Tri-State Unity Coalition (TSUC)

1. Tri-State Unity Coalition (TSUC) • Non-political, non-profit (501c3) and completely volunteer organization • The only organization exclusively focused on human relations in Pike (PA) but also serve Sussex (NJ) and Orange (NY) • Meetings - Second Wednesday of the Month at the Dingman’s Public Library • Celebrate Diversity • Promote Human Rights • Create a Moral Barrier to Hate • Enhance Community Harmony P.O. Box 752 - Milford, PA 18337 - (570) 686-5555 - tristateunity@veneziale.net www.tristateunity.org

2. TSUC Programs • Education • Teach about various cultures, lifestyles and religious beliefs through workshops, seminars, presentations, etc. • Outreach • Reach out to the public at large and collaborate with other community groups to promote and enhance intra-group awareness. • Response • Support survivors of prejudice, discrimination and/or hate crimes by providing for their physical and emotional needs.

3. Proverbs From Around the World “Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest violence.” Israel “Equality is not easy, but superiority is painful.” Senegal “If you have one finger pointing at somebody, you have three pointing towards yourself.” Nigeria “A frog in the well does not know the ocean.” Japan

4. Proverbs (cont.) “The bridge is repaired only after someone falls in the water.” Somalia “Those who seek revenge must remember to dig two graves.” China “When the right hand washes the left hand and the left hand washes the right hand, both hands become clean.” Nigeria “A wise person changes their mind.” Japan Source: http://www.esrnational.org/proverbs.htm

5. Somewhere in America… • Every HourSomeone commits a hate crime • Every Day8 blacks, 3 whites, 3 gays, 3 Jews and 1 Latino become hate crime victims • Every WeekA cross is burned “Tens Ways to Fight Hate” by the Southern Poverty Law Center

6. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lessons: • Treat others with respect • Avoid using stereotypes • Even seemingly positive ones, such as generalizing a whole ethnic group as exceptionally good at math or musically talented • Make it clear that prejudice is wrong • Don't allow bigoted comments by others, even friends or family members, to go unchallenged

7. Speaking Up for Each Other In Germany they came first for the Communists,and I didn't speak upbecause I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came or the trade unionists, and I didn't speak upbecause I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak upbecause I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up. By Reverend Martin Niemoller (1945) - Protestant minister in Germany during World War II and a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps. Later, he served as the president of the World Council of Churches in the 1960s.

8. Hate Pyramid Hate Crime Unlawful Discrimination Organized Hate Groups Public Tensions Everyday Interactions

9. We are All the Same Inside

10. We are All the Same Inside • Tolerance • Willingness to recognize and respect the beliefs or practices of others • Breakdown Stereotypes • A way of grouping people together by the same qualities or characteristics for everyone in the group - positive or negative; conscious or unconscious And each person is unique

11. How the Beetle Got Her Colors • “You ugly little thing!” • ..day after day he listened.. • “I didn’t know” • “Don’t judge others by their appearance.”

12. What is a Hate Crime? • A criminal offense committed against persons, property or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by an offender’s bias against a specific characteristic of an individual or a group such as race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.

13. Report Bias-Related Incidents • Any incident in which an action taken by a person or group is perceived to be malicious or discriminatory toward another person or group based on bias or prejudice relating to such characteristics as race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity OR any situation in which intergroup tensions exist based on such group characteristics.Many Bias-Related Incidents are not violations of any law, yet they can create dangerous levels of tension that can escalate into violence or civil unrest. If not addressed, such expressions create a climate in which people do not feel safe, valued or respected and in which more severe forms of tension can develop.

14. Ways to Fight Hate • Unite • Support the survivors • Speak up • Create an alterative • Teach tolerance Apathy will be interpreted as acceptance by the public, the offenders and the victims “Tens Ways to Fight Hate” by the Southern Poverty Law Center

15. Pike County, PA Demographics Number Percent Increase Population – 1990 27,966 Population – 2000 46,302 66% White 43,109 93.1% 57% Black 1,513 3.3% 491% Hispanic* 2,315 5.0% 255% Asian 288 0.6% American Indian 111 0.2% Other 602 1.5% 452% Disabled 8,419 18.2% Population – 2002 50,095 8% * Includes people of more than one race. http://quickfacts.census.gov

16. Demographics (cont.) Fastest growing county in Pennsylvania and 80th in the nation

17. “Hate Can’t Happen in My Town”

18. “It’s Just Kids” • Anti-Semitic graffiti on the Old Milford Inn • “All Jews are Traitors” (8/30/00) • “In Memory of 650,000 Killed by Stalin Jew” (9/6/00)

19. Community Response • Anti-Semitic incident in Aug/Sep 2000 • Candle light vigil at the site • Pike County Commissioners issued a resolution • Condemn the acts of intolerance and express the desire that Pike County be a place of religious, ethnic and personal tolerance (No. 00-31) • Community meeting • Tri-State Unity Coalition was formed

20. Recent Incidents in Pike County

21. History of Hate Continues Today Welcome to Milford… Now Go Home! Letters to the Editor “Close the Doors” “This is Our Country” “American Heritage” “Ostriches About Immigration”

22. Katz vs. Westfall Township (Pike, PA) • Katz, et al. vs. Zoning Hearing Board of Westfall Township (1994) • Developer of Rosetown Estates outside of Milford in the mid-1980s • Several allegations including civil rights violations • Katz won a $10.1 million verdictagainst the township and several officials (1998) • Katz was also a victim under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute • He faced hostilities motivated by the fact he was an outsider and Jewish • Suit cited a comment made in 1988 by a resident who said to Katz "you Jew bastard ... you and your family come to this area and think you own everything ...'‘ • Jury ordered a $210,000 payment from three individuals for the RICO charges

23. “Close the Doors” • “goodness of a multi-cultural nation and ethnic diversity” is “largely a crock of bull”. • “.. it is the amalgamation of our cultural and ethnic differences into a uniquely American culturethat enabled us to be what we are today” • “South America, Asia and the Middle East … Let me suggest that the failure of their cultures, religious practices and types of governments have led them to look for the open door to the USA. Their prodigious procreation rates have far outstripped any reasonable chance for economic improvement in the homelands.” • “ …close to 300 million people and the drain on our natural resources should be a major concern to all of us … the Spanish-speaking population increased from 15 million to 30 million in a mere 10 years. As an environmentalist, those statistics are frightening. Simply put, more people, inevitably, will lead to more destruction of our natural environment.” Letter by Karl H. Flail (Westfall). Pike County Dispatch. February 2003.

24. “This is Our Country” • This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity • As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. • If you wish to become part of our society – learn our language • “In God We Trust” is our national motto. This is not some off-the-wall, Christian, Right Wing, political slogan – its our national motto. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your home. • Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion … But once you are done complaining, whining and griping … I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great American freedom: THE RIGHT TO LEAVE! Letter by Scott Frazer. Pike County Dispatch. March 2003.

25. Tips for Speaking Out • Don’t condemn or try to win-over the offender • Don’t argue point for point • Speak and act to help the victim(s) and community heal • Freedom of speech issue is two-sided • Don’t take it personally

26. Final Thought • Silence is the welcome mat for hate to be accepted in the community Speak Out by Saying “Not Around Me!”