Rally for Social Justice

I'd bet my right to vote on it

2005-07-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

I received the following email from a fellow Portsmouth resident.

Your recent "Sunday evening musings" rings a bell to what has occurred in communities like mine (predominately African-American). On one hand you have creative leaders and thinkers like Martin Luther King Jr who vehemently believed in non-violent social change. They believed that confrontation was warranted only when those who opposed civil rights for everyone literally stood in their way (i.e. voting poll). The results of their efforts and doctrines are unarguably monumental. On the other hand, you have many of today's leaders, often clergymen, in communities similar to mine that devote far too many resources to personal "blessings" and the hereafter rather than the here and now. I'm still waiting for someone in my community to tell me to "Have an involved day" rather than "Have a blessed day".

The lives of Dr. King, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and according to Christian theology, Christ all represent altruism. Altruism when combined with non-violent social change always has and always will change the world forever and for the better. I'd bet my right to vote on it.

Thank you, Robert. May we, indeed, stand together, involved and, ideally, blessed.

Jamming to the very end of the day

2005-07-07T16:43:00.000-04:00

We were all having such a grand time that the hours slipped right past us. We were jamming to the very end of the day.

Sometime after five o'clock, Mia -- that would be Mia from the Mia Johnson Band -- looked up and noticed that the nearly two hundred state troopers who'd been listening to the Rally's music and poetry had taken off. We were left with three trooper cars: more than enough to keep the peace, I might add.

Anyway, what a fitting end to the day. Mia and her band played in Valley Forge. The Band showed they can jump between straight-up rock grooves and swinging world beats as they jammed the late afternoon away.

Dave Quicks helped out on guitar; here you can barely see Rico Joseph on bass.

Here's Rico on bass with Tom Walling wailing away on drums.
All in all, what an awesome day.

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Catching some rays of sunshine

2005-07-07T16:36:00.000-04:00

Not quite "girls day out," Mia Johnson of the Mia Johnson Band caught some rays and some good music before closing out the Rally.

Some people brought their own shade.

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Quick! Quick! You've got to hear this.

2005-07-07T16:27:00.000-04:00

The BurnDown All-Stars, in the form of Dave Quicks' Brainchild, played the Rally. Dave Quicks (shown here) also played at this past September's Valley Forge Rally. The Brainchild rocked.

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

We invited all people who wanted to make a positive statement

2005-07-07T16:13:00.000-04:00

Who didn't come to the Rally for Social Justice? Well, these folks (and I'm not sure if they are anarchists or members of Anti-Racist-Action) did not drop in. They started to come our way, and then they realized there was no one they could argue with at the Rally. News reports indicated they not only yelled at those in brown shirts across the park, but also took offense with law enforcement officers and the other counter-protestors. I think they realized they were no match to the power of being for something, as we were/are; their antics would ring empty at the Rally for Social Justice.

Who did show up at the Rally for Social Justice? Well, these two young, flower-decorated, sun-dress clothed women did drop in. The music kept them for more than a spell, too. These young ladies provided no antics; their presence helped us assert that we, and they, stand for diversity, tolerance, non-violence, and social justice.

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

From the "Rally for Social Justice" to "Live 8"

2005-07-07T16:02:00.000-04:00

A huge shout-out and thanks go to Barb, our sound expert and all-around production guru. Here's Barb at the Rally; pictures of Barb a week later would find her in Philadelphia working on the Live 8 concert. That's right: a week later and Barb was in front of the steps of the Museum of Art in Philly doing sound for the likes of Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, Linkin Park, Toby Keith, and a dozen other musical groups. Well, the day of the Rally, she was with us, doing sound for our varied and talented and dedicated musical groups.

Barb is a person who puts her actions with her words. A strong believer in social justice, Barb volunteered her time for the Rally. Not only did she help the day of the event, but she spent innumerable hours the three months leading up to the Rally helping to arrange for all the technical details, including contracting for the sound equipment. And, the morning of the Rally, Barb earned a Purple Heart when she was injured in an accident, caused by my eldest son, during the set-up of the tent. A little ice to cool the injury, and she was back at it. (Note, however, the tape on her finger; I'm thinking she's wincing in pain, here, even hours later.)

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

And straight from venues in Europe...

2005-07-07T15:46:00.000-04:00

The music kept on coming. Here's Ben Arnold (on the left) and Todd Barnison.

We were so blessed to have Ben on stage at the Rally. Ben arrived in the States the evening before the Rally; he'd been on tour in Europe for more than a month playing in such venues at House of Live in Paris and Festhalle in Finnentrop, Germany. He also played in Affalter, Lunzenau, Greiz, Worms, and Solingn (all in Germany) and Lyon and Bresse in France. Talk about a tour! Well, Ben was on stage at the Rally having weathered much jet lag. His dedication is fabulous. As is his music.

Ben's web site notes that Ben isn't just any singer/song writer. He draws from the history of Dylan, the cantankerous spirit of Randy Newman, and the soulful singing and showmanship of Van Morrison. His set rocked.

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Scat, soul, & jazz -- all wrapped up in one beautiful package

2005-07-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

When I first saw Nadine Goellner, she was walking across the fields of the Yorktown Battlefield with her guitar in a case and strapped to her back. She'd parked about as far away from the Rally site as possible. I wondered how I'd missed her (I was parking cars), and then I realized that when she drove in she looked as if she knew what she was doing: she asked no questions; she was here on a mission. And, indeed, she was.

Her unique acoustic-driven blend of scat, soul, and jazz won me over. She is the consummate musician, and she looked to be at home on our stage at the Rally. I get the sense she'd be at home anywhere acoustic music is held in esteem.

I shouldn't be surprised that Nadine volunteered to play at the Rally for Social Justice. Nadine is a proud volunteer for NYC-based charity, Musicians on Call. Musicians on Call are a wonderful organization helping thousands of people in New York City area hospitals through the healing power of music. Nadine is a woman with a huge heart who understands the positive power of music; her contribution was well received by all.

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Peace and Goodwill

2005-07-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

I know I've mentioned it before, but I'll mention it again. The Rally for Social Justice was a peaceful, family-friendly event. Diversity. Tolerance. Non-violence. Social Justice. These were, and these are, our watch words. People came to the Rally for Social Justice to enjoy themselves, not to spout off.

All ages... Our rallies truly are appropriate venues for families. We're not teaching hatred or opposition. We are for, not against.

Smile! We're all at the Rally for Social Justice!

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

The big sound of Seed Is

2005-07-07T08:45:00.000-04:00

Seed Is gathered off to the side of the stage before making music, a quiet moment together in prayer. Let me tell you: their funk was like a prayer reaching to the heavens. What a great sound.

Biggs jammed out on guitar. According to the Seed Is website, he is not the illigitimate son of Richard Nixon who "wears a fat man costume so people from his past will not recognize him." That would be Mike Peace. Biggs is a native of Washington, DC, and a self-taught musician. Biggs has played with a number of bands; with Seed Is, his current family, Biggs adds immensely to the sound of this funk, soul, rock, rap, folk, jazz, go-go, reggae band. He's not alone, of course.

Here's Big T, the band's trumpeter, warming up before their set.

I really liked the big sound from Seed Is, and Big T's brass was a large part of that. There's just something about a horn, you know.

Nikki, the last band-member I found playing on the roll of film, plays bass. I'm thinking "cool."

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Rally Poets: Revolutionaries with words

2005-07-07T08:37:00.000-04:00

Pete Freas of the Chesapeake Bay Poets says, "Poets are the revolutionaries in society." Well, I don't know if revolutionary describes our poets and poetry featured at the Rally, but it was strong, personal, and on-the-mark. Pete read a couple of his poems; he had also helped spread the word about the Rally throughout the arts and poetry community.

Joining Pete on stage was poet and MFA student Eddie Dowe. Eddie read several very powerful pieces. His words were able to stop us in our tracks and force us to think and examine our own lives. I imagine you'll be seeing more of this young poet in the years to come.If you'd like to read some of Eddie and Pete's poetry, feel free to surf over to Poetry 360, an online poetry zine that has published poems by both this strong and heartfelt poets.

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Enjoyment & diversity: We stood, we stand, for tolerance, diversity, non-violence, and social justice

2005-06-30T10:32:00.000-04:00

And what, exactly did those who attend the Rally do? Well, for one thing, they enjoyed some great music.

They hung out and enjoyed the hot, summer breeze coming off the York River.

Sure, those of us at the Rally for Social Justice didn't raise our arms in salute or shout slogans that could barely be heard across an open field.

We did play a little impromtu whiffle ball, a folding chair serving as home plate.

This is what we mean by saying the Rally for Social Justice is a creative, non-confrontational response: We created something; we did not just confront.

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

She's only fourteen!

2005-06-30T10:22:00.000-04:00

To say that Margot MacDonald is unique is understatement. Afterall, we are all unique; that's one of the foundations of diversity. Each of us brings strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and skills to the table. Well, in Margot's case, she's bringing quite a bit as a singer/songwriter... and she's just headed into high school.

That's unique. While most youth her age are playing video games or little league or just chilling, Margot is honing her musical skills. She plays guitar; she plays keyboards; she sings; she writes her own lyrics; she writes her own music. She is a busy young lady.

We were all so impressed with Margot and her music... and not because she's a young teenager, but because it was good. Bright and compassionate, Margot landed her spot on the Rally stage through her bid at SonicBids. We are so glad we choose her, and we are honored that Margot and her family would spend the afternoon with us. This is, folks, the power of commitment to diversity, tolerance, non-violence, and social justice.

Keep an ear out for this young lady; she's going to be making sounds on a radio near you... very soon.

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Let us live in a world with no fear

2005-06-30T10:11:00.000-04:00

Scooter Scudieri, a veteran from the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice, brought his powerful music to the fields of Yorktown. Scooter is a self-taught guitarist who writes his own in-your-face lyrics and music. He is out to change not only the record industry, but the world, one person, one song, at a time.

I play my music as if my very life depends on it, because it does. I spend every day creating, focusing, and channeling energy into my writing and music. It is my vision to help transform the industry by turning positive thought into action.

This website has become a launch pad for my Music, Mission, and Method. By merging online and offline techniques I have created a focal point not only for my message, but for the movement which is redefining the way music is created and distributed.

I am grateful to be alive at a time of such great change. Fear prevents us from becoming our full possible selves. Our potential is unlimited if we only tap into the source.

We are greatful for Scooter joining us in Yorktown, and we know our paths will cross again.

Let us live in a world without fear.

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Ours was a gathering of love and peace

2005-06-29T16:42:00.000-04:00

For those of us that attended the Rally for Social Justice and didn't make the walk down Surrender Road, this photo pretty much captures the spirit of the day. Hugs, not straight arm salutes, ruled the day.

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

These are some fun doctors

2005-06-29T16:16:00.000-04:00

The Rally opened with the Phun Doctors. Dr. George is lead vocals and keyboards; the Doctors are a premier classic rock & oldies band from Chesapeake. George's PhD is in urban studies & organizational leadership; he's a former helicopter pilot with the U.S. Navy.

On guitar, we found Dr. "Mad Dog" Mike, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a 20-year Supply Corps veteran with the Navy. Mike holds a PhD in mathematics and provided lead riffs, licks, and signatures.

And standing in for a missing Phun Doctor was Dr. Kevin from Seed Is. Kevin holds an honorary doctorate in musicology with an emphasis in percussion. Kevin joined the Phun Doctors never having played with the Doctors George and Mike before. As nearly everyone in the audience noted, it didn't sound that way. The three Phun Doctors jammed a sweet set of oldies, sending tunes all the way up to the parking lot.

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Dogs and horses enjoyed the hot day, too

2005-06-29T15:35:00.000-04:00

And even the dogs came out to enjoy the day. The Virginia State Police swept our fenced in festival area to ensure we didn't have any explosive devices. They were certainly not taking any chances.

And to add to the "not taking any chances," law enforcement was complete with mounted officers. Our mounted officers were from the National Park Police. At the south end of the Park, mounted officers from the Portsmouth Police Department on the southside of Hampton Roads kept the peace.

PLEASE NOTE: These photographs are Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and are used here by permission. These photographs may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Law enforcement and the Rally

2005-06-29T06:08:00.000-04:00

Early Saturday morning, both Phil and I met with reps from the Virginia State Police. Here Phil is debating the finer points of security and enforcement with two senior officers from the Commonwealth. More than 170 officers from the State Police were on hand to ensure a peaceful day. Their presence was more than welcome.

Our most humble thanks go to the men and women of the Virginia State Police.

PLEASE NOTE: This photograph is Copyright (c) 2005 by Cathy Dixson and is used here by permission. This photograph may not be used further without the written permission of Cathy Dixson. All rights reserved.

Thanks are owed to many for Rally's success

2005-06-28T11:32:00.000-04:00

I continue to recover from the weekend. All the rented and borrowed materials are back where they came from, and life returns to some sense of normalcy.

An event like the Rally for Social Justice takes many peoples' contributions to ensure the "show" can go on. Over the next several days, we'll be publicly thanking contributers and volunteers. I start today with several key volunteers whose last minute contributions ensured the show would go on. Without their time & talent, we might still be sitting in the field off Ballard Street.

My thanks go to Chuck, Pat, & Andrew for their help on Saturday and before:

To Chuck for his invaluable prep work including soliciting donations & purchasing needed supplies & obtaining the Rally t-shirts; for his strong & tall assistance raising and striking the tents; and for his assistance in parking cars.

To Pat for his financial contributions, for flying down from the Big Apple in order to attend & help out; for raising & striking tents; for assisting in the parking lot; and for ensuring good order & discipline.

To Andrew for wrestling with nearly a ton of weights; for spending more than 12-hours helping with tents & car parking when, as a young teenager, he might have rather been doing nearly anything else; and for keeping me company.

Gentlemen, thank you.

Here's a picture of Andrew, late in the afternoon; I think he's flagging in a 747.
And here is Pat, along with me and the baby. I'd like to note the baby did not help much at all.
Somehow, Chuck avoided the photographer. I'm not sure how he managed that.

More thanks -- and photographs from the Rally day -- are forthcoming.

News round-up: Yorktown in the press

2005-06-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd give a round-up of the traditional, mainstream print media's take on Saturday's events...

From the Daily Press, published on the Peninsula here in southeastern Virginia, we have Tamara Dietrich, a columnist. She compared the day to a circus, although I'm not sure she found the clowns all that funny.

It was Saturday in Yorktown, and the carnival had arrived.

SWAT sharpshooters; women in tallit prayer shawls; young toughs chanting, "Death, death, death to the Nazis"; flower children; messianic Jews; guerrilla anti-racists; enough firepower to overthrow Cornwallis all over again; and baffled senior citizens with tote bags and sensible shoes, stumbling upon it all.

Carol Scott of the Daily Press noted that "counterdemonstrators outnumbered the white supremacists at the battlefield on Saturday."

Saturday's three rallies at the battlefield - one led by the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement and two counter-rallies led by the messianic Jewish synagogue Congregation Zion's Sake and the Center for Education Rights - ended with no arrests, said National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst. There were no injuries; a handful of people were treated for heat-related issues, he said.

More than 500 counterdemonstrators attended the congregation's rally. The center's "Rally for Tolerance" brought in about 250, and some of that number attended the Zion's Sake rally as well, said center President Phil Stinson.

The southside newspaper, the Virginian Pilot, sent Kristina Herrndobler to cover the news. She wrote,

Fewer than 150 members and supporters of the National Socialist Movement gathered for speeches by their own members and members of the Ku Klux Klan. As they faced the counter demonstrators on the other side, group members wearing Nazi uniforms with swastika armbands shouted Sieg Heil.

Some 500 counter-demonstrators, including members family attends synagogue, and Anti-Racist Action, had flags and posters of their own. One read Fight Terrorism, Smash the Klan. Another read, No tanks in Gaza, No Nazis in Yorktown. A second counter-demonstration, sponsored by the Center for Education Rights, was held about a halfmile away.

She also wrote,

Peter Stinson, a local organizer for the Center for Education Rights peace demonstration, said more police officers than activists attended their rally. But Stinson credits the police force for keeping the day free of violence.

Yes, the men and women of law enforcement were out in force. I'll note the Virginia State troopers who were at the Rally for Social Justice site were extremely personable and professional. We couldn't have asked for better law enforcement personnel; and clearly, we couldn't have asked for more... ;-)

Sue Lindsey of the Associated Press covered the event. She noted,

About 150 members of the National Socialist Movement and their supporters gathered at the Yorktown Battlefield to honor George Washington and other founding fathers of the United States whom they said held white separatist and anti-Jewish views - a position disputed by most scholars.

Many wore Nazi uniforms with swastika armbands, while others identified themselves as members of the Ku Klux Klan and various skinhead groups.

"This is sacred ground," said Jeff Schoep of Minneapolis, Commander of the National Socialist Movement, which bills itself as the largest Nazi party in the United States.

Her story went out over the wire and was picked up by more than 200 news outlets. This site has a photo from the AP; this is probably a better view than all the counter-protestors on Surrender Road had. When you're more than 250 yards away, people look like ants...

CNN (I know, they're not print media... but they've posted words online) also included the day's festivities in their reporting. Their film coverage also included aerial video, likely provided in a feed from the law enforcement helicopters which provided real-time surveillance video to the Incident Command Post headed by Chief Ranger Nash; a still frame of the video is posted here.

National Socialist Movement leader Jeff Schoep railed against immigrants, calling them "putrid scum" that are "pouring over our borders, destroying our culture, and robbing us of our heritage."

"We must secure the existence of white people and the future of white children," another speaker said....

Bill White, a spokesman for the movement -- which calls itself "America's Nazi Party" -- acknowledged the turnout was not large....

In a nearby field -- separated by barricades from the Neo-Nazi rally -- about 250 counter demonstrators shouted for an end to such hatred. The protest was organized by a messianic synagogue and six other religious institutions....

About a mile away, a second counter demonstration was held. Organizers called it a "tolerance rally." Those participants said shouting at the Neo-Nazis only helps fuel the fire of Neo-Nazi hatred.

By now, frankly, I'm just glad they caught one of our four key values.

Bill Geroux of the Richmond Times Dispatch posted a thoughtful news account. He noted that police outnumbered both the participants at the National Socialist Movement's demonstration site and the counter-protest site sponsored by Zion's Sake.

Police clearly outnumbered both groups put together, though authorities would not say how many officers were deployed.

While officials might not have been telling the press how many officers were at the Park, reliable sources placed the number in excess of 500.

Geroux writes,

The commander of the neo-Nazi group, Jeff Schoep of Minnesota, declared in his speech yesterday that America was being controlled by Jews and ruined by racial integration. He vowed his group would resist such "occupation" and likened them to the patriots led by George Washington who won America's freedom at Yorktown.

"If being proud of your race is hate, then we are a hate group," Schoep shouted over the pounding rotors of a police helicopter.

"If hating foreign occupation makes us a hate group, then we're a hate group." His brown-shirted listeners urged him on with cries of "Sieg Heil" as Nazi flags flapped in the wind.

As to the counter-protest, Geroux notes,

The counter-rally across the battlefield was organized by Rabbi Eric Carlson of Synagogue Zion's Sake in Newport News and attended by members of nearly a dozen other synagogues and churches from Moyock, N.C., to Richmond.

The synagogue group asked for a permit to gather within sight of the neo-Nazis, Carlson said, because "we want them to see the face of love. We've been praying for them all week." The group spent much of the day dancing and singing songs of peace to drown out the distant neo-Nazi speakers.

But the counter-demonstration was joined by a group of about 50 men and women dressed mostly in black and carrying placards with messages such as "Die Nazi Scum." Members of that group, who would not identify themselves to reporters, marched and shouted condemnation of not only the neo-Nazis but the police, court system and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Frankly, it all sounds like a zoo, particularly when compared as to how he describes the Rally for Social Justice:

About a mile from the opposing rallies, a third group, the Pennsylvania-based Center for Education Rights Ltd., held a low-key gathering to promote tolerance.

I'm not sure how one could say Seed Is or the Dave Quicks Band are low-key, but okay. At least nobody was screaming obscenities or wishing people dead.

Diversity. Tolerance. Non-violence. Social Justice.

I continue to be amazed that people on both sides of Surrender Road can't fathom a world that embraces these values.

Well, that's it for the mainstream news round-up. If you have links to other, different, stories covering the event, please post them in the comments section below.

Peace.

Some Sunday evening musings

2005-06-26T22:00:00.000-04:00

Here it is, a quiet, rainy evening in Portsmouth, Virginia, and home to excellent eateries such as the Bier Garden and Roger Brown's within block of each other.

In the midst of ruminating about leadership development, I'm struck by an observation from yesterday. At Yorktown, I spent some time directing traffic in the northern parking lot several hundred yards from the Rally for Social Justice site. I spoke with someone in nearly every car that entered while I was in the lot; my fluorescent orange vest and orange traffic flag made quite a fashion statement when taken in concert with my wild blue shorts.

Anyway, here's one of things I was struck with: why is it when we oppose something we feel we must directly confront it? Many of the counter-protesters felt an urge to directly confront the neo-Nazis gathered at the park. They felt to oppose, they had to confront; they wanted to see the people gathered at the National Socialist Movement site. Rather than confront, the Center for Education Rights' approach is to creatively respond to that which is opposed. Confrontation gets nowhere. Certainly, the neo-Nazis were not going to change the opinions of the counter-protestors from the Anti-Racist Action network or Zion's Sake or any other segment of the population. And, just as certainly, the counter-protestors were not going to change the minds of the National Socialist Movement's members or the members of the other white supremist groups in attendance with the neo-Nazis. Confrontation only provides a place for evil to flourish, on both sides of the fence.

But many -- most -- of the people I spoke with wanted to confront. This includes, by the way, one car load of neo-Nazis in brown shirts and one car load of heavily tattooed young men (a swastika prominently displayed on arms) and several other sympathizers to the white supremist movement; most people choose to confront violently (violence as in "vehemence of feeling or expression; fervor" if not "force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing").

So, my question is: why is it that to oppose something, the seeming natural (at least yesterday at the Park) response is to confront?

As a member of my church suggested to me to today, perhaps the Rally for Social Justice response is one for thinking people, people who have a creative understanding, who can see beyond their own point of view, who understand the world is, indeed, a complicated place.

Let us hope that over the coming years, people and communities see there is power in creating a creative, non-confrontational, non-violent, tolerant response to that which goes against humanity.

Diversity. Tolerance. Non-violence. Social justice.

For all.

These are our watch words; these are our values. May we, indeed, live in a world without fear.

Peace.

Rally for Social Justice concludes

2005-06-25T23:16:00.000-04:00

Greetings, all... a quick note before I fall asleep: The Yorktown Rally for Social Justice was a superb time and, I think all would agree, a success. While our numbers were lower than we had anticipated (I figured we had some 130 to 150 come through the gate; Phil thought the number was perhaps closer to 250), the music was excellent, the spoken word was excellent, and the cupcakes were excellent. Everyone, from the Holocaust survivor who stopped by to baby Elliot, seemed to enjoy themselves.

To those of you who didn't make it, you missed a super summer festival.

Peace.

Mobile Post: Seed Is, for sure

2005-06-25T16:08:00.000-04:00

Seed Is kicked much with their big sound, filling the park with horn and voice. Peace.

Mobile Post: Law enforcement out in force

2005-06-25T14:58:00.000-04:00

There are likely more law enforcement officers at the park than all the people demonsrating their right to free speech. Here at the Rally for Social Justice, we have the Virginia State Police providing services: excellent presence.

Mobile Post: What more could we ask for?

2005-06-25T14:52:00.000-04:00

Live music. Pizza. Soda. A beautiful sky. What more could we ask for?

Mobile Post: Margot's beautiful voice

2005-06-25T14:40:00.000-04:00

Singer Margot MacDonald is here on stage; what a voice. She won a contest to participate. She's 14 and presents like a professional!

Mobile Post: An honorary doctorate?

2005-06-25T13:59:00.000-04:00

Phun Doctors are playing now: "Mustang Sally." Their drummer didn't make it, so the drummer from Seed Is jumped in. I guess they're going to give him an honorary doctorate!

Mobile Post: Still setting up.

2005-06-25T11:17:00.000-04:00

2nd tent going up. People starting to arrive. I'm beat. Too much exertion. Threw up. Resting now. Still need folks to help.

Mobile Post: The Rally site is excellent.

2005-06-25T08:36:00.000-04:00

Contrary to media reports, Yorktown Battlefield is NOT closed. Rally site is excellent. This is going to be a superb time. To get to Rally for Social Justice, take Route 17 to Colonial Parkway; bear right toward Coast Guard Training Center. At end of Parkway, turn right at stop sign. Parking is just a little ways up on the right. Rally sits is just beyond; you'll see our tents. Join us to support diversity, tolerance, non-violence, & social justice.

This is a community-based event

2005-06-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

Well, less than 24-hours from now and the Rally for Social Justice will have kicked off. If you are wondering what you can do to help, please know there's plenty you can do.

In short, we're still looking for a few folks to help set-up and a few folks to help "marshal" and direct parking...

And, we're still looking for a few donations-in-kind including drinks & food stuffs (picnic-type items, primarily for all the volunteers... marshals, musicians, poets, speakers, technicians, etc.)...

And, of course we're still looking for financial assistance (to help cover the cost of the stage, tents, sound equipment, generator, trucks, tables & chairs, safety equipment, and a sundry list of other necessary items). We've made it easy: You can donate on-line.

People of Hampton Roads, and people of the greater community: We ask you to stand for diversity, tolerance, non-violence, and social justice. Donate your time; donate your treasure. And, no matter what, please join us tomorrow, Saturday the 25th, from 1pm to 5pm. We'll be here; we hope you are, too.

Tomorrow belongs to us... all of us

2005-06-24T10:19:00.000-04:00

And I'm not using that in the manner in which some of my brown-shirted friends might. Tomorow's events will show good and evil, good ideas and bad ideas, love and hate.

We believe in diversity... and tomorrow belongs to all of us.

From an opinion piece in the Daily Press:

The rally that America's Nazi Party will hold at Yorktown on Saturday may be the best strategy to undermine, not strengthen, the group, to build opposition to it, not support.

Because the best way to kill bad ideas is to bring them out in the open. Repugnant ideas flourish in the dank darkness of ignorance and denial. But in the bright light of public exposure, they wither.

That would be the case with this white supremacist, neo-Nazi group. The doctrine it spews, based on racial superiority and allegiance to Adolf Hitler, is so putrid, so hate-filled, that most Americans - indeed any people with a reasonable measure of intelligence and humanity - find it offensive and alarming.

So bring it out in the open, and let people see it for what it is, and it earns opponents, not friends. That's exactly what this rally will do.

Shut those ideas away, where people can't see what the group is about, and opponents won't step forward, in action, speech or resolve.

There is another reason why getting these ideas into the light is a good thing. Allowing the rally affirms our devotion to free speech, the keystone of the Bill of Rights and our system of government, a feature of civic governance that reflects our founders' assumption of the natural intelligence of humankind. It puts on display, in a symbolic location, a reminder that this nation was birthed in a commitment to protecting the liberty of citizens, even those with opinions that deeply offend the majority.

So the rally will put the ideas of these neo-Nazis on display, and they will show badly. It will put the ideas of the American way on display, and they will show well. They prevailed once before at Yorktown, and they will prevail again on Saturday.

When they are brought out in the light, even with microphones, small men can only cast very small shadows.

In the mean time, Phil and I and a host of other volunteers are taking care of last minute details. If anyone wants to volunteer tomorrow, please get in touch with us today.

We are very excited about tomorrow's events; it's going to be a great time with excellent music and poetry and brief speeches. See you tomrrow at the Yorktown Battlefield.

These are interesting times: about 2 emails received today

2005-06-19T22:50:00.000-04:00

I've received another couple of emails. One from a member of the military who said he'd been given a direct order and wasn't allowed to attend our peaceful event which is fundamental to our Constitution. He wrote,

This is something I can not protest or even be near. The reason is I am in the military and it is a conflict to want Americans fight for. Actually I was given a direct order that no one in the military is to be in the vicinity of the rally held by the neo-nazi party. Although you should realize that the more one gives them notice is publicity for them and that helps boost their ego.

I don't want to say he doesn't get it, but, he doesn't get it. We're not in the vicinity of the neo-Nazis rally; we're at the other end of the Park. It's big park. Can he not assert his Constitutional rights of assembly and free speech, so long as he's not in uniform, doesn't assert to represent the military, and doesn't espouse hatred? Perhaps we boost their egos by acknowledging their presence, but that is the least of my concerns. As an editorial in today's Virginian Pilot noted, Evil flourishes only when good people do nothing. Do nothing, friends, and see what happens. But I don't plan on doing nothing, because I know what will happen. Evil will flourish.

Of course, I'm wondering how any military member can be against diversity, tolerance, and social justice.

And then, I received a note from the spouse of a mid-grade officer. She gets it.

My husband is an officer in the military. He was just transferred to the west coast; we have 2 kids, and we are staying on this coast for the 2 years of his assignment. Maybe more.

My husband is Samoan. He grew up in Samoa. His parents died when he was 17. He came to the states not knowing how to speak English or use a fork. He thought he could afford college. He tried, but realized that couldn't and enlisted in the military - for the history of it (haha). I was working in Philadelphia when we met and married in 1989. We had two kids and ended up here in Hampton Roads. The reason I'm elaborating is that both he and I have had to deal with all sorts of bigotry. I'm blonde, blue eyes, whiter than white. He has brown eyes, black hair and has the dark Polynesian skin as do both of our kids. We get stared at because we are different colors.

Kids are innocent, but they have no problem asking 'what is your daddy' or 'what is your husband.' Sometimes, I just want to say that he's just a human – like you are. Our kids get categorized as being black, most of the time. Many of their friends are surprised when they see me and ask my kids 'is THAT your mother?" My husband has been called “the brother with the good hair" because is great in sports. He is very dark, but his hair is straight - because he is Polynesian.

I never thought I'd ever had to deal with such an ignorant sort of hatred. My husband has run into a KKK rally and had to run the other way. Because of his advancement in the military, it's automatically assumed and even commented on (even by very good 'friends') that he advanced because of his race - not his merit, which REALLY makes me sick, as he is a hard charger and always has been. He was raised in a poor family in Samoa and grew up with nothing. He's worked for his rank.

We moved to Hampton Roads when our daughter was not even a year old. I remember going to the laundromat with her in her baby carrier. Another old woman was in there and noticed that my daughter was 'dark'. She said 'what is your husband?" I said that he was Polynesian. Her reply was "I feel bad for your daughter because she's not going to be accepted by either race and will be confused when she gets older." Boy was I caught off guard and VERY angry, as I had never had to deal with such prejudice before. I was hurt. I cried and cried. I told her that I was glad that her generation was dying out because there was no room in this world for people with her kind of thinking. I've never forgotten that comment.

Another time, when my daughter was going to preschool, I noticed that another one of the moms was staring at me, then my daughter. Back and forth, back and forth. She finally got up the nerve to ask me what company I had adopted my kids through! I was flabbergasted. I told her that they were MINE and that I had the scars and gray hair to prove it. She was embarrassed, but I still think it was rude to assume they weren't mine because they looked a little different than I do...

ANYWAY, my husband is away right now. He may be home by the 25th. I'd LOVE to come to the rally. Our daughter will be in Australia and New Zealand at the time, but I think it would be a good learning experience for our son.

When I speak to my husband, I will run it buy him. If he'd like to volunteer, I'll let you know...

Thank you so much for your labor. It is appreciated and necessary.

Friends, I hope you get it. And I hope you join us in supporting diversity, tolerance, social justice, and non-violence. Stand and be counted. Show everyone that our community will not do nothing.

Some say it's refreshing

2005-06-19T15:11:00.000-04:00

I recently sent an email to everyone in my various address books (I guess we'd call that spam, now, wouldn't we?) about the Rally. Here was a reply I received from an old high school buddy who is now a professor at the University of Arkansas.

Why Peter, after a hard day of hearing the locals rail in hatred against gays, after dealing with the continuous heartache of seeing science mis-used, warped and twisted to support partisal polical and religious agendas, and after just finishing the NY Times editorial reviewing the latest happenings with the Ohio pension scandal, it's refreshing to finally get that rare message that somebody gives a crap about something other than their wallet or themselves. Keep it up, and good luck.

The last time I saw Mike we ate a few crabs, drank a few beers, and talked about home brewing and the state of the world. Some things don't change.

Things are coming together: excitement reigns

2005-06-17T23:24:00.000-04:00

Last night I attended a planning meeting of various groups who will be exercising their Constitutional rights at the Yorktown Battlefield on the 25th. The Center for Education Rights, sponsor of the Rally for Social Justice, is one of three groups who have been granted permits by the National Park Service to hold gatherings at the Park on that Saturday. From last night's planning meeting, it is clear that the Rally for Social Justice will be the place to be Saturday afternoon. Our music, our program, our infrastructure, and our core values (diversity, tolerance, non-violence, and social justice) make the Rally for Social Justice perhaps the only family-friendly, non-confrontational, peaceful plot of grass at the Park.

For those of you who are wondering, the Rally for Social Justice is at the north end of the Park, between the Vistors' Center and the Coast Guard's Training Center. The other two permit holders, the National Socialist Movement and the counter-protest led by Zion's Sake Congregation, will be at the southern end of the Park, well removed from the Rally for Social Justice.

Come on out and enjoy the music, poetry, and insightful words at the Rally for Social Justice. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs & a cooler with food & drink... we'll see you next weekend!

So far, so good: Weather Report says Rally will be dry!

2005-06-17T22:27:00.000-04:00

According to the Accuweather extended forcast for Tidewater, Virginia, the weather for the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice -- on Saturday, June 25th -- should be warm and humid with intervals of clouds and sunshine. Winds from the SW at 16 mph. High 90 degrees F. Let's hope so!

Enter the Poster/Banner Contest at the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice

2005-06-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

Above are students from the Westtown School (a boarding school near Philadelphia) at the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice in September, 2004. Each of these students won a special Rally for Social Justice t-shirt in CER's Poster/Banner contest.

You too can win a RALLY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE T-SHIRT! CER is once again sponsoring a Rally for Social Justice Poster/Banner Contest. Children and adults are encouraged to enter the contest. Complete rules of the contest are available by clicking here.

Musical Diversity to be featured at the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice

2005-06-09T00:26:00.000-04:00

The Yorktown Rally for Social Justice on June 25th at Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Virginia, will feature an array of genres of live music.

Seed Is, a raggae-influenced jam band from Norfolk, VA, will be bringing a large number of fans from the Tidewater area. I had a chance to see Seed Is play at the Grape Street in Philadelphia a few weeks ago, and they were great.

Ben Arnold, an old friend from my days as in-house counsel at Ruffhouse Records (Columbia/Sony), is currently on tour in Europe, and will be flying back to the states to play at the Rally for Social Justice on his way to some gigs in Chicago.

Dave Quicks and his revolving door of musicians from BurnDown All-Stars ought to have the park dancing by mid-afternoon at the Rally. These guys are going out of their way to join us at the Rally for Social Justice: they are playing a concert at the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia the night before the Rally in Yorktown and will be driving thru the night to make it to Virginia!

We are excited that The Mia Johnson Band will be playing at the Rally for Social Justice. I've known Mia for almost a decade, and I was the executive producer of her first album, Access. Mia's band is sure to be a hit with the crowd. They'll be playing this weekend (June 12th) at the Knitting Factory in NYC ... if you happen to be in New York City check it out! Tell Mia that Phil sent you!

Scooter Scudieri brings his folk-rock to the Rally for Social Justice from his home in West Virginia. Scooter's new video Mother of God has been setting records for internet downloads over the past several months.

Ben, Mia, Scooter, and BurnDown all played at the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice in Pennsylvania last Fall, and we are delighted that they ALL want to be a part of the upcoming Yorktown Rally for Social Justice. We have added a few additions to the lineup as well:

Nadine Goellner is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, NY. I was introduced to Nadine a while back by my friend Adam Brodsky, and have had a chance to see Nadine play a number of times (most recently at World Cafe Live a few months ago). Nadine didn't hesitate when I asked her to play at the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice ... she jumped at the opportunity! Nadine will be playing in Washington, DC, on Thursday, June 23rd, on her say South, and I highly recommend her show for anyone in the DC area. Also, coincidently, let me mention that Nadine, too, will be playing a gig next week -- on June 15th -- at the Knitting Factory in NYC.

The newest addition to the lineup of musicians playing at the Rally for Social Justice -- and also the youngest -- is Margot MacDonald, a 14 year-old singer-songwriter from Arlington, VA. Margot was the winner of our SonicBids contest.

CER now accepts on-line donations

2005-04-09T12:42:00.000-04:00

The Center for Education Rights, a non-profit tax-exempt organization pursuent to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, can now accept on-line donations by credit card or paperless check! On-line donations to CER are processed by Network for Good, a internet-based resource for non-profit organizations.

Donations to CER will help to cover the costs associated with the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice on June 25, 2005, at Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Virginia. To make a tax-free donation to CER by credit card (Visa/MasterCard/Amex/Discover) or paperless check (EFT), please click here.

On-line donations to CER are processed on a secure web-site maintained by Network for Good. Network for Good charges a 3% transaction processing fee to CER (which is similar to the amount paid my all merchants that accept credit card payments). Similarly, Network for Good charges CER a $10 transaction fee for electronic fund transfer (EFT) charges when you make a donation to CER through Network for Good using an on-line paperless check. On-line donations to CER through Network for Good are processed by Bank of America, and all fees, as applicable and discussed above, are deducted prior to disbursement to CER.

When making a donation to CER through Network for Good using your credit card, your credit card statement will show payment to Network to Good, not the Center for Education Rights. You will receive a record of your contribution for tax purposes. You can dedicate a donation to someone or something in specific, or make a donation to CER on behalf of another person. Network for Good will pass along the dedication request with your donation to CER. Network for Good does NOT give CER your address or any other personal information -- only your name and e-mail -- so you will not receive an acknowledgement of your gift from CER. If you prefer, you can also make a donation to CER through Network for Good anonymously by checking the box on the CER Network for Good cart.

At what price silence?

2005-03-22T20:54:00.000-05:00

I recently received the following via email:

Being anti- anything is not only not productive, but actually feeds our attention and energy to something we want to starve. People showing up at this rally to protest the rally will be sending the message that the neo-Nazis are to be taken seriously, and that they are to be feared.

Question: Are the neo-Nazis to be taken seriously?

From the news today:

Authorities were trying to determine Tuesday what caused a teenager to gun down his grandfather, put on the man's police-issue belt and bulletproof vest, and drive his marked squad car to a high school, where he began shooting his classmates at will.

Jeff Weise, whom authorities said was 16 or 17, killed nine people and wounded seven Monday before trading gunfire with a police officer and apparently shooting himself. His motive still wasn't clear Tuesday, but the FBI said the shootings appeared to have been planned in advance....

Authorities were investigating whether Weise, who dressed in black and wrote stories about zombies, may have posted messages on a neo-Nazi Web site expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Using the handle "Todesengel" — German for "Angel of Death" — the writer identified himself as Jeff Weise of the Red Lake Reservation. In April 2004, he referenced being accused of "a threat on the school I attend," though it says he was later cleared.

I have to respectfully disagree with Elissa, the email writer, that we don't need to take the neo-Nazis seriously and ought to just stay home while they and their associates, including the KKK & the Aryan Nation, gather at Yorktown.

We tried it in 1937. That tactic of disagreement has a poor track record.

Plans for Yorktown Rally underway

2005-03-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I met with officials of the National Park Service at Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Virginia.

The Park Service has designated the location of the June 25th Rally for Social Justice to be in a field at the southwest corner of the intersection of Colonial Parkway and Rt. 238, just west of the Yorktown National Battlefield Visitor Center. The designated location will provide ample room for the Rally for Social Justice, as well as a large parking area for people attending the rally.

The location of the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice is approximately one mile from the area designated by the National Park Service for the hate rally of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) that will be occurring simultaneously in the park on June 25th. Roads leading between the two sites will be closed and people attending the hate rally will be bused into the park by law enforcement officials from an off-site location. As such, we will not cross paths with the NSM. Security at the Rally for Social Justice will be provided by the U.S. Park Police and the Virginia State Police.

All of these steps are being taken to ensure that the Rally for Social Justice is a safe family-friendly event. Specific details regarding the Rally (including location, parking, etc.) will be posted on the Rally for Social Justice web-site as the information becomes available.

Roanoke Times editorial: Thank goodness for CER!

2005-03-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

In this morning's newspaper, the Editorial Board of The Roanoke Times endorsed the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice, saying "thank goodness for the deodorizing effect of free speech and peaceable assembly that counter-demonstrators will bring" in response to the hate-rally of the National Socialist Movement at Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Virginia, on June 25, 2005.

Non-violence, social justice, diversity, & tolerance

2005-03-10T10:51:00.000-05:00

Our key values: Non-violence, social justice, diversity, & tolerance.

I noted below the assertion in several articles that CER and the Rally for Social Justice are involved in violent direct action is incorrect. The report said,

The application by the Center for Education Rights requested permission to stage a non-confrontational rally in a location apart from the Socialist Reform Movement's gathering. Center organizers staged the same sort of counter-rally at Valley Forge last year to protest a Socialist Reform Movement gathering there. The events ended with four arrests and some injuries, Litterst said.

Mr. Litterst is a spokesperson for the National Park in Yorktown; he missed the events in Valley Forge last September. Here's how one reporter noted the violence:

The lone incident of violence — a fist-fight between a member of the National Socialist Movement and members of the Anti-Racist Action Network — resulted in an arrest.

While I respect non-violent direction action, I believe that violent direction action is overstepping the bounds. And further, I suggest that doing something positive, rather than meeting hatred with hatred, is the true, and best, way of creating change.

If you are for non-violence, social justice, diversity, and tolerance, then, please, join us at the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice. And, if you want to be a part in the creation of the Rally, please contact us. We are looking for people who want to help out, for people who want to create something positive.

Join CER's Rally Street Team

2005-03-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

CER is looking for motivated and energetic people to join our Rally Street Team to help us get the word out about the upcoming Yorktown Rally for Social Justice. Members of the CER Rally Street have the opportunity of winning Rally for Social Justice t-shirts and other cool swag. We are also looking for campus reps at colleges and universities in the Tidewater Virginia area, and beyond. Check it out by clicking here.

The wires are bursting with news... well, sort'a

2005-03-09T19:27:00.000-05:00

Well, the wires are clicking...

Over at the Daily Press they've posted:

Groups plan to protest neo-Nazi rally
BY DAVID CHERNICKY

YORK -- A National Parks Service spokesman today confirmed that two groups have received permission to counter-protest a planned June 25 rally by a neo-Nazi group at Yorktown Battlefield.

The park service received applications on February 28 from the Center for Education Rights of Valley Forge, Pa., and a Newport News synagogue, Congregation Zion's Sake, said spokesman Mike Litterst.

The groups want to rally at the battlefield on the same day that the neo-Nazi group Socialist Reform Movement plans to demonstrate.

The park service approved both applications, Litterst said.

The application by the Center for Education Rights requested permission to stage a non-confrontational rally in a location apart from the Socialist Reform Movement's gathering. Center organizers staged the same sort of counter-rally at Valley Forge last year to protest a Socialist Reform Movement gathering there. The events ended with four arrests and some injuries, Litterst said.

Rabbi Eric Carlson, the other applicant, said he's received a letter from the park service approving the synagogue's application, but the park service didn't specify the location where the group will gather.

"We can quite easily muster 200 to 250 people through our own synagogue," Carlson said, and planners are asking other local synagogues to join the protest.

The arrest & injuries thing is a bit of misinformation. The quote in the article is "The events ended with four arrests and some injuries," Litterst said.Okay, that's true. The day of the Nazi/KKK rally four folks were arrested and some people were injured... but not at the Rally for Social Justice. The Rally for Social Justice was well away from the Nazi gathering; it was peaceful and non-violent; no attendee of the Rally for Social Justice was arrested or injured. Those arrested & injured included people attending the NSM rally and those conducting violent direct action against the Nazi/KKK attendees.

The Rally for Social Justice held -- and holds -- to key values including

Social Justice

Diversity

Tolerance

Non-violence

Join us...

CER & the Rally for Social Justice is not alone in wanting non-violence opposition in Yorktown

2005-03-09T17:59:00.000-05:00

The Associated Press has picked up the story of our upcoming Rally for Social Justice. This afternoon I had a long chat with Sue Lindsy of the local AP bureau; what follows is her story.

Hundreds plan protests to neo-Nazi rally at Revolutionary War site

SUE LINDSEY, Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. - Peaceful protesters are planning to show up by the hundreds to exercise their own First Amendment rights to free speech when a neo-Nazi group holds a rally in June on a Revolutionary War battlefield.

Two groups have been granted permits for counterdemonstrations on June 25 at the same time that the National Socialist Movement rallies at the Yorktown Battlefield, Mike Litterst, a National Park Service spokesman, said Wednesday.

The Center for Educational Rights, based in Valley Forge, Pa., expects at least 400 people will listen to speeches, music and poetry supporting social justice, diversity and peace. Congregation Zion's Sake of Newport News estimates up to 500 people from area churches will gather to demonstrate ethnic and racial harmony.

The National Socialist Movement, which claims to be the nation's largest Nazi party, projects a crowd of 300 for its rally.

Commander Jeff Schoep said while his organization is "obviously a pro-white group," the movement is not a hate group. "We're a political party," he said.

The counter groups both plan peaceful demonstrations to what they perceive as a message of intolerance.

The Park Service's Litterst said organizations often overestimate the crowd size for rallies, but he wouldn't be surprised if other groups also seek to demonstrate at Yorktown that day.

"I'm sure this is just the start," he said.

In its Park Service application for a rally permit, Zion's Sake requested "close proximity to the NSM."

The Messianic Jewish congregation wants the neo-Nazis "to see love," Rabbi Eric Carlson said.

"It's a small planet," he said. "When you look at a satellite photo of the Earth you don't see races or borders."

The educational rights group, on the other hand, hopes to be as far from the neo-Nazis as possible, said Peter Stinson of Portsmouth, one of the rally organizers.

"My hope for the day is that I don't see a brown shirt," Stinson said, referring to the Nazi uniform.

The Pennsylvania organization, which is headed by Stinson's brother, Philip, held a similar demonstration at Valley Forge when the National Socialist Movement rallied there last September.

Its plan in Virginia is to act as an umbrella organization for area groups that want to protest the Nazi gathering, Peter Stinson said.

The group received a grant from the Southern Poverty Law Center for the rally last fall and hopes to receive the same backing for Yorktown, Stinson said.

Zion's Sake has asked both Jewish and Christian congregations to join its rally. Carlson said the racially diverse congregation is not experienced at demonstrations and doesn't have a firm game plan, but felt moved to protest.

"Sometimes you have to put some prayer into action," he said.

"This is more significant because of our Jewish background," said Carlson, who lost relatives in the Holocaust. "It's a grim reminder of the darker side of our humanity."

ON THE NET

Center for Educational Rights

Congregation Zion's Sake

National Socialist Movement

I hope that we and Congregation Zion's Sake can get together and merge efforts, showing the neo-Nazis, the KKK, our community, and the country that peace and non-violence, diversity and tolerance, are stronger than hatred and division.

Peace.

For all of you who want to lend a hand with planning & preparation, now's the time. Contact us.

Application for Special Use Permit approved by Superintendent of Colonial National Historical Park

2005-03-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

P. Daniel Smith, the Superintendent of Colonial National Historical Park, has approved the Center for Educational Rights Special Use Permit to hold the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice. As Phil Stinson, President of the not-for-profit Center for Educational Rights, noted in his application

This event -- THE YORKTOWN RALLY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE -- will be a peaceful and non-confrontational counter-rally to the rally of the National Socialist Movement that is scheduled to take place simultaneously at Yorktown National Battlefield. The Rally for Social Justice will express First Amendment views through featured speakers and live music.

That's it folks: We're on! Now we need to get moving: volunteers needed. We hope to have more than 500 people out for this event; your help & your participation is vitally needed. Stand-up and show the NSM & the KKK that our community is one that values diversity, tolerance, and social justice.

Why the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice?

2005-02-28T22:42:00.000-05:00

Why has the Center for Educational Rights, a nonprofit organization, decided to sponsor the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice? Why should you attend?

The notion for a rally started last fall when it became public the neo-Nazis were planning a hate rally in Valley Forge, a short hop from where my brother lives. Over breakfast, my brother's son wanted to know what they could do to counter the rally.

Say the folks over at Tolerance.org:

Do NOT attend a hate rally. Find another outlet for anger and frustration and people's desire to do something. Hold a unity rally or parade. Find a news hook, like a "hate-free zone."

Hate has a First Amendment right. Courts have routinely upheld the constitutional right of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups to hold rallies and say what they want. In 1998, for example, the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held 39 weekend rallies in 14 states. Communities can restrict group movements to avoid conflicts with other citizens, but hate rallies will continue. Your efforts should focus on channeling people away from rallies.

And that's what this effort is about: creating a family-friendly alternative to the hate of the Nazis and the KKK.

As Phil noted about the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice,

Rally for Social Justice was designed as a peaceful, educational, non-confrontational, family-friendly event that celebrated diversity and promoted social tolerance within the local community, and throughout the nation as well. This evolved as a grass-roots community-based response in opposition to the announcement by the NSM (a neo-nazi organization) that they had selected Valley Forge National Historical Park as the location of their September 25th hate rally because they viewed "Valley Forge as the birthplace of White Patriotism."

And we plan the same for our efforts at Yorktown in late June. As Tolerance.org reminds us,

Every act of hatred should be met with an act of love and unity. Many communities facing a Klan rally have held alternative events at the same hour, some distance away. They have included a community picnic, a parade or unity fair with food, music, exhibits and entertainment.

These events emphasize strength in diversity and the positive aspects of the community. They also give people a safe outlet for the frustration and anger they want to vent. As a woman at a Spokane human rights rally and reggae dance put it, "Being passive is something I don't want to do. I need to make some kind of commitment to human rights."

The Rally for Social Justice is a positive alternative to the hate of the Brownshirts. Ours is a demonstration of peace, social justice, diversity, and tolerance. We hope you'll join us. Mark your calendar now.

CER Announces the YORKTOWN RALLY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

2005-02-25T01:11:00.000-05:00

The Center for Education Rights has filed an application for a special use permit with the National Park Service to hold the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice on Saturday, June 25, 2005, as a First Amendment expression in peaceful opposition to the hate rally of the National Socialist Movement that will be occurring simultaneously at the Yorktown National Battlefield at Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia.

More information on the Yorktown Rally for Social Justice will be posted here and on CER's official web-site, www.rallyforsocialjustice.org soon. Check back often for details.

Yorktown it is!

2005-02-18T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, the news it out: the Neo-Nazis are coming to Yorktown. The Virginian Pilot brings us the latest:

Nazi group seeks to hold rally at park in Yorktown
By JOHN HOPKINS, The Virginian-Pilot

The National Socialist Movement , known as America’s Nazi Party, has asked to use the Yorktown Battlefield for a rally in June during the height of the tourist season.

The group, which espouses hatred of blacks and Jews, is planning a rally for 200 to 300 supporters from across the country, according to its application. The National Park Service is considering the request, said Mike Litterst, spokesman for the Yorktown Battlefield site.

“It’s a national park, belonging to all Americans,’’ Litterst said. “So the parks are available for all demonstrations. And again, it comes under everyone’s First Amendment rights.’’

Local tourism officials said Thursday that they didn’t know about the group’s planned rally.

The Yorktown Battlefield issues 100 permits a year for use of the park. The National Socialist Movement may – like any other group – have a constitutional right to rally at the park, Litterst said.

Litterst said the group’s request is the first he has seen that invokes the First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceable assembly when asking to conduct an event in the park.

The National Socialist Movement seeks to bring about “strong, free nation states for all white people,’’ according to its membership application.

Tamar Kipper, assistant director for the Washington, D.C., regional office of the Anti-Defamation League, said the Minnesota-based movement, founded in 1974, seeks to deny citizenship to Jews, non-whites and homosexuals.

“Their views are held by a small minority of the population,’’ said Kipper, noting that the group seeks to attract new members with such rallies. “They wear the Nazi uniforms and are very open about it.”

Phone calls to the group’s Minnesota office were not answered on Thursday. According to the movement’s Web site, the group has various branches, including a women’s group, farmers association, stormtroops, workers’ union and skinheads. It also has a self-titled “viking youth’’ group for children ages 13 to 18.

Its plan in Virginia this summer is to conduct a rally from 2 to 4 p.m. on June 25 at Surrender Field. The 4,000-acre park is scheduled to be open that day to the public.

Surrender Field is where, on Oct. 19, 1781 , British Gen. Lord Cornwallis’ troops laid down their arms, surrendering to George Washington and ending the Revolutionary War.

Litterst said the National Park Service has already started planning to deal with security issues for the rally this summer. Federal officers would be present, he said.

“Certainly, it’s going to bring out high emotions from both sides, and we will be prepared to deal with that,’’ Litterst said.

The Williamsburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau was unaware of the planned rally, said Priscilla Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the bureau, which represents Virginia’s Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.

The AP posted a story also.

Neo-Nazi Group Plans Historic Site Rally
By SUE LINDSEY Associated Press Writer

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- Citing the First Amendment right to free speech and peaceable assembly, the National Park Service granted a neo-Nazi group's request to hold a rally at a national monument to democracy.

The National Socialist Movement plans to hold a rally June 25 at the Yorktown Battlefield, Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said Friday.

"Because this is a First Amendment issue, it cannot be turned down," Litterst said.

However, the group probably will not have the rally on its chosen site _ Surrender Field, which is where the British army surrendered to Gen. George Washington to end the Revolutionary War.

Litterst said no group has ever been permitted to use that field, which is a popular tourist attraction.

The National Socialist Movement, which claims to be the nation's largest Nazi party, did not respond to requests for interviews Friday, but the Minneapolis-based group said on its application that it chose the Yorktown Battlefield because of a desire to honor Washington. They say Washington held anti-Semitic views _ a position disputed by many scholars.

The group's application said up to 300 people will demonstrate at the southeastern Virginia park, but only about 100 showed up when it held a similar rally last September at Valley Forge National Historical Park. They were heckled by twice as many counter-demonstrators.

Litterst said the Park Service would have a substantial police presence at the Yorktown rally.

Guess it's time to step up to the plate and create a Rally for Social Justice on the grass in Yorktown. Any takers?

Is Williamsburg next?

2005-02-08T23:14:00.000-05:00

Rumor has it that the Nazis and the Klan have decided to gather in Williamsburg in late June or early July.

I've contacted the National Park Service, host to last summer's September gathering in Valley Forge, to see if I can get any information from them:

Please forward this electronic mail to the FOIA Officer for the Colonial National Historical Park.

Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 5 USC 522, I request all records and information -- including electronic documents, letters, memos, applications, or other forms of records -- concerning a request by any groups, particularly groups which might be classified as "hate groups" such as the National Socialist Movement or the Ku Klux Klan, who have applied for an application to gather in any National Park Service property in the Colonial National Historic Park, or any other nearby National Park Service facility, in late June 2005 or early July 2005.

I believe the disclosure of this information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the federal government and is not in my commercial interest. As such, a request a waiver of fees associated with this request. If a waiver is not granted, I ask to be notified of any fees assessed for this request.

My preferred method of communications is by electronic mail. You may also contact me by regular mail.

I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

If they are coming, once again, we'll not be content to sit idly by. As my brother said back in early September, we ought to "offer a forum for a peaceful and educational rally as an alternative to the hate rally."

Your thoughts?

2004-11-20T13:52:00.000-05:00

Scooter Scudieri performing at the Rally for Social Justice in Valley Forge, PA, on September 25, 2004.

2004-11-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

Students from Westtown School at the Valley Forge rally for Social Justice on September 25, 2004.

2004-11-20T13:28:00.000-05:00

Mick Berg, father of Nick Berg, speaking at the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. Nick was murdered by terrorists in Iraq in May, 2004.

Valley Forge After-Action Report

2004-11-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was held on Saturday, September 25, 2004, in Valley Forge National Historical Park in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, as a community-based response and counter-demonstration to the hate rally of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) that was held simultaneously at another area within the park. The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was made possible by a grant from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s 10 Ways to Fight Hate Community Grant Program.

The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was designed as a peaceful, educational, non-confrontational, family-friendly event that celebrated diversity and promoted social tolerance within the local community, and throughout the nation as well. This evolved as a grass-roots community-based response in opposition to the announcement by the NSM (a neo-nazi organization) that they had selected Valley Forge National Historical Park as the location of their September 25th hate rally because they viewed "Valley Forge as the birthplace of White Patriotism."

Conceived only one month prior to its occurrence, the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was planned and organized by an ad hoc group of local people and organizations under the guidance of the Center for Education Rights (CER). Other local groups, including the Chester County Peace Movement, the Brandywine Peace Movement, and the Boyertown Area Unity Coalition, helped by encouraging their membership and others to attend the Rally for Social Justice. Leaders of each of these community groups made themselves available to talk with the press, and each were quoted in numerous newspaper articles.

Additionally, student groups from area schools, including the Westtown School, Eastern University, and West Chester University, attended the rally. Many of these students made banners and signs that they carried at the Rally for Social Justice. A group of students from West Chester University served a volunteer rally marshals, and received training from the Community Relations Section at the U.S. Department of Justice for this purpose.

An interesting aspect of the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was the level of coordination and collaboration with numerous local, state, and federal government agencies in planning and conducting the event. Several weeks prior to the Rally for Social Justice, CER sponsored a meeting that was attended by representatives from the National Park Service, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Community Relations Section of the United States Department of Justice, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the Phoenixville Police Department, as well as representatives from a variety of non-government entities, including CER, the National Lawyers Guild, the Chester County Peace Movement, the Boyertown Area Unity Coalition, West Chester University, the Anti-Defamation League, and others.

Event organizers also attended a pre-event meeting with the Pennsylvania Interagency Task Force on Civil Tension in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and attended additional meetings with representatives of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the United States Park Police, the Schuylkill Township Police Department, the Valley Forge Fire Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police.

In all instances, pre-event logistical planning and decision-making designed to ensure a peaceful, non-violent, and safe event was paramount. This event would not have been possible without the open dialogue between event organizers and representatives of each of the aforementioned agencies. In many respects, planning and logistical decisions were made based on input and recommendations made by interaction with the above-referenced government agency officials.

In a few instances, pre-event logistical disputes between CER and the National Park Service were mediated by conciliators from the Community Relations Section of the United States Department of Justice. Additionally, informal counsel and advice was provided by the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia, the National Lawyers Guild, the Anti-Defamation League, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was, by all accounts, a success. Approximately 300 people attended the Rally for Social Justice. The Rally included musical entertainment provided by singer-songwriters Ben Arnold, Scooter Scudieri, and Mia Johnson, and the hip-hop band BurnDown Allstars.

Featured speakers at the Rally for Social Justice included Phil Stinson (president of the Center for Education Rights), Professor Kevin Borgeson (St. Bonaventure University), Karen Porter (Chester County Peace Movement), Mike Reid (author of White Supremacy: Behind the Eyes of Hate), and Mike Berg (father of Nicholas Berg, who was murdered by terrorists in Iraq in May, 2004). Additional, a speech prepared by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell read at the Rally for Social Justice. Governor Rendell was absent because the rally was held on Yom Kippur and he was, thus, unavailable.

The hate rally of the NSM and KKK had quite a negative impact on the community, especially on teenagers. In the days leading up to the hate rally, numerous students at Spring-Ford Area High School in Royersford, Pennsylvania (about 7 miles from Valley Forge National Historical Park) became agitated, leading to threats of violence within the student body. As a result, it was reported that 400 students were absent from school on Friday, September 24th (the day before the hate rally and the counter-rally).

Additionally, it was reported that youth residing at the Mitchell’s Program at Saint Gabriel’s Hall refused to venture outside on the day of the hate rally, in fear of crossing paths with members of the KKK. This caused a significant problem, as the residents of the Mitchell’s Program must walk across Pawlings Road on foot in order to go to meals in the main building of Saint Gabriel’s Hall. Saint Gabriel’s Hall – a residential facility for court-adjudicated youth from the City of Philadelphia – is located in Audubon, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the Walnut Hill section of Valley Forge National Historical Park. Word had leaked out to the teenagers at Saint Gabriel’s Hall that the National Park Service was using Walnut Hill as the staging area for members of the KKK and National Socialist Movement to park their vehicles. Pursuant to plan, the neo-nazis and klansmen were ferried to their rally area at the park’s amphitheater by buses in a motorcade with police escorts. According to a social worker at Saint Gabriel’s, many of the residents there were terrified by the presence of the KKK, and that tensions were high with these teenagers throughout the weekend of the hate rally and counter-rally.

The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice proved to be a positive impact on many people in the community, including area youth. In the weeks preceding the rally, dozens of area residents who frequent the park for recreational purposes contacted CER and voiced their concerns about the NSM/KKK rally. Several of these individuals provided input into the planning of the Rally for Social Justice. Numerous student groups from colleges and universities in the greater Philadelphia area stepped forward to take leadership roles in organizing the rally, and in participation in the Rally for Social Justice.

Numerous challenges were faced in organizing and holding the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice:

1. A decision had to be made as to whether a counter-rally would be a positive statement, or whether it would simply provide more publicity to the hate rally of the NSM and KKK. That issue was resolved by the realization that the hate rally would obtain considerable media coverage with or without a counter-rally, and that a counter-rally projecting a positive community-based response of peace and tolerance could "steal the thunder" by obtaining its own media coverage. Also, due to the very public hate rally on federal park land, CER deemed it necessary to provide a peaceful forum for others to exercise their First Amendment rights to express disdain with the hate-mongers.

2. There was very little time for advance planning. It was not publicly known until August 25, 2004, that the National Park Service had granted a permit to the National Socialist Movement to conduct their hate rally at the amphitheater at Valley Forge National Historical Park on September 25, 2004 (Yom Kippur).

3. Efforts to organize the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was a grass-roots project, relying on word-of-mouth, news publicity, and internet-based strategies to promote the counter-rally. No money was spent to promote the Rally for Social Justice.

4. Bureaucratic and logistical considerations required coordination with a variety of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

5. CER utilized the internet as the sole method of publicizing the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. A web-site was launched using a new URL, rallyforsocialjustice.org, solely for this purpose.

The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice generated extensive media coverage that provided a reasonable community-based message of promoting social tolerance and diversity. Newspaper coverage (articles, editorials, letters to the editor, and at least one Associated Press wire story) was extensive in the Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as in suburban newspapers, including the Daily Local News in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the Times Herald in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and the Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Local television coverage was extensive as well, with lead-story coverage of the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice on the evening before and after the rally on the Philadelphia affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. But for the Rally for Social Justice, the television coverage would have been limited to images of neo-nazis and klansmen from the NSM/KKK rally in Valley Forge National Historical Park.

CER relied on an internet-based web-site as the primary means of disseminating information to the public on matters relating to the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. The web-site was designed using the open source Typo3 web-site content management system, allowing for on-the-fly updates and additions to the site using a user-friendly internet-based software application. CER staff were trained by consultants from a web-development firm, customIT, Inc. The use of the Typo3 system and training allowed for complete content management control without having to wait for specialized staff to build the web-site, make changes to the web-site, and/or add content to the web-site. The web-site included a blog, list of speakers, information on musical entertainment at the rally, directions to the park and a map of the park, a message board, news clippings, links to other web-sites, and contact information.

In the three (3) weeks prior to the Rally for Social Justice, the web-site logged considerable traffic: 1,072 unique visitors, 2,141 visits, and 14,440 page views. Within several days of launching the web-site, spiders/robots from Google and other search engines cataloged the site, leading to considerable traffic resulting from search engine results on Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL, AltaVista, Lycos, and others. Additionally. During the month of September, 521 external web pages linked directly to the Rally for Social Justice web-site. Over 97% of visitors accessing the web-site do so using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser, and over 90% of the visitors used the Microsoft Windows XP computer operating system.

The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was unique in many respects because of its location within a national historical park. Organizers of future events such as the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice should understand that such events are subject to very restrictive permits issued by the National Park Service. Open lines of communications with the National Park Service (and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies) is of utmost importance. Law enforcement officials are, by nature, suspect of "peace rally" organizers. In this instance, the open dialogue between CER and the National Park Service was crucial in helping law enforcement officials understand that the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice was designed to help law enforcement by drawing people away from the hate rally location by way of providing an alternative forum for concerned citizens to express their First Amendment opinions without resorting to direct confrontation of the NSM and KKK at their hate rally.

A major finding is that the use of content management system and web-based tactics were highly successful as a primary method of providing information and publicizing the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. Grass-roots community-based activists can learn from our experiences as to the effectiveness of internet-based applications – specifically, user-friendly open source web development and content management systems, such as Typo3 – to promote an event, even without the benefit of considerable lead time or significant funding.

Funding provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s 10 Ways to Fight Hate Community Grant Program was used by CER to promote the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice by funding the event infrastructure, namely, in the rental, assembly, and staffing of the staging, tents, and sound system that were set up in Valley Forge National Historical Park for this event.

CER will be conducting an assessment in the months ahead to determine the effectiveness of the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice, as measured by any the existence of any public demonstrations of hate groups and/or the commission of hate crimes within Valley Forge National Historical Park and contiguous communities since the NSM/KKK hate rally. Currently, however, CER lacks sufficient funding to engage in any proactive community-based efforts to promote social tolerance and diversity. CER is maintaining the web-site, rallyforsocialjustice.org, and will continue to use the site as a forum to promote social tolerance and to provide information to community groups across the country confronted with similar circumstances.

We are grateful to the Southern Poverty Law Center for their financial support of the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. The rally would not have been possible without the award of the 10 Ways to Fight Hate Community Grant. Also, it should be noted that the grant application was approved by the Southern Poverty Law Center within two (2) hours of its submission. That quick turnaround and endorsement from the Southern Poverty Law Center served as a primary motivator for our event volunteers and gave us instant credibility with members of the press.

Words from the Philadelphia Weekly

2004-09-30T10:06:00.000-04:00

Kia Gregory asks "Saturday's dueling rallies in Valley Forge Park were plenty loud, but was anyone really listening?"

I was, and I was 298 miles away.

The Fat Lady has sung

2004-09-27T18:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess we'll be going through the after-action reports on the Valley Forge Social Justice Rally for months to come. I didn't make it, as I was serving on military duty, fulfilling my obligation as a reservist.

Here's two bits: First, here is a posting on an anti-facist site (One People's Project); I guess, depending on where you sat, the day was not all that peaceful. Looks like some people want to take the call to action and use their fists... Next, here are Phil's comments he made at the peaceful rally.

More to follow...

Twenty-four hours from now it'll all be over

2004-09-24T22:00:00.000-04:00

And ain't that the truth. By this time tomorrow night, the neo-Nazis and the Klansmen will be winging their respective ways back to their caves, intent on figuring out how to successfully create hate in the United States. And, those who attended the social justice rally will be basking the glow created by peace and tolerance.

Ah, a little ying, a little yang.

Oh, I probably shouldn't talk about the ying and the yang; our lurking Nazis and KKK members probably don't understand it. Afterall, it's not a concept which is purely white in nature... ((Which, of course, brings me to a question: What is purely white in nature?))

Anyway, the fat lady sings in something like 18 hours. Let's all direct peaceful thoughts toward Valley Forge.

Those for peace & justice are "scraggly drug users and gutter punks"

2004-09-17T16:44:00.000-04:00

More press on the Rally for Social Justice in the Pennsylvania press. This one from the Morning Call in the Lehigh Valley.

Said Jeff Schoep, commander of the National Socialist Movement, based in Minneapolis, Minn., and organizer of the rally:

There are people who will try and make trouble and create violence. We will defend ourselves if attacked … at least half our people are former military, and most of the opposition are scraggly drug users and gutter punks.

Let's see. Now we're scraggly drug users and gutter punks? I can do better than that. How about peace loving humanists... or tolerant individuals... or music loving folks of all races and creeds... or... well, you get the idea...

Perhaps Mr. Schoep should take up yoga or tai chi to mellow out a bit. Oh, that's right, those methods weren't created by white folk so they probably don't have any real value. Right. There's a part of me that wonders how a person can go through life filled with such hate and vile bile.

And, it's too bad that Mr. Schoep will be surrounded by his hateful colleagues on the 25th... and everyone else in the park will be celebrating diversity, tolerance, and social justice. I can picture it now: dark clouds hovering over the amphitheater while the sun shines bright on those in Artillery Park.

"What da ya want for nothing ... a rubber biscuit?"

2004-09-16T18:59:00.000-04:00

It has been a wild and fast-paced month at CER. For those who said that we couldn't put on a festival-type Rally for Social Justice with just over three weeks for planning, organizing, and hosting this great celebration of diversity and social tolerance, well, we are ready to prove you wrong next Saturday.

On the morning of Saturday, September 25th, our caravan of 18-wheelers, tour buses, and vans will make its way through the morning fog and dew and ramble over the hills of Valley Forge to Artillery Park field in Valley Forge National Historical Park. And in just a few short hours, a big stage will be built, a huge sound system will be erected on the stage, the musical instruments and equipment will be loaded in, and ..... the party will begin! We've got a great list of speakers (including some surprises) lined up for the rally, and some of the best live music that the Delaware Valley has to offer on hand.

But, as the Blues Brothers once said, "what da ya want for nothing ... a rubber biscuit?" All of the rally infrastructure costs money. We have received a generous grant of $2,000 from the good folks at the Southern Poverty Law Center, but, we need to raise more money to make the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice a reality. CER is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Please make your tax-deductible donation to CER by clicking here.

We'll see y'all at the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. Be sure to say hi to me!

Express your First Amendment rights at the Rally in the Valley by making a sign, poster, or banner!

2004-09-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

CER has announced a poster/banner contest for the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. Check out the contest rules by clicking here. You've only got about 12 days to make your rally poster, sign, or banner ... so it is time to gather your friends, get creative, and be ready to express your First Amendment rights at the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice.

We are encouraging people of all ages to bring their sign, poster, or banner to the Rally in the Valley. CER will award prizes in a variety of age categories, including elementary school students, middle school students, high school students, college students, and everyone else.

And, who knows, maybe your mom will see you and your poster on FoxNews, CNN, or C-Span ....

Don't just take a stand. Act.

2004-09-12T10:31:00.000-04:00

Have you seen these public service ads, Don't just take a stand. Act. They're great. In one of them, a group of people are on a city street corner looking down at a piece of paper which someone threw on the sidewalk. They all bemoan the fact that who ever tossed it there should have put it in the trash can. But, they're unwilling to do anything about it. In another, a bunch of young ladies in a dorm do the same about running water. Then, one person comes by and acts (picks up the trash, turns off the water).

The neo-Nazi rally is the exact same way. We can stand around and chat about it... or we can act. The Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice is all about acting. It's about doing something, not just standing around bemoaning the fact the trash is on the ground.

Folks, it's simple: We cannot just take a stand. We must act. And, by action, I do not mean by taking up arms. I mean by exercising our First Ammendment rights by speaking out and demonstrating against hate, intolerance, and racism.

The whole truth is stranger than fiction

2004-09-10T18:46:00.000-04:00

Once again, the accurate reporting at Overthrow by Bill White of the Libertarian Socialist News, hasn't quite caught the truth. White reports

The Southern Poverty Law Center has given an ad hoc group in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, two thousand dollars to pay street people to attend a demonstration against the National Socialist Movement.

The truth of the matter is that I've used my contacts with the federal government to get the feds to bus in human-looking aliens from Area 51. You probably don't know -- as most people don't know -- the federal government has a plan to replace all "regular" citizens with alien zombies who look like humans. They roll them out when needed; and we need them for the rally at the end of the month since indeed, there isn't anyone -- aside from Phil -- in southeast Pennsylvania who believes we need to speak out against hatred.

To be fair, this operation is classified TOP SECRET, so it's no wonder that Bill White doesn't know about it. Our plan is that the aliens will be flown in to Valley Forge aboard the Goodyear blimp. They will fast rope from the blimp to a staging area through the woods from the rally site. They will then march, in lock step, to the rally location where they will pin on smiles for the gathered media. When the rally is over, the human-looking aliens will be returned to Nevada aboard Air Force One which the President has dedicated to the operation on the 25th.

What Bill White doesn't understand is that we don't need to pay homeless people to attend. We've got the aliens care of the federal government. And, we'll have those citizens who want to meet the aliens.

Ah, we look forward to the rally.

I encourage all you readers to come to Valley Forge to help the Area 51 zombies speak out against hatred and intolerance.

Let's all get our bags of urine ready...

2004-09-08T22:03:00.000-04:00

So, I recently discovered, when reading this posting at the very reputable website Overthrow.com, that my brother isn't really planning a family-friendly, peaceful demonstration of peace, tolerance, and social justice. No, Phil, a former police officer, a former officer of the Court, is really

planning to throw urine at cops to protest an upcoming National Socialist rally in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

What Bill White, the guy who wrote this breaking news, doesn't know, is that we're actually gathering urine from various sources. I have a contract with an old friend of mine from high school who has a company of port-a-johns; we're collecting urine and what-ever-else which we plan on dropping on the law enforcement officers at Valley Forge on the 25th. I've contracted with Goodyear to use their blimp; we'll be dumping all over the police officers. We hope to hit some of the neo-Nazis, too.

Yeh. That's the ticket. ;-)

I think the moral of the story is don't believe everything you read on the web!

It's time to make some lemonade!

2004-09-06T15:12:00.000-04:00

I got a great idea -- courtesy of the good folks at the Boyertown Area Unity Coalition and at the Southern Poverty Law Center -- to make something sweet out of all these sour lemons. It is called Project Lemonade. Here is the deal: for each minute that uniformed neo-nazis of the National Socialist Movement and hooded goons of the Ku Klux Klan are in Valley Forge National Historical Park for their hate rally on September 25, 2004, we are asking people to make a financial pledge to CER's Project Lemonade Fund.

The National Park Service has granted a Special Use Permit to the National Socialist Movement and their buddies to assemble in the park on September 25th for two (2) hours, which is 120 minutes. So, we will be asking for pledges of any amount of money for each minute of the hate rally. For example, say a child donates 3¢ for each minute of the hate rally, and the rally lasts for the full 120 minutes, then we have raised $3.60 from that child's pledge to CER's Project Lemonade Fund. And, it gets better: the Center for Education Rights is a non-profit tax-exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. So, all donations to the CER Project Lemonade Fund are a tax write-off.

The monies raised through CER's Project Lemonade Fund will go directly to funding the costs incurred to organize and host the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice as a peaceful, non-confrontational, family-friendly counter-demonstration to the hate rally of the National Socialist Movement. All remaining funds that are raised through CER's Project Lemonade Fund will be divided among CER, the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. As such, by coming to Valley Forge, the National Socialist Movement and the KKK will be, in effect, directly contributing money to these great non-profit organizations that work so hard each and every day to teach tolerance. Isn't that great!

We will formally be announcing CER's Project Lemonade on our official rally web-site later this week and at a yet-to-be-announced press conference in the Philadelphia area. In the interim, anyone wishing to make a contribution to CER's Project Lemonade Fund may send a check payable to "Center for Education Rights" to: CER Project Lemonade Fund, Center for Education Rights, PO Box 1332, Valley Forge, PA 19482-1332.

Coincidence that the neo-Nazis chose Yom Kippur?

2004-09-06T11:48:00.000-04:00

Funny how it is... the Nazis have chosen Yom Kippur as the date of their hate rally in Valley Forge...

Me, I don't think there's much coincidence in the date they've chosen... While others are at their place of worship, deep in introspection and prayer, we need to be raising our voices to put hate in it's place...

Gonna be some hot music

2004-09-06T10:59:00.000-04:00

The Rally is stacking up to be a great time: superb music already on the hook, more on the way; one excellent speaker already signed up and, of course, more on the way.

All we need now to make the Rally the peaceful statement the organizers intend it to be is to have a crowd.

My brother is spearheading this event in the tradition of our family: peaceful action. Our father, a conservative Episcopal priest, marched with Dr. King in March 1965... My hope is that this Rally raises awareness in a similar manner that the 1965 demonstrations did.

Are these dangerous times?

2004-09-05T18:50:00.000-04:00

So the other day, somebody says to my brother, "Aren't you worred for your son, you getting mixed up in this with the Nazis and the Klan?"

As my brother put it, it is for our children that we do this, that we get involved, that we make a stand. When hatred rules, only evil comes from it. An evil world, one in which there's no diversity and no tolerance of differences, well, that's not a world I want to leave for our children.

So, the question, remains, is there personal danger? I think not. A peaceful get-together like we're planning in Valley Forge will be well protected by state, local, and federal authorities. We will be a crowd of peaceful people gathering to rebel evil just by our very presence.

Having said this, it appears that Phil is already a target by some radical white supremists: click here for a posting on a white supremist site that appears to be targeting Phil as the organizer for the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice.

I note that the posters on this supremist site hide behind user names; they don't want anyone to know who they are. They hide behind swasticas and white hooded outfits.

Me, I'm not hiding behind a user name. I don't need to. I'm willing to not only speak my mind, but let my words be attributed to me. As is Phil. No matter the consequences; and we hope that in the long run, the consequence will be an America for all of us.

"May we all someday live in a World without fear ... Peace!"

2004-09-04T04:57:00.000-04:00

World-Without-Fear veteran rocker Scooter Scudieri has signed on to play at the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice on the afternoon of Saturday, September 25th. Click here to see a video-clip of Scooter. Scooter has played shows with Dave Matthews, Jewel, and Nils Lofgren, among others, and his music was recently featured on Public Radio's Mountain Stage. For the past decade, Scooter has ended each concert with these remarks, "May we all someday live in a World without fear ... Peace!" Also, Scooter has created quite a stir in the recording industry by shunning agents, managers, labels, and lawyers.

If you get a chance, send Scooter a quick note by clicking here and thank him for having the courage to step up to the plate as the first musician to sign on to play the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. Scooter's souful rock will speak volumes to denounce the hate of the neo-nazis and KKK, who will be surrounded by several hundred members of the United States Park Police at the other end of Valley Forge National Historical Park that afternoon while we live in a World without fear. Peace!

A little buzz starting

2004-09-04T03:01:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled onto The Corsair, a blog by Ron Mwangaguhunga in Williamsburg. Great read his blog is. More importantly, he blogged yesterday about the upcoming Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. Folks, it's real simple: We can either sit by while hate takes over, or we can show action to make certain it doesn't. It is that simple. Join us. Join the conversation. Blog. Talk to your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers. Come to the rolling fields of Valley Forge on the 25th. Act.

A showing of peace... and let our voices be heard

2004-09-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

Just got off the phone with my brother who has become consumed with this issue. I can see why. Until he and the Center for Education Rights applied for the permit to hold a peaceful counter-demonstration, no one was willing to stand up, be counted, and speak out. And now, he's trying to ensure that this rally is about tolerance and peace and social justice; and certainly not about him and his efforts.

Amen.

So, he'd like to get a band or two to play. You know, to make this rally more than just a time of ranting ourselves (leave that to the neo-Nazis across the park), but an opportunity for peaceful celebration, something appropriate for you, and me, and our families.

If you know of a band, and you think they'd be a good offering, see if you can marry the band up with the Center for Education Rights. Click here to get in touch with CER.

I saw a kickass band, Green Inside, a couple weeks ago while visiting Connecticut. They played on the roof of the Mohegan Sun before an evening fireworks session; I thought they'd be a great performer for this shindig, so I passed their name along to my brother. I don't know what will come of this. If you know Green Inside (hear a cut from their upcoming album here) and think they ought to be playing on the fields of Valley Forge, get in touch with them.

What are some other things which a peaceful demonstration against hate and intolerance and racism should offer?

Let us dwarf them in Valley Forge

2004-09-02T19:31:00.000-04:00

I certainly believe in free speech... and thus the right for the neo-Nazi's to gather on the 25th and speak their peace. I just hope nobody shows up to listen. Seems that last weekend the KKK gathered in Sharpsburg, MD, (near where I went to high school) and nearly no one showed up at the Klan rally. The alternate events -- all events preaching tolerance and justice -- were well attended.

We need to ensure the same thing happens in Valley Forge. Please do more than read this blog. Tell your friends about the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice. Plan on attending. Write to your local media events. We must not stand idly by. We must be people of action. As one resident of Sharpsburg said

The Klan has a First Amendment right to free speech, but I also have the right to say that's not what I believe in, that's not what my community stands for.

Stand up for tolerance and social justice.

Rally for Social Justice to Counter Nazi/KKK Rally in Valley Forge National Park

2004-09-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

The Center for Education Rights (“CER”), a non-profit educational advocacy organization, has been granted a Special Use Permit from the National Park Service to conduct a peaceful, non-confrontational counter-demonstration, the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice, to occur simultaneously with the hate rally of the National Socialist Movement (“NSM”) at a separate location within Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday, September 25, 2004.

According to Phil Stinson, president of the Center for Education Rights, it is his intent to offer a forum for a peaceful and educational rally as an alternative to the hate rally of the National Socialist Movement (NSM), KKK, Aryan Nation, and Skinheads. Stinson is actively seeking the participation of national and local civil rights organizations, community groups, religious organizations, and other concerned citizens to join in a peaceful Rally for Social Justice on September 25, 2004. Anyone interested in participating in the peaceful Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice is encouraged to contact CER by clicking here.

The Anti-Defamation League says that the NSM is the second largest neo-Nazi group in the country, trailing only the National Alliance. While some neo-Nazi organizations prefer blazers to brown shirts, this Minneapolis-based hate group is a throwback to the 1960's-era American Nazi Party, from which it descended; members wear Nazi uniforms and openly display swastikas to a degree unusual even among white supremacists. This explicit Nazi imagery apparently has not hurt its stature or standing on the racist right; in recent years it has grown considerably in membership and influence, with dozens of chapters across the country. Part of the reason for the group's growth has been its appeal to racist skinheads and other young white supremacists, who join in NSM activities ranging from literature distribution to armed paramilitary training.

CER is currently working with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the US Department of Justice, and the National Park Service to ensure a safe, peaceful, and educational environment in Valley Forge National Historical Park for the Valley Forge Rally for Social Justice at the time of the National Socialist Movement Hate Rally, 1-5 p.m., on Saturday, September 25, 2004.