have a campout at a location disclosed only to its members. Events organized in response to the National Socialist Movement rally: July 2, noon to 4 p.m., Sylvester Park, Legion and Capitol ways, downtown Olympia. Unity in the Community event with music, speakers, children's activities and cultural performances to demonstrate support for diversity and equality. July 3, evening, Tivoli Fountain on Capitol Campus. Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace demonstration to counter the National Socialist Movement rally. Ongoing The Lemonade Project: People are pledging money for every hour that the neo-Nazis have a public presence in Olympia. The money will go to Stonewall Youth; Community Youth Services; Northwest Immigrants Rights Center; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and Temple Beth Hatfiloh. For more information, write to lemonade@olympiaunityinthecommunity.org. Workshops and discussions Tuesday: Unity in the Community will be part of a noon forum during the Tumwater Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Tumwater Comfort Inn & Conference Center, 1620 74th Ave. S.W., Tumwater. Tuesday: Showing and discussion of the documentary film "Not in Our Town" at 7 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 114 20th Ave. S.E., Olympia. Thursday and June 29: The Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace is having two panel discussions on "Gender and Sexuality" and "Poverty and Racism" at Traditions Cafe, 300 Fifth Ave. S.W. Both events are at 7 p.m. July 1: The two Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace workshops at the Olympia Free School, 610 Columbia St., are free and open to the public. A workshop on anti-oppression begins at noon. A workshop on nonviolent communication begins at 5:30 p.m. On television "Not in Our Town": The documentary film will air on TCTV, cable channel 22, at 9 a.m. today, 8 p.m. Thursday, noon June 27 and 1 p.m. July 1. "Affirming Diversity & Equality for All": The topic will be the focus of Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation's monthly television program, which airs Mondays at 1:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 9 p.m. through July 31 on cable channel 22. Venice Buhain writes for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or vbuhain@theolympian.com.