The news that Columbia County is developing its state mandated Domestic Terrorism Prevention Plan and Threat Assessment Management Team to identify and confront threats of domestic terrorism, is a welcomed next step by the county. Resolutions against hate speech and violence were passed in 2021 by the county, the City of Hudson and nearly every town, with the exception of Claverack, Stockport and Greenport, in response to the rising presence and growing threat of white supremacist and Neo-Nazi groups in our county. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) tracked 35 active Hate Groups in New York State in 2021.
Sadly, hate is becoming normalized in many pockets of American culture as extremist groups use a top down/bottom up approach to recruiting members and infiltrating government. In response to recruitment stickers pasted on telephone poles in Claverack by Patriot Front, a nationwide white nationalist group, Claverack residents, many of whom are members of groups that have been targets of racist, antisemitic or homophobic attacks, appealed to the town board to pass a resolution against hate speech and violence. The Claverack Town Supervisor, Kippy Weigelt, sponsored the County resolution, which passed unanimously. But to this day, the Claverack Town Board has failed to pass a resolution in Claverack. It makes me wonder, who are they actually listening to? Why not pass a resolution that rejects hate speech and violence in support of your own community?
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