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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-05-23 Public Comment - C. Devries - White Lives Matter activity in MontanaFrom:Cherilyn DeVries To:Dani Hess; council@billingsmt.gov; bpd@billingsmt.gov; commissioners@bsb.mt.gov; led@bsb.mt.gov;jgallagher@bsb.mt.gov; kukulskic@billingsmt.gov; rnelson@belgrademt.gov; mmeis@belgrademt.gov;rmattimoe@belgrademt.gov; kmenicucci@belgrademt.gov; jdoyle@belgrademt.gov; jsimon@belgrademt.gov;jguffey@belgrademt.gov; generalinfo@belgrademt.gov; askgfpd@greatfallsmt.net; kartis@greatfallsmt.net;publiccomment@kalispell.com; jvenezio@kalispell.com; helenapolicedepartment@helenamt.gov;wcollins@helenamt.gov; edean@helenamt.gov; slogan@helenamt.gov; mreed@helenamt.gov;ashirtliff@helenamt.gov; council@ci.missoula.mt.us; mayor@milescity-mt.org; mhowke@cityofwhitefish.org;nicosias@cityofcolumbiafalls.com; staalandb@cityofcolumbiafalls.com; cfchiefpeters@colfallsmt.com;jbattlesward1@gmail.com; tdurbinWard2@gmail.com; redlodgeward2@gmail.com; sdanielsward3@gmail.com;heatonward1@gmail.com; ronningward3@gmail.com; gsrock@cityofredlodge.com; Agenda Subject:[EXTERNAL]White Lives Matter activity in Montana Date:Thursday, August 31, 2023 2:35:47 PM Attachments:To city officials on White Lives Matter.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear city officials, The Montana Human Rights Network is tracking the activity of the neo-Nazi and White supremacist group White Lives Matter. This dangerous extremist group has been dropping flyers, placing stickers, and showing up with racist and hostile signs in communities across the state. We are offering some information that may help you address their activity and support people who may feel threatened by their antisemitism, racism, homophobia, and propaganda promoting violence and discrimination. Please reach out if you have any questions about this group, their activity, or the kinds of messages you can publish in order to reject their aggressive campaign. Cherilyn Cherilyn DeVries she/theyCommunications Managercherilyn@mhrn.org To city officials across Montana, I'm writing to provide you with some resources that can assist in your response to recent and ongoing activity from the White supremacist group White Lives Matter, which has been placing racist stickers and flyers around Montana for about two years. They have a couple of new members who are trying to make a name for themselves in White supremacist circles, so we are seeing aggressive activity: more stickers, flyers, and in-person incidents. Over the weekend of August 18, about 200 WLM stickers were found in Bozeman, Great Falls, and Helena. Masked White Lives Matter operatives were trying to pass out their propaganda in Bozeman on August 27. WLM also appeared to intimidate attendees at story hour events in Bozeman and Livingston in June. In addition to spreading their racist messages, these incidents also frequently include direct confrontational behavior, including threats of physical violence to community members. As you know, this activity causes a lot of fear for people who regularly face discrimination, like Indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, Jewish people, and immigrants. In addition to the discriminatory and hateful messages promoted by the “White Lives Matter” agitators, people justifiably fear direct threats to their personal safety and the well-being of their community. Background You can find out more about WLM in this webinar that we hosted last year, but here’s an overview of the information. While WLM agitators deny they clearly hateful nature of their message, they are recognized by experts to be White supremacists and neo-Nazis. The material they distribute criticizes Jewish people, immigrants, and LGBTQ2S+ people and promotes the idea that people of European descent are better than people from other ethnic backgrounds. Many WLM operatives also deny that the Holocaust happened. We know the names of the individuals in WLM, and we are tracking their activity as they make appearances in communities across the state. WLM operatives claim their actions are “free speech,” and they are correct: dropping flyers or holding banners with racist messages isn’t a crime, and you can’t ticket or arrest people for it. However, as public officials you do not have to accept their message. This activity introduces hostility into our communities and makes discrimination seem acceptable. You can respond to the content of the message and reaffirm your own community’s commitment to equality, inclusion, and safety. That said, WLM's presence is definitely more than just about an offensive message: their actions are a public safety issue. Based on their record of activities, it’s clear that they are trying to provoke violence. • In Missoula on March 31, armed operatives repeatedly antagonized and physically confronted attendees at a planned event. • On May 20, WLM agitators verbally attacked a Bozeman Pride attendee and pepper sprayed him. • On August 28, WLM agents attempted to force a racist flyer on a Jewish mother and her 7-year-old-daughter. When the two declined, WLM operatives said, “there are too many white liberal bitches in this town.” (info from a report made to MHRN on August 27) The violent intent of WLM is underscored by the way they brag about these incidents on Gab and Telegram after the fact. Bottom line: these activists see physical confrontation and direct intimidation of community members as part and parcel of their promotion of a racist agenda. Suggestions for effective responses We understand that responding to these disruptive and dangerous incidents is not simple, so we’d like to offer some tips based on years of experience with violent extremists’ tactics. WLM’s hateful rhetoric shouldn’t be allowed to define your community. You can and should respond in a way that affirms your values and promotes safety and inclusion in your community. At the same time, public statements should be carefully crafted to avoid giving them more attention and fueling the false impression that WLM has a huge membership and a lot of power. Before you make a public statement, it’s very important to understand White supremacists’ strategies. They are trying to manipulate the situation and create the impression that (1) they are more powerful than they really are, and (2) local officials – and especially law enforcement officers – agree with them and protect them. We don’t want you to fall into their traps and claim that you support their hateful ideology. We recommend working with your communications professionals to have a statement ready in case there’s another incident in your town. Here are some suggestions for creating this message: • Advise community members to avoid engaging with White Lives Matter operatives. These are violent people (some with criminal records) who are trying to create controversy. Shouting back at them or sharing images of them online – even if the aim is to denigrate them - only gives them the attention they crave. • Craft positive statements from elected officials, law enforcement, and community leaders that reject racism and antisemitism, support diversity and equality, and promote community solidarity. We have excellent examples from Billings, Great Falls, and other cities, which you can find at the end of this document. • Do not get drawn into debates over “free speech.” Agitators derive power from claiming that they are victims whose free speech is being silenced. Instead of getting into this fight, use your own free speech to condemn rhetoric and actions that make communities less safe for people who regularly experience discrimination. • In addition to public statements, reach out personally to leaders in the Jewish, Indigenous, immigrant, and LGBTQ2S+ community to let them know that you condemn White Lives Matter and their rhetoric. Individual one-on-one conversations can help support people who regularly endure discrimination. Removal of WLM stickers and flyers In addition to making statements, it is also appropriate and essential to take down the stickers, flyers, and graffiti that WLM agitators leave behind. The good news is that we have a group of dedicated volunteers who monitor WLM supporters’ social media accounts and remove stickers and flyers soon after they go up. We do not recommend calling attention to these stickers when they are placed. WLM and most extremists use press coverage and social media attention as free advertising for their group, especially those with pictures of the stickers or flyers. Our volunteers typically remove stickers on lampposts, signposts, and the backs of traffic signs. If stickers are on the front of signs, we ask volunteers to contact MHRN or the owner of the sign so stickers can be removed without causing damage. Please let us know if you have other requests for community members who want to remove these hateful messages and/or a preferred point of contact about these stickers. How MHRN receives reports MHRN has an hate incident form that people use to let us know if they see extremist activity in their area. We use that information to mobilize volunteers and track specific WLM members’ movements. As WLM has increased their sticker and flyer drops, people across Montana have gotten very comfortable with emailing us or using the form to file a report. In addition to volunteer responses, we also use the information provided in the forms to alert local law enforcement when appropriate. MHRN is here to support you in your community’s response to discrimination and racist activity. If you have questions about White Lives Matter or extremist activity, please let us know. As always, please contact us with questions or suggestions about ways that we can communicate with you more effectively. Cherilyn DeVries Communications Manager Montana Human Rights Network cherilyn@mhrn.org SUPPORTING MATERIALS – White Lives Matter incidents Examples of effective statements against White supremacist activity Police investigating flyers left in Folsom neighborhood as hate crime “The City of Folsom condemns any discrimination based on a person’s race, as well as racially motivated messaging and hate crimes that seek to divide us rather than unite us,” said City of Folsom officials. Racist flyers found in Rocky Hill: police “It doesn’t uphold the values that we have here in Rocky Hill. We’re very inclusive, we show a lot of respect for all of our community members, and that’s why I believe this is so outrageous,” said Rocky Hill Police Sgt. Foss-Rugan. What can police do when racist pamphlets are distributed? “The Springfield Township Police Department condemns any message promoting the KKK, anti- Semitic commentary, and any other statements that promote hatred. We encourage residents to contact the police department if there is a recurrence of hateful fliers distributed on their properties, and we will respond and investigate the incident.” Hampton and FBI investigating distribution of racist flyers “The city of Hampton is disgusted by and condemns the actions of those responsible for the distribution of these hateful leaflets throughout our city,” the statement read. “They are in no way representative of our city, our citizens, or our values. The Hampton Police Department, in conjunction with the Atlanta field office of the FBI, is investigating this matter.” White Lives Matter posts These screenshots were taken from the WLM Montana Telegram and Gab accounts. As you can see, they are intentionally trying to provoke violence by antagonizing people with their presence. In the other screenshot, they state that they have a constitutional right to distribute flyers. While that may be accurate, community leaders can use their First Amendment rights to publicly declare that racist propaganda is not welcome in their city.