Mr. Heystek urged the council to act quickly in light of the most recent hate attack on campus Monday, in which a fifth swastika was found on the UC Davis Campus.
And while it true that the incidents have occurred on the UC Davis, he also pointed out that for all intents and purposes the campus is part of our community and those individuals who perpetrated the act may either reside in the city or at the very least frequent it on a regular basis.
He called on the city to condemn “all manifestations of hate and intolerance in the greater Davis community.”
Mr. Heystek’s resolution calls for the creation of a “multi-jurisdictional Hate Crimes Task Force” where “members of the UC Davis Campus Council on Community and Diversity” will be invited “to participate in a joint effort to propose specific communitywide measures to combat and prevent hate crimes.” He called for the creation of a reward fund that would encourage people to report hate incidents.
The body would also explore the possibility of “strengthening the Municipal Code in order to provide for additional penalties for the commission of hate activity.”
Finally it would call on the city to work more closely with UC Davis on a number of activities to help combat hate crimes.
It is our view that this is a strong resolution, it not only denounces hate crimes, which would be expected from such a resolution, but it has teeth. It creates a body that was recommended to the city seven years ago but unacted upon at that time. It gives that body a specific authority to act. And the resolution also strengthens existing city codes against hate crimes.
Some may argue that this is simply an overreaction to a few minor incidents, however, these incidents have had a profound impact on many people in the minority communities, particularly the Jewish community, the LGBT community, and the African-American community. UC Davis is part of the Davis community and the city of Davis needs to be proactive and react very strongly to these type of incidents so that people no that such actions will not be tolerated.
The Vanguard strongly urges the council to pass this tough language as soon as its rules for submission of resolutions allow it to act.
FULL TEXT: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DAVIS CONDEMNING RECENT HATE CRIMES AND OTHER MANIFESTATIONS OF INTOLERANCE IN THE GREATER DAVIS COMMUNITY
WHEREAS, in addition, on the weekend of February 26, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center was defaced with words including “homos,” “fags” and “queers”; and
WHEREAS, the “Principles of One Community,” a joint City of Davis and UC Davis statement of ideals that reject intolerance and set the standard for an environment of civility and respect, proclaims the following: “We maintain an accepting and sensitive community where everyone is free to live, learn, and work without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, age, length or place of residence, or other differences among people”; and
WHEREAS, hate crimes that take place on the UC Davis campus threaten the safety and quality of life of residents of the City of Davis, and vice versa;
WHEREAS, within a “Summary of Comments/Suggestions Made Concerning Hate Crimes, Racism, and Homophobia in Davis” in its December 17, 2003 meeting minutes, the Davis Human Relations Commission proposed “creat[ing] a ‘Spirit Program’ in Davis with a reward fund to encourage people to report perpetrators of hate incidents; and
WHEREAS, at its December 17, 2003 meeting, the Davis Human Relations Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council create a Hate Crimes Task Force to provide a specific plan for addressing hate activity and preventing it in the future; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service, “Multi-jurisdictional or regional task forces are an effective means of sharing information and combining resources to counter hate crime activity” and “A government can confirm its commitment to the safety and well-being of its citizens by establishing an ordinance against hate crime activity or enhancing the punishment for hate crime”l;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Davis, that the City condemns all manifestations of hate and intolerance in the greater Davis
community; and ‘
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City shall strengthen its cooperation with the University of California, Davis in the response to and prevention of hate crimes through the formation a multi-jurisdictional Hate Crimes Task Force and shall invite members of the UC Davis Campus Council on Community and Diversity to participate in a joint effort to propose specific communitywide measures to combat and prevent hate crimes; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hate Crimes Task Force shall explore the formation and/ or expansion of a reward fund to encourage people to report perpetrators of hate incidents; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hate Crimes Task Force shall explore the strengthening the Municipal Code in order to provide for additional penalties for the commission of hate activity; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the City shall work more closely with UC Davis to provide support as appropriate for campus cultural celebrations that heighten awareness and appreciation of the diversity of the campus community and Davis community at large.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
Let’s hope the Council acts quickly to pass the resolution. It’s particularly noteworthy that Lamar introduced this during public comment. It’s a sign that his activism and community involvement will continue even after his term on the Council ends.
I’m in the big overreaction camp. We already have hate crime laws with enhanced penalties.
Having watched this issue for some time now, I am outraged at the number of people “in the big overreaction camp.” Ask the Jews who survived the death camps if anyone is overreacting. The Nazi terror began with vandalism by hooligans no one took seriously. To attempt to diminish the severity and gravity of these acts is contemptible.
“Having watched this issue for some time now, I am outraged at the number of people “in the big overreaction camp.” Ask the Jews who survived the death camps if anyone is overreacting. The Nazi terror began with vandalism by hooligans no one took seriously. To attempt to diminish the severity and gravity of these acts is contemptible.”
Thank you, you just proved my point.
“Thank you, you just proved my point.”
Really? Explain.
“The Nazi terror began with vandalism by hooligans no one took seriously. To attempt to diminish the severity and gravity of these acts is contemptible.”
You don’t see that as an overreaction? Like I said you all are blowing this way out of porportion and by keeping it going you’re perpetuating the situation. It’s most likely nothing more than a moronic prank followed on by copycats or activists because of all the attention given to it. Now all of a sudden we’re going to add to hate crime laws and create a task force over a few stupid isolated incidents? You’d think the Third Reich was on campus the way many are OVERREACTING.
Here’s an interesting web site with some analysis about hate crimes in general.
http://www.partnersagainsthate.org/about_hate_crimes/faq-html.html
Note the emphasis on early prevention:
“What can we do to prevent the spread of hate-motivated behavior?
The most important thing that adults can do to reduce the spread of hate-motivated behavior is to help young people learn to respect and celebrate diversity. Research shows that children between the ages of 5 and 8 begin to place value judgments on similarities and differences among people. Moreover, children’s racial attitudes begin to harden by the fourth grade, making the guidance of adults during this time period particularly important. It is essential that adults talk openly and honestly with children about diversity, racism, and prejudice. In schools, teachers and administrators should engage in educational efforts to dispel myths and stereotypes about particular groups of people and whenever possible work with parents and local law enforcement authorities so that such an effort is supported on many fronts.”
Here’s an interesting web site with some analysis about hate crimes in general.
[url]http://www.partnersagainsthate.org/about_hate_crimes/faq-html[/url]
Note the emphasis on early prevention:
“What can we do to prevent the spread of hate-motivated behavior?
The most important thing that adults can do to reduce the spread of hate-motivated behavior is to help young people learn to respect and celebrate diversity. Research shows that children between the ages of 5 and 8 begin to place value judgments on similarities and differences among people. Moreover, children’s racial attitudes begin to harden by the fourth grade, making the guidance of adults during this time period particularly important. It is essential that adults talk openly and honestly with children about diversity, racism, and prejudice. In schools, teachers and administrators should engage in educational efforts to dispel myths and stereotypes about particular groups of people and whenever possible work with parents and local law enforcement authorities so that such an effort is supported on many fronts.”
Rusty:
You’re making an assumption here that this is an overreaction and therefore being proactive is the wrong approach. I’m not as sure as you are that this is simply nothing. Therefore I think it is reasonable to form the task force if for no other reason that to see what is really going on and educate the community.
BTW, the language in the resolution doesn’t say that we will “add to hate crime laws” it says it “will explore the strengthening the Municipal Code,” it may be that it is as you suggest unnecessary, it may be that you have underestimated the problem.
As a Jew in this community, I am very concerned with the first incident and would like to know very much what happened and I think it is obvious by now that more education is never the wrong approach. Whether things go further than that, we will have to see what we find out.
Even though it sounds very big and official, a task force doesn’t have to be some giant bureaucratic undertaking. It seems to me it could be beneficial to have a small group meeting occasionally, comprised of a member of the UC Davis administration, a city council-appointed liaison (Lamar’s first post-council position!), representatives from the two police departments, and someone from DJUSD. They hold a couple of public hearings. Any policy recommendations that arise from that are less important than the network created by having these jurisdictions meeting occasionally about the specific topic of hate-related vandalism and other forms of bigotry. If that leads to public school presentations (Lamar’s second post-council project!), then the community has benefited. There is no need for public funding. A privately-funded award program could be established.
Like Rich Rifkin, I have relatives who died in the Holocaust. I also have direct ancestors who fled the Holocaust. My position is that there has been a lot of grandstanding over some ugly but minor vandalism. People are falling over each other to criticize the easiest possible target.
Real intolerance in California takes a much craftier form. There is the line in Tom Lehrer’s brilliant song, National Brotherhood Week: “It’s fun to eulogize the people you despise, as long as you don’t let ’em in your school.” What would you say in Davis if you didn’t want more Hispanics in your school? Would you tell the city council that you hate Hispanics? That would be idiotic. No, the effective way to keep the Hispanic population low in our schools is to zone them away with anti-growth politics. It’s “quality of life”, you know.
My point is we already have hate crime laws and a police force that is investigating this, we don’t need to call out the National Guard.
But the police do not craft public policy or educate the community and that is what is needed. Like Don Shor said, it’s not like this is the creation of some huge bureaucracy, we’re talking about a small group of people and I think despite Mr. Kuperberg’s point, that this is an important and teachable moment and that additional education both of ourselves and the younger generation is never a bad strategy.
[i]As a Jew in this community, I am very concerned with the first incident and would like to know very much what happened and I think it is obvious by now that more education is never the wrong approach.[/i]
As a direct descendant of refugees of the Holocaust, I am not very concerned with the first incident. It would be nice to know what happened, but only in due time. It may be “obvious” that more education is never wrong, but some things that are obvious are also not true. “Education” is in this context a euphemism for grandstanding, and there has already been enough of that.
Again, it is actually very easy to be prejudiced in Davis. All you have to do is keep quiet about your motives. As of the 2000 census, California was 32% Hispanic, Yolo County was 28%, Sacramento was 21%, Davis was 10%. So if you don’t want to live near very many Hispanics, then a house here is all the more valuable. If we need an education in tolerance, let’s educate ourselves about that. It could be a more challenging curriculum than the one about a few swastikas, precisely because it might not be such a small group of people.
” So if you don’t want to live near very many Hispanics”
Yeah, well obviously I don’t want to live near Hispanics (chuckle, chuckle).
“But the police do not craft public policy or educate the community and that is what is needed.”
What public policy needs to be crafted? David, what would you “craft” that already isn’t part of our town’s policy. I mean I’m sure Davis is already against hate crimes and racism.
You’re presupposing the outcome when I’m interested in starting the process.
[i]Yeah, well obviously I don’t want to live near Hispanics (chuckle, chuckle).[/i]
David, I know that you personally are sincerely connected to the Hispanic community in the region, and not just through marriage. My objection is that you seem to care even more about political opportunism, at least in regard to city politics.
You’re more than eager to play the race card…but not when it comes to city growth. It’s not just Measure J; it’s also the apartments that Davis isn’t building or even the derelict office space that it isn’t rezoning. I think that you know what life is like in places like Dunnigan; I give you credit for having your eyes open. I don’t know how you can carry that knowledge and truly think that opposing growth in Davis is progressive.
If Davis allowed more apartments or trailer parks, then frankly it wouldn’t serve my financial interests. But I would admire it more than a thousand hate crimes resolutions.
“You’re presupposing the outcome when I’m interested in starting the process.”
Why stop at hate crimes? Let’s start “the process” for rape crimes, drug crimes, gun crimes, domestic violence crimes, white collar crimes…..
Where does it start and where does it end?
Greg: I was trying to be a bit funny. I look for ways to produce more affordable housing on the one hand and preserving the character of this town on the other.
Rusty: I think I already have looked at the process for all crimes.
“I think I already have looked at the process for all crimes.”
With changes or additions in local laws and task forces?
Like I said overreaction.
As I read these instances, I remember when I was in middle school and high school seeing kids, in expressions of boredom, disaffection and rebellious identity, mark up swastikas on their textbook covers next to rockband logos — Rush, Led Zeppelin, Boston, Eagles, etc.
I didn’t perceive any intentional anti-semitism on their part. But I wonder if these displays would be perceived as hate crimes today.
You’re more than eager to play the race card…but not when it comes to city growth. It’s not just Measure J; it’s also the apartments that Davis isn’t building or even the derelict office space that it isn’t rezoning. I think that you know what life is like in places like Dunnigan; I give you credit for having your eyes open. I don’t know how you can carry that knowledge and truly think that opposing growth in Davis is progressive.
I think your race declaration is really a proxy for identifying poor, under-educated people. I could spend all day challenging to identify Hispanic/Latino individuals. I don’t think you can do it in any reliable way.
WDF1: I am not sure any of it would be. In this instance, the police are very specific that a hate crime has to have an actual target and therefore they have treated the swastika on the student’s dorm as a hate crime because she is Jewish and therefore there was a specific target, but not the ones that were spray painted randomly around campus.
“it’s also the apartments that Davis isn’t building or even the derelict office space that it isn’t rezoning…..If Davis allowed more apartments or trailer parks, then frankly it wouldn’t serve my financial interests. But I would admire it more than a thousand hate crimes resolutions”
Growth is developer-driven. No developer has proposed any affordable housing project anywhere in Davis in many years, so you have no idea how the council or voters might respond. I would support apartments or trailer parks in various locations, including the Nishi property.
I don’t know which office space you have in mind for rezoning.
[i]I think your race declaration is really a proxy for identifying poor, under-educated people.[/i]
Well yes, wdf, it’s that and that they speak Spanish. But that is the real source of prejudice in general. Intelligent people aren’t bigots just to be bigots. They might be bigots if they have enough to gain from it. If you show me two racial or ethnic groups in America with common political interests, I’ll show you tolerance.
[i]Growth is developer-driven. No developer has proposed any affordable housing project anywhere in Davis in many years, so you have no idea how the council or voters might respond.[/i]
I have a lot of trouble believing that excuse. There are thousands of developers out there. If none of them can step forward to propose apartments, they must be fairly sure that it wouldn’t fly.
[i]I don’t know which office space you have in mind for rezoning.[/i]
For instance, most of Westlake Plaza is empty, and there are other sites all over town like that.
” There are thousands of developers out there.”
That’s not a true statement, at least not a true statement in so far as the required need to own land in or around Davis. There is maybe a handful of such developers all of whom are trying to maximize profit and affordable housing units do not maximize profit.
[i]That’s not a true statement, at least not a true statement in so far as the required need to own land in or around Davis. There is maybe a handful of such developers all of whom are trying to maximize profit and affordable housing units do not maximize profit.[/i]
There is a fluid real estate market in the region. Properties are bought and sold all the time by speculators. And while it is true that any one actor in the market system would prefer to maximize profit, the way that the market system works is that things that are profitable inevitably find takers. Businessmen do not pass up money lying on the table, just because there is some other table with more money on it.
In fact, this type of false economics is exactly what makes me think that there must be some other explanation.
Perhaps but most of the properties in Davis have been relatively static.
Again, given the ways that affordable housing has to be funded externally, I think the reason it hasn’t been approached has to do with affordability.
[i]Again, given the ways that affordable housing has to be funded externally, I think the reason it hasn’t been approached has to do with affordability.[/i]
The other reason that I am deeply suspicious is that the all of the affordable housing that the city has done lately has been a gilded showcase. What does it mean when the government offers new cars and swimming pools to a few poor families, instead of bicycles and roofs of any kind to many poor families? It means that the government isn’t serious.
[i]”The other reason that I am deeply suspicious is that the all of the affordable housing that the city has done lately has been a gilded showcase. What does it mean when the government offers new cars and swimming pools to a few poor families, instead of bicycles and roofs of any kind to many poor families?”[/i]
I doubt there is a community in the United States which has authorized (and subsicized) the construction of “affordable housing” and then, after it was completed, had a new status quo in which the percentage of housing units within that community were “affordable.”
What seems obvious to me is that the entire affordable housing industry is a scam. It is not designed to help the poor or lower-middle income as a class*. It is to designed to enrich the builders and managers of this scam housing; and it makes a lot of work for the government bureaucracy which oversees all of the paperwork. When it goes wrong — as seems to happen regularly — it is designed to make a handful of attorneys some more money.
There are really only two things which would really create more affordable housing: 1) Allow (or subsidize the building of) a lot more units of all types of housing, so that supply swamps demand. On a national, state and regional basis this is pretty much what we did from 2002-2007. And the result has been a buyers and renters market almost everywhere (save Davis, in that we rejected every large new development during the bubble); and 2) Give more money to the poor. We do this for some in Section 8 vouchers. I would take most of the money** now going to developers and other middle men who build “affordable housing” and give that out to people who cannot afford to pay market rents.
*It does benefit the small number who get to live in subsidized housing. I am not suggesting otherwise.
**Some of that money ought to go to programs for the homeless, giving them more SRO options and better shelters.
Correction: I doubt there is a community in the United States which has authorized (and [b]subsidized)[/b] the construction of “affordable housing” and then, after it was completed, had a new status quo in which the percentage of housing units within that community were “affordable” [b]had increased.[/b]
Like too many discussions in Davis, this one has been co opted into a land use/financial issue. As far too many people have learned too late, if you keep ignoring the wolf, it only gets bolder. If you feed it, it becomes insatiable. In a county rife with racism, Davis is the one beacon of liberal humanism. If these, now, few terrorists are not dealt with, their numbers will grow and they will extinguish the light.
G. Kuperberg wrote: [quote] No, the effective way to keep the Hispanic population low in our schools is to zone them away with anti-growth politics.
[/quote]
Wow, that’s a stretch.
I hope you don’t really believe that and are just saying it to irritate people.
“Wow, that’s a stretch.”
Yes, and I also doubt that Davis growth policies are somehow related to anti-Jewish graffiti.
[i]I hope you don’t really believe that and are just saying it to irritate people.[/i]
I honestly believe that Davis is an attractive location for area professionals who don’t want to live around very many Hispanics. They may be tired of Spanish, or they may be thinking about crime, or they may be thinking about schools. There are Anglo Californians who are just plain tired of the Hispanic population. Most people in Davis are not like that, but there are some, certainly more than would carve swastikas in public places. When they hear phrases like “preserving the character of this town” and “quality of life”, they’re going to read that in a way that was not intended.
I’m sure that there are also Davis residents who are more eager to preach tolerance than to practice it. I attended school in a district (in Alabama) that was much more racially polarized than DJUSD. The problem of racial harmony was so big and so obvious that just preaching about it was out of place. It was much more important to set a good example than to preach tolerance.
What I see in Davis is a lot of people not really setting any example, good or bad. That’s not necessarily a sin, but what does it then accomplish to preach tolerance. For instance, there was the meth-crazed guy who drew a knife and was shot in Woodland. Maybe race was a factor in that incident and maybe it wasn’t, but I don’t think that we in Davis should grandstand. We’d have more to fear from armed, meth-intoxicated people if we saw them in Davis.
Maybe I’m the one not getting it. You all seem to be using the discussion of hate crimes, according to the police, directed against citizens of Davis, to debate growth and property values. Incredible.
The psychology of these “incidents” is rather clear. These individuals feel impotent and marginalized. They relish the importance that their vandalism appears to be creating. The more that you magnify these incidents, the more that you are encouraging them. Catch them and prosecute them for the crime of vandalism that they are committing. Something to be wary of…… the “rush” of righteous indignation,IMO, can sometimes be right up there alongside sex and as seductive.
[i]Yes, and I also doubt that Davis growth policies are somehow related to anti-Jewish graffiti.[/i]
Don, the point is to look at the serious issues of tolerance in our community rather than incidental pranks such as the anti-Jewish graffiti.
Even if you want to stick to relations with Jews, the proposed boycott of Israeli goods at the Co-op hits much harder than these swastikas. It hits harder because it starts with a valid concern, peace in the Middle East, but then drives a wedge between ethnic groups. I agree that Israel should make peace with the Palestinians, but telling us that we need to boycott matzoh for their sake is laying it on pretty thick.
[i]”I agree that Israel should make peace with the Palestinians.”[/i]
It would help if Israel had someone on the other side which wanted to make peace with Israel. Apparently, no one does. They even rejected out of hand the Olmert Peace Plan ([url]http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1135699.html[/url]), which was more generous to them than the Clinton Peace Plan, which they earlier had rejected.
The day the Palestinians start loving peace more than they hate Jews is the day peace will arrive.
[i]It would help if Israel had someone on the other side which wanted to make peace with Israel. Apparently, no one does.[/i]
Yes, that is very unfortunately true. Not exactly no one, but certainly not the Palestinians who matter. But it would also help if the Israeli government wanted to make peace with the Palestinians, which at the moment it doesn’t. It wants Indian reservations.
[i]The day the Palestinians start loving peace more than they hate Jews is the day peace will arrive.[/i]
Sort of. Unfortunately there are Israelis who never want to see that day, and one of them is the prime minister.
[i]”Unfortunately there are Israelis who never want to see that day, and one of them is the prime minister.”[/i]
I don’t think that is true, though Netanyahu’s rhetoric (like Sharon’s rhetoric before him and Begin’s rhetoric before him) is right of center in Israeli politics; and thus he would drive a harder bargain than an Olmert or a Peres.
Much hubbub has been made of the new apartment buildings being constructed in Jerusalem (giving Hamas an excuse to start riots the last two days), as if they were in the heart of the Arab-majority West Bank. In fact, those apartments are in a neighborhood which is Jewish already. The people rioting and declaring that these apartments signify the death of the peace process are Islamists whose open policy is the complete destruction of the Jewish state, not a two-state compromise.
Since Netanyahu became PM (this time), no new Jewish settlements have been constructed in the West Bank. And of course, Israel has completely left Gaza, despite continued rocket attacks, even since the war last year.
I certainly agree with the notion that Israel is far from perfect and often arrogant, and that it is against Israel’s interest to make peace unattractive to the Palestinians. Israel has made peace less attractive and more difficult by permitting settlements in the West Bank and formerly in Gaza. Also, the Jews who tend to be “settlers,” tend to be very religious and people (like so many Arabs) who take their religious notions a lot more serious than they take the idea of compromise and peace.
But in reality, Israel is a succesful, decent, democratic state which has every reason to make peace. And they face a hostile, vicious enemy which glorifies terrorists who so far (now going on 62 years) don’t want a two-state solution.
Here’s hoping all the publicity doesn’t give copycats ideas that UC Davis maintenance staff will not thank them for.
[i]In fact, those apartments are in a neighborhood which is Jewish already.[/i]
Ramat Shlomo is about the same area as West Village, and it is about the same distance from an Arab village, Sho’afat, as West Village is from Village Homes. Sho’afat is rather less thrilled with Ramat Shlomo than the Village Homes Association was with West Village. Over time it is getting hemmed in between Ramat Shlomo and another Jewish neighborhood, Pisgat Ze’ev.
Actually, the Hebrew University once put me up in an apartment in East Jerusalem that is less than one mile away from Ramat Shlomo. What it looked like when I was there is that Israel has no more intention of giving up any neighborhood in East Jerusalem, Palestinian or Israeli, than California has of giving San Diego back to Mexico.
[i]The people rioting and declaring that these apartments signify the death of the peace process are Islamists[/i]
The people rioting are indeed Islamists, but they are rioting over something completely different, the opening of a synagogue in the Old City. The people who are upset about the expansion of Ramat Shlomo are the propped-up Palestinian Authority, and the Obama Administration.
[i]But in reality, Israel is a successful, decent, democratic state which has every reason to make peace.[/i]
It certainly has strong reasons to make peace, but there are also strong political forces against peace. The settlers are not just very religious. They also assassinated an Israeli prime minister (Rabin), and they threatened to kill another Israeli prime minister (Sharon). They have not made threats against Netanyahu; maybe they know how to read him better than you and I do.
Yes, Israel is mostly successful, mostly decent, and mostly democratic. So is the United States — but you should consider what people think of the US for its treatment of its own equivalent of the Palestinians, namely the Sioux Indians.
Meanwhile….
[url]http://cbs13.com/local/stockton.swastika.vandalism.2.1571008.html[/url]
Hello all,
I suggest that racist (including anti-semitic) graffiti is spread by the following types of perps:
(1) attention seekers (e.g. copy-cats; arrested adolescents) who enjoy the notoriety
(2) reactionaries (of the ideologic type)
(3) genuine racists or otherwise malevolent perps
I suspect the numbers of perps in each category are highest for the first; lowest for the last.
(of course any one person can fall into more than one category).
The trick is that it can be difficult to discern which camp(s) the perps in Davis fall into; especially as their identities are not known to the general public.
However, we can be assured that the larger the reaction is to the graffiti, the greater we tempt types 1 and 2 to keep it going. A small proportion of any population have reactionary tendencies to perceived political issues; analagous to Newton’s Law “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. So to some extent the strong reaction in public comments about these incidents tends to create more such incidents.
On the other hand; there may also be some genuine malevolent racist “haters” in the mix.
I guess I’m just trying to say this may be a complex conundrum; perhaps our response should be carefully measured; otherwise the process of action/reaction just tends to feed off its own energy and perpetuate itself.
So many pischers,and not even one mensch?
hey biddlin,
I notice your contributions have been confined to comments on other peoples comments.
So where’s the mensch?
You’re right jimt, I’m just kibitzing. I should stand by quietly and let the arsonists burn the barn, while the rest of you argue about the cost of the buckets, but I thought they might come after my barn next.
I hope the perps are caught.
I think I remember reading somewhere that the Davis PD is investigating; and that there is even a $ reward out for info. leading to perps? (I may need to be corrected on this).
Then we’ll find out if they are some skinny pimply 15-yr old obnoxious troublemakers, or full-fledged jack-booted thugs (I don’t think so, but can’t exclude that possibility), or something in between.
In any case even the serious neo-Nazis/anti-semites have no political power (unlike the 1930s and WWII in Germany; where anti-semitic orders came from the top of the official government); they are a small and marginalized group that seem to have been effective mainly only in drawing negative attention to themselves.
However in economic bad times, scapegoats are sought; and if the recession is double-dip or develops into a depression; I expect racist incidents of all kinds and against all groups will increase (consistent with historical record during economic hard times).