The Nazi Antidote: A Mariachi Band

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The Nazi Antidote: A Mariachi Band

Submitted by Rick on Wed, 03/15/2006 - 7:23pm.

From Lansing State Journal:

A neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Movement, hopes to gain notoriety and more members during the April rally. Community leaders can learn well from similar Capitol rallies in the mid-1990s, held by the Ku Klux Klan.

Mainly, Lansing leaders did the right things a decade ago. They didn't try to prevent the Klan rally. Rather, they presented a unified front with anti-hate rallies and prayer services. The Capitol steps were "cleansed" after one Klan rally, in a symbolic show of positive community power.

But during one rally, in 1994, anti-Klan protesters showed up. It was an angry confrontation. Police used pepper spray and made arrests. That clash simply played into the hands of publicity-craving Klan members.

Similarly, in Toledo last October, protesters who rallied against this same neo-Nazi group turned violent and torched a neighborhood bar. Do we want to be a sorry sequel to Toledo?

True, anti-Nazi protesters have just as much right to rally as the neo-Nazis. However, we urge a more constructive path.

Some communities, faced with impending hate rallies, have employed smart, creative strategies to make a strong, but peaceful, statement.

In 1995, leaders in Wheaton, Ill., brought in a mariachi band. People sang, danced, had fun - right under the Klansmen's noses. The message: We won't stoop to your level.

[Via Olyunity]

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Still thinking that we should

Submitted by Mike on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 7:51am.

Still thinking that we should use any nazi type rally as a fundraising opportunity for good work. We could label it as "nickels for nazis" and name the good work that would benefit, then show up, pass the hat and thank the nazis for helping us with fundraising. If you really want to discourage these folks, you have to do it with humor and intellect. If we try to meet them with anger and hatred we are playing to their strengths and it will encourage them. My $.02 Mike "To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." Lao-Tzu

I second that motion for humo

Submitted by Sarah on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 10:15am.

I second that motion for humor and intellect.

Orcinus has a Say No to Nazis fundraising campaign successfully ongoing. I love the idea of passing the hat at actual rallies too.

Olyblog has a donation button, I have one on my blog also.

It would be nice if we had en

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 8:34am.

It would be nice if we had enough people to ring the perimeter of their demonstration so that w/o confronting them directly we could signal to everyone outside of the perimeter, "danger, hate zone, please do not enter." - Or something like that.

I know a Mariachi band sounds funny, but it still seems like it's poking fun at them (which I don't think is constructive - personally.)

I like the idea (or ideal) of emptying the streets, so that the nazi's are met with a virtual ghost town, just cobwebs, dust and lint to greet their rally. That would be far from ignoring them. We could throw a party at the community center at the same time, or shortly after their rally breaks up. Now that would be some tasty punch.

There is certainly enough time to plan it before June, or July or whenever their rally is scheduled. And even if they don't show up - man, what a statement!!!

Think: Ghost Town.

I can't tell you how far apar

Submitted by Rick on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 9:32am.

I can't tell you how far apart we are on this issue. Listen: ghost town will never happen -- it is impossible to plan. It is not an option. The only option is to plan that people will be out there. Our task is to organize that so it happens in a constructive and peaceful way.

Listen: It's an idea. Noth

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 12:41pm.

Listen:

It's an idea. Nothing to be scared of. Or shake a finger at.

No finger shaking here. Just

Submitted by Rick on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 12:49pm.

No finger shaking here. Just a little sensitive about this since I've already gone around about it a few times with others.

I also don't think it will be

Submitted by Mike on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 10:27am.

I also don't think it will be possible to meet the Nazis with "ghost town." Some folks in our community feel way too strongly about a nazi rally to let that happen. I also don't think it would faze the nazis, they are like of those cheesy old dog foods, they make their own gravy. I think there will be a number of approaches to the "nazis come to Oly" rallies. I will be happy to work on the humor and fundraising components - I think we pass the hat, have signs that thank the Nazi's for raising funds for Olyblog, OMJP, the Unity group, PFLAG, or any group that the nazis might not want to be fundraising for. I am still in to show up with a "Nazi's for Bush/Cheney" sign also. I think we need to continue to coordinate, keep smiling, keep the peaceful hearts open as we actively confront stupidity and meanness. Darkness cannot overcome darkness, only light can overcome darkness. who said that - Gandhi or MLK Jr. or both? Mike

They do indeed make their own

Submitted by Sarah on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 10:46am.

They do indeed make their own gravy. From what I've seen, no matter what happens, what the facts are, the NSM can spin anything into something else.

Please allow me to reintroduc

Submitted by Rob Richards on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 10:39am.

Please allow me to reintroduce my idea of a "Sponsor A Nazi" event. The more Nazi's show up, the more money made. Then we hold some kind of diversity forum and try to get groups together to talk about solutions to polarizing issues. I think that would work against everything the Nazi's stand for, and they would help create it.

I remember your wonderful ide

Submitted by Sarah on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 10:50am.

I remember your wonderful idea, remind us how it works? I've not done a sponsor thing in a long time.

It's very easy, much like a w

Submitted by Rob Richards on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 10:22pm.

It's very easy, much like a walk-a-thon or read-a-thon. We would scour the community and get folks to pledge an amount of money for each Nazi that shows up. The day of the event we count how many are there, and then collect the money. From there, my idea is that we hold a diversity fair, where we can celebrate one another as people, hopefully realizing that despite our "differences" we all share similar values and expectations of the world that we are a part of.

Una Destinatio, Viae Diversae

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Thu, 03/16/2006 - 11:30pm.

Una Destinatio, Viae Diversae. (One Destination, Many Paths.)

I put on some salsa music wit

Submitted by Mike on Fri, 03/17/2006 - 7:39am.

I put on some salsa music with trumpets this morning and I have to say a mariachi band approach does have appeal. Herb Albert's "Lonely Bull" would work to greet Nazi's on many levels. I don't know any mariachi bands unfortunately.

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