The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
ANTI-KKK RALLY
More than 60 people gathered on the Westmoreland Village Green Saturday night to take stand and speak out against the Ku Klux Klan.
A number of papers were distributed in Camelot Village and along Route 233 on Thursday morning soliciting people to join the KKK.
“Our response is swift and it is strong. These candles we represent light driving out darkness,” said event organizer Ron Klopfanstein.
Denise Szarek, a local resident, said members of the KKK are hoping people will ignore what they’re doing.
“That’s how they get a hold of a town,” Szarek said. “We need to be very loud and very boisterous and let the hate groups know that we don’t want them here and we don’t want them starting anything here.”
Another resident, Jen Deweerth, said not calling attention to the problem or acknowledging it exists will not work.
“We know that we have to be vigilant in fighting racism and bigotry,” DeWeerth said. “If you let it slide, it will grow.”
“Ignore a weed and it’ll take over your lawn,” said Beth Ed-
“Our response is swift and it is strong. These candles we represent light driving out darkness.”
— Ron Klopfanstein, event
organizer
wards, who attended the rally with her family and lead participants in traditional civil rights songs such as “We Shall Overcome.”
“The people who distributed the despicable materials have freedomof speech,” Klopfanstein said. “But so do we, and our free speech will be louder, and will last longer, and be clear. We will not have hate groups terrorizing people in Westmoreland.”
Venice Ervin, the president of the Oneida County NAACP, was one of the par- ticipants in the event and reassured those gathered that he knew Westmoreland was not a racist community and would not become a racist community. “I see from this event that there is no problemin Westmoreland that you won’t handle quickly,” he told the group.
Veronica Mosher, a resident of Westmoreland, found the problem at her front door on Thursday morning when her children found the hate literature in Ziploc bags in her driveway. She told the gathered crowd how children cried as they rode the bus to school because they were frightened that the KKK would hurt their family.
“I have lived here my whole life,” Klopfanstein said, “I grew up gay in this town. I have seen it evolve and grow. I know what it is like to be a minority in this town, and I know that we cannot let anyone feel unsafe, or unwelcome, or second-class in our town. Westmoreland is better than that. We are good people. We are equal and we stand together.”
Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol provided an officer and squad car to ensure the safety of the participants gathered and asked that anyone having information regarding the matter, whether personal contact with an individual or individuals, suspicious vehicles, or home security images contact the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office at 315-736-0141. All calls will remain confidential.
The gathering was informal and at this time there is no single group formed to address this issue. However, Klopfanstein said that he will use his page at Facebook.com/BeMoreWestmo to keep people informed about the topic and to organize further response if necessary. “Westmoreland is not hateful town,” he added, “and we will not let it become a hateful town.”
“The people who distributed the despicable materials have freedom of speech. But so do we, andour free speech will be louder, andwill last longer, and be clear.”
— Ron Klopfanstein, event organizer