Toledo makes national news

[Cincy'sMom]

Ugh! Not so proud to be a Toledian today...this didn't happen very close to where we live, but Ralph does sometimes go this way to work.

A neo-Nazi march was planned for today. It was organized because one neighbor (white) complained about another neighbor (black). From local paper articles this week, neither neighbor was invovled anymore, and the whole thing was blown out of proportion. Of course, now we have a city wide curfew, businesses ruined, people injured, and several schools have had their homecoming dances cancelled. A sad situation all the way around.

North Toledo Riots
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/15/nazi.march/index.html

[lizbud]

Wow Amy, what a mess.We have those groups march here also.
They DO have to have a permit from the city for a march and they
usually have it on a weekday downtown,when most people are at work.
There are always plenty of police on hand to line the route. Sounds like
that got out of hand quickly.I'm glad you weren't anywhere near it.

[Cincy'sMom]

Edited: There was no permit applied for by the group.

The mayor and other officials had been saying all week they had plenty of police, etc. in place. Guess they were wrong.

[Lady's Human]

It sounds like there was a riot in place already waiting for a reason to happen.

The Nazi march was called off, and none of the National Socialist Movement group's 80 members who showed up to participate was arrested, White said.

Hours later, aerial video showed people vandalizing buildings and setting fire to a two-story building that apparently housed a bar, Toledo police spokeswoman Capt. Diana Ruiz-Krause told CNN.

Most of the violence happened when residents, who had pelted the Nazi marchers with bottles and rocks, took out their anger on police, said Brian Jagodzinski, chief news photographer for CNN affiliate WTVG.

Video showed crowds at around 2:25 p.m. using bats to bring down a wooden fence as looters broke into a small grocery store.

"The crowd was very ... extremely agitated at the police ... for doing this [making arrests in] the community when they should be doing this to the Nazis," Jagodzinski said.

That makes one hell of a lot of sense.....looting to protest a march? I don't care who they are, throwing rocks, eggs and bottles at marchers only does one thing, gain publicity and sympathy for the marchers. Ignore the Nazis and they will go away. Provoke them and the movement grows.

About 20 members from both the International Socialists Organization and One People's Project showed up, and some handed eggs to African-American residents to throw at the Nazi marchers, White said.

In other words, whatever chance the Neo Nazis had for a peaceful march were sabotaged by other groups. Looking at the One People's project webpage, they're no better than the Neo Nazis. They are just as provocative, if not more so, as an example calling the Minuteman project "the minuteKlan".(funny, I thought stepping up border security was a good thing)

I'm not Pro neo Nazi by any means, but like any other group with a message, they have the right to speak.

[Cincy'sMom]

I'm not Pro neo Nazi by any means, but like any other group with a message, they have the right to speak.

I totally agree. Unfortunately, by planning the march, the nazi group set things in motion for there to be trouble. They may not have directly caused the riots, but in most cities, and espically in that neighborhood in Toledo, the "gangs" weren't going to ignore the Nazis, despite the fact they had been told all week, that would be the best thing to do.

[jackie]

I wonder how much it cost to have all those extra police patrolling and then cleaning the streets afterwards?

[IRescue452]

Opinionated groups have a right to speak. HATE groups do not.

[Kirbys Mom]

i hope things wont happen in pataskla ohio since i will be movin there soon

[Lady's Human]

I Rescue, under the Constitution, any individual has a right to free speech, there are no constitutional definitions of speech. It doesn't place limits. Regardless of how you view the group's politics, under the constitution they haave the right to free speech and free peaceful assembly. To me, Louis Farrakhan is full of hate speech, I just watch and chuckle as CNN fawns over him.

One persons opinion is another persons hate speech. To me, hate speech falls into the same area as pornography, about which Judge Learned Hand said "I know it's pornography when I see it." In other words, there is no hard and true definition of hate speech.

Hate speech and hate crimes are two areas where I wish the Government had never stepped. How in the hell does the government know what I'm thinking when I commit a crime? I sure as hell am not going to commit murder/rape/robbery etc. because I LOVE a person. The criminal act itself is an act of hate. If you murder someone, the person is dead, period.

People complain about going to an Orwellian/Big brother society, but then in the same breath ask the government to regulate speech and thought.

I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to my death your right to say it.

[jackie]

Opinionated groups have a right to speak. HATE groups do not.

Who decides what is a hate group and what is an opinionated group?

[lizbud]

Amy,

I see that you did edit your post. From what I read in the article, the
group did not apply for a permit. If that's the case they never would have
been permitted to march in Indpls.The group would have been subject to
arrest at the very beginning. I agree they have a right to free speech, as
everyone else does, but a permit makes them abide by the rules as far as
scope & length of the march and gives police prior knowledge of the route
and time limits, etc.

[elizabethann]

I saw that on t.v. yesterday. They showed a white building on fire. It appeared to be on the corner of a street. Was that a business or a home? I just thought it was awful and very sad. I'm glad you are okay.

[ramanth]

Sad. Just sad.

[RICHARD]

To me, Louis Farrakhan is full of hate speech, I just watch and chuckle as CNN fawns over him.

I heard a great call to talk radio the other day.

"instead of marching on Washington, Why not show up in New Orleans and help clean up?"

It's always amazing, to me, why people get upset over a few morons-then burn down the town....blame the cops, not the morons who started it and the other morons that finish it.

. To me, hate speech falls into the same area as pornography, about which Judge Learned Hand said "I know it's pornography when I see it."

I think that Mr Hand should have passed on making that comment..

[Cincy'sMom]

The Neo-nazi's are planning on returning this weekend. I hope things go more peacefully this time...