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News :: Protest Activity |
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Small Town Of Wilmington, IL Stands Tall Against Hate |
Current rating: 0 |
by Tony Willow via ML from global IMC
Email: onecitizen (nospam) mail2world.com (unverified!) |
24 Jun 2003
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The Creativity Movement's (formerly known as the World Church of the Creator) Recruitment Rally a Bust. |
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The residents of Wilmington, IL should be proud of themselves. They made it quite clear, "Hate has no home here!" Most were shocked when they heard that The Creativity Movement had plans to recruit their youth. Wilmington is a small community just south of Joliet with a population of just over 5,000.
When I arrived with my two research assistants, we took notice of one young girl who was extremely upset by the goings on. She seemed to be shouting at one particular young girl who was with the Creators holding one end of their signature flag. "I can't believe she is doing this, she is holding their stupid flag!", the young Wilmington resident shouted. When asked why she was so upset she explained that she went to school with her and that she just finished up her Freshman year at Wilmington High School. The girl in question just stood there with a blank stare on her face, I don't think she really understood what she had gotten herself into. Hopefully she comes to her senses, and soon.
There was a large police presence to help keep the peace between the Creators and they countless protesters who showed up from not only Wilmington, but surrounding communities. Several chapters of Anti-Racist Action were present to help Wilmington express their displeasure of their presence and message.
The ARA is one of many groups across the country who stand up to hate groups like this making it almost impossible for there opponents to be heard or seen for that matter. And that is exactly what they achieved.
While Creators were able to stand in one place, the police insisted the protesters keep moving. The mix of Wilmington residents, ARA members and a few reporters like myself and my researchers formed a line and marched back and forth right in front of the foul mouthed, reality-impaired creators making their little recruitment rally a bust.
The Creativity Movement attempted to distribute one of their publications called Facts the Government and Media Don't Want you to Know! but found little success unloading the two full black garbage bags of them. The majority of people who asked for them were from the media (guess we wanted to know what we were keeping to ourselves). After thumbing through it, it occurred to me. It was not us who were misleading people, it was the Creators.
I was not really surprised when I found the use of a name they are no longer allowed to use since the name rightfully belongs to a legitimate church in Oregon who sued them in a trademark infringement case. Last November Judge Joan Lefkow handed down the Order and Injunction against Matthew Hale and the members of his "church" barring them from the use of the name Church of the Creator among others things and they were ordered to deliver up and/or offer proof of the destruction of ALL infringing materials. As everyone knows, Hale couldn't accept that and was ordered to appear on contempt charges January 8, 2003. He never made it, instead he had an appointment with the FBI on more pressing matters. (Hale was arrested on charges he tried to have the judge in the trademark case murdered)
Granted, they did manage to change their groups name in the booklet, but only in a few places. What about the 70 other times they use the name in violation of the judges orders? I can understand maybe one or two, but 70?
I spoke with the officer in charge, Dan Roach of the State Police, and asked him if it was legal for them to distribute the booklet with the injunction levied against them. He explained that it was a civil matter and was out of their hands, for the moment. I am sure the judge in the case won't take this to well especially when she hears Brian Mourdry's take on it.
I asked Moudry, who stated he was the state leader of Illinois, if he thought what they were doing was legal. There is after all, a court order. He said that the knows that the name is still in the literature they were distributing, but claimed they did not have the money to make more to fix the problem. One of my assistants, the little go getter she is also brought up the fact that they were supposed to be handed over or destroyed and she asked him why he himself had not done so. His only comeback was that the government has been waging war against them and it was a injustice to their "people". Posing a hypothetical question, he was asked if he would or would not hand them over if they ever came to collect them. His answer, no they would have to arrest him. He just might very well get his wish.
For the most part, Moudry was not prepared for the volley of questions I lobbed at him. His feeble attempts of rationalizing everything and trying to twist it around to make people like me and the "Government" at fault was down right hilarious. He started ranting about Hale and how the "Jews" were worried Hale would attain power by running for office so they concocted bogus charges that he tried to kill the judge. "He only needed 38 signatures to be placed on the ballot, which he had!" Moudry shouted. Of course he was set straight and had the actual facts of the matter explained to him. Hale was the only person at fault, Hale lied about where exactly he lived and lied about using his "church" for his campaign. (which you cannot do) The only person Hale has to blame is himself. Since that argument was dead and he had no comeback he switched gears and whined how Kroenke was discriminated against by business in Riverton WY, denying him bank accounts, printing services ect,. All because of their "religion". Once again he had been duped by his fellow creators lame explanation of the "facts". Riverton businesses are not about to do business with someone who is acting illegally which would subject them to liabilities as well. But of course it went in one ear and out the other. They never have been to good at listening.
As the rally progressed, the insults on the part of the creators heated up as well as the temperature. The heat was really starting to get to them, Moudry kept retreating back to the cooler for water. You would think that black would not be the wisest choice of clothing on a hot summer day. Seeing that the protesters were not going anywhere, and were not backing down, Creators pulled the oldest trick in the book.
A young man, in regular clothes approached the barrier and asked if he could hold one of their signs and march with the protesters. Of course they gladly agreed. But one tall quick thinking protester who goes by the name "Sauce", asked a local resident if he could borrow her sign. Sauce stepped in front of the "creator" in disguise, placing his sign in front of the "Free Matt Hale" sign making the half hearted attempt to provoke a confrontation moot.
All in all, the rally was tame and the Creators did not get what they were looking for, support and open arms from the residents of Wilmington. Will they be back? Who knows, but if they do, Wilmington will be ready. A new group has formed to keep Creators in check, as well as other hate mongers who think Wilmington is easy prey. |
See also:
http://www.onepeoplesproject.com
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Comments
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Re: Small Town Of Wilmington, IL Stands Tall Against Hate |
by j m collins
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
Modified: 08:09:18 PM |
I am sorry to have to say this, but after reading the tone of this article it seems to me that the Small Town Of Wilmington, IL is actually embracing hate, or at least the writer and his associates are.
Posting from the UK, I know nothing of Matt Hale, so I read through the links. If the quotes from his words are correct, he is certainly a pretty obnoxious character. Is it really likely that views like this could get a grip in your town, as you seem to fear ? Wouldn't it be better to ignore him ? Rather than to model yourselves upon him by letting hate and prejudice into your hearts? The quoted article is appalling, gloating over the suicide of an opponent, and laden with hatred.
I suggest if you do want to stand tall against hate you should cleanse your own hearts first, before you are fit to act in external events. |
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Re: Small Town Of Wilmington, IL Stands Tall Against Hate |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
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jm,
You said: "The quoted article is appalling, gloating over the suicide of an opponent..."
I'm not quite sure what you are referring to here. I see nothing about a suicide mentioned, although there is definitely some garbled syntax in a few places in the article that you have perhaps misinterpreted.
I also find it hard to agree with you when you say the article is "laden with hatred." Although it is clear that that the author obviously disagrees with racists flaunting _their_ hatred in public and wants to discourage them from returning to Wilmington, I think you're exaggerating here a bit. Unlike the dominant media, reporters on IMC often make clear their biases, which is all I see happening here. |
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Re: Small Town Of Wilmington, IL Stands Tall Against Hate |
by Brian
bhagy (nospam) ucimc.org (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
Modified: 11:09:26 PM |
j m,
views like this CAN grip a town. that's the scary thing about hate speech, it's ignites fear. look at how well Mr. Bush was able to convince an entire nation that Iraq was a serious and imminent threat, just by using fear and hate speech. Without standing up against such voices and providing alternative voices so that people can see the differences between them (and hopefully make then informed judgements), then ignoring the hate speech only allows for it to go unchecked and become popular (even if to you and my ears it's untolerable).
Remember Hitler? He used hate and fear too, and it got him far. people thought if they ignored him, then other people would be able to see for themselves that his words were bunk. obviously, that didn't happen quite that way. so, to let it happen again, without raising voices in opposition is, in my eyes, to ignore lessons we should already have learned and need not repeat.
Besides, Matt Hale's group still was there, and their message was still present. It just had to contend with noise which hopefully allowed for suffiencent distortion that the message wasn't able to be understood without having to think about it. |
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