HATRED: No room here
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 7 years, 4 months AGO
Once again hate-filled rhetoric has soiled the beauty of North Idaho. Sandpoint residents were recently subjects of a robocall decrying Jewish folk and others. The originator is a failed California senatorial candidate, denounced by the Republican party there, with plans to establish a “regional capital” in Sandpoint. Please reference the article in the Spokesman-Review, Aug. 5 issue: “In robocalls featuring ‘Friends’ theme song, California neo-Nazi Patrick Little says he’s coming to Sandpoint.”
The people of Kootenai County once successfully ousted from our area the white supremacist hate group of Richard Butler. They formed the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Rights which continues to lead and consults with communities nationwide looking for constructive, effective ways to confront hate. The group pressed successfully for Idaho laws to punish hate crimes and set an example of standing up for human rights for the whole country.
We need to speak out again to let others know we do not condone in any way such hateful speech, lest speech turn into actions against our fellow friends, neighbors and families. We call upon all candidates of every party and current legislators and other public officials to publicly condemn hateful speech in any form.
SHEM HANKS
Kootenai County
Democratic Central Committee