12/3/24 SAGE's Statement on Condemning Increased Acts of Hate and Anti-Semitism in Livingston County
In the past four months, the wave of hate and discrimination has shown up in Howell, Brighton and Fowlerville affecting not only our Jewish friends but also women and the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. These escalating eruptions of hate continuously undermine our community’s safety, unity, and sense of security. Local businesses are in danger of negative economic effects as national and statewide news headlines portray our community as an unwelcoming place.
Implications can be far reaching and end up escalating into hate crimes. The impact has been traumatic to those groups who are targets of this intimidation. In the face of hatred, silence and apathy have been interpreted as acceptance by our neighboring communities, white supremacists and their victims.
We must denounce white supremacy not just through words, but by taking meaningful action against it. Passive inaction and silence from local leaders provides tacit acceptance to white supremacy as our marginalized neighbors and their legitimate safety concerns for themselves and their families are ignored. The alarming rise in hate speech promotes violence against individuals while the extremists grow their base. Racial slurs can quickly escalate to harassment, harassment to threats, and threats to physical violence.
Stand Against Extremism LivCo emphasizes the need for a unified front against these heinous, harmful acts. We call upon community leaders from all across Michigan to come together with us in making a strong statement as we rise against white supremacy in our communities. Our collective response must be unwavering, resolute, and committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all our fellow residents.
About SAGE
We are an organization dedicated to taking action that supports a safe and inclusive community for all people in Livingston County regardless of individual identity or political affiliation. We are dedicated to defending and preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Our work spans a broad range of issues, including racial, education and social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, religious freedom, and freedom of expression. Original post