HREI: Don't stand silent

COEUR d’ALENE — The executive director of the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday called for the City Council to leave no doubt it opposes a planned gathering in North Idaho next month of a white supremacist group.

“We as a community cannot stand silent and let hate and bigotry and racism further infiltrate and poison our community,” Jeanette Laster said in a brief statement. “We have worked too hard to be an inclusive and welcoming community.”

Laster was referring to a March 12 scheduled event at Hayden Lake by the Aryan Freedom Network, a newly formed white supremacist group with most members in Texas.

She read from a Feb. 12 article in The Press that quoteed a man named Hank with AFN which said the private, indoor event would be held on a 5-acre site.

“He referred to it as 'like-minded people coming together, talking about issues, things we can do to make our communities a little better.'”

It will not involve a parade or rally, Hank told The Press.

“We don’t do stuff like that anymore,” he said. “We just stay to ourselves.”

Laster, however, said those who attend the gathering “can’t always stay on 5 acres” and will likely visit restaurants and stores and stay in hotels while here.

“We want to reiterate our confidence in our law enforcement to protect our city and our county,” Laster said.

But as a human rights organization, and on behalf of the more than 250 businesses signed on to the Love Lives Here CDA kindness campaign, Laster said they were concerned after viewing the AFN website.

It shows a swastika and the words “Keep Idaho White” inside a map of Idaho. It also used other racist phrases and had a link to “Adolph Hitler: The Greatest Story Never Told.”

“I would like to suggest that while we watch how this may or may not unfold in our communities, that we take this opportunity to increase our city's messaging around inclusivity and discrimination,” Laster said.

Hank told The Press that AFN is not a hate group, but opposes reverse discrimination and “anti-white policies."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C., has also called on elected officials in Idaho to offer a “strong rejection” of the AFN gathering.

North Idaho once had a reputation as a haven for white supremacy groups due primarily to the Aryan Nations, which had a compound at Hayden Lake dating back to the 1970s. The compound was demolished in 2000, following a judgment that bankrupted the neo-Nazi group. Today, it is private property.

Laster asked that the city bring forward a statement it previously posted “condemning acts of violence, inhumanity and racism."

“We condemn white supremacy and any other groups who promote it,” the statement reads in part.

It goes on to say, “We have deep empathy to the nationwide anger and fear that racism is still unchecked. We value the diversity of the community and the inclusion of all voices. It is important for all of us to have the courage to stand together, unite and understand that our differences make us stronger.”

Laster said the statement has been “very buried” in a long list of statements over the years.

“I feel it would be beneficial at this time to have this statement directly and permanently placed more prevalent on the page of our city's website,” she said. “We also encourage our city constituents to emphasize this messaging over the next month as HREI will continue to provide its educational awareness as well.”

City officials said they will consider Laster’s request.