Treasure Coast victimized by growing stench of hate; here's what we can do | Our View

Editorial Board
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It used to come in waves.

But over the past two years, it seems like there’s been an incessant stink of hate in the air locally.

Hate of people who think differently.

Hate of people who act differently.

Hate of people who pray differently.

Hate of people who look differently.

As our editorial board met on Tuesday, the W.K. Kellog Foundation’s National Day of Racial Healing, its members reflected on the past few weeks.

On Monday, as Treasure Coast communities honored the nonviolent legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., there was a mass shooting in St. Lucie County.

“A day of greatness was yesterday, and it turned into a situation of horror for our beautiful city and also for our citizens,” Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney told city commissioners.

"I feel as if I have let my family, team, coaches and community down. I'm not trying to make excuses. Part of me knew this was wrong, but we did not do this out of hatred and we did not know the full horrific meaning of this word," said Hidden Oaks Middle School student McClain Lewis, who hugs his baseball coach after reading a public apology letter for his actions during the Martin County NAACP chapter's Unity Rally on Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Stuart. The event took place three weeks after six Hidden Oaks Middle School students were involved in a photo that spelled out a racial slur.

Over the weekend in Boca Raton, antisemitic fliers were thrown, weighed down by pellets, into home driveways. Last June, such fliers were distributed to homes in Vero Beach, Sebastian and other areas around Florida.

Over New Year's weekend, vandals spray-painted slurs disparaging Black and Jewish people and sexually explicit images in a tunnel at Martin Downs Golf Club in Palm City.

There were other issues last year. In May, students from Hidden Oaks Middle School in Palm City made national news and were mentioned on "Saturday Night Live" after posing for a racist photo.

In late 2021, large racist banners were posted on an Interstate 95 overpass in Brevard County.

Perhaps the most visible and violent sign of local hate in recent memory came in 2016 when an arsonist set fire to a mosque in St. Lucie County. The mosque was forced to move. The arsonist was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

All of this is part of a national trend that led to the largest number of antisemitic incidents since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking them in 1979. Data from Florida shows a massive uptick from 2020 to 2022, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism.

Antisemitic hate crimes accounted for 80% of the religiously motivated incidents in 2020, and have increased by 300% since 2012, the ADL said. In 2021, reported incidents increased by 50% over 2020, including 142 cases of harassment, 47 of vandalism and one assault.

“The most commonly reported bias motivations for hate crimes perpetrated across the state in 2020 were anti-Black (40.4%), anti-gay (male) (15.6%) and anti-Jewish (14.7%),” the ADL reported, noting 58.9% of the crimes in 2020 were assaults, 17.9% vandalism or other destruction, and 16.1% intimidation.

All three groups are vast minorities in the state, records show.

“These incidents have been driven, in part, by widespread disinformation and conspiracy theories which have animated extremists and fueled antisemitism,” a recent center report said, noting the state has become home to “an extensive, interconnected network of white supremacists and other far-right extremists.”

Some alleged right-wing extremists operate their podcasts from the Treasure Coast. At least one other, the ADL said, dined with former President Donald Trump last year in Palm Beach.

Given all these factors, it’s no surprise there is more hate on the Treasure Coast. That doesn’t mean we should ignore it.

The ADL offers a fine suggestion.

“Community leaders must denounce hate, especially when it emanates from a group or political party that they identify with,” its report said. “Denouncing bigotry from an opponent is simple; doing so when it comes from an ally requires courage ― and now more than ever, we need courageous leaders.”

What’s more, each of us can battle intolerance by treating our neighbors ― especially those who might seem different ― with the respect and dignity all people deserve, with the Golden Rule, as noted in the Gospel of Matthew (7-12).

Let's meet more of our neighbors and learn about their backgrounds, cultures and practices. That doesn’t mean we need to like or follow them, but communication, an open mind and critical thinking skills help us understand each other better.

We are neighbors, hoping to improve our lives, our communities and worlds. Many of us believe in a higher power and a set of ethical standards.

Haters have a First Amendment right to spew vitriol. Good people have rights, too, and the numbers to overcome the haters. Let us do just that.

Editorials published by TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers are decided collectively by its editorial board. To respond to this editorial with a letter to the editor, email up to 300 words to TCNLetters@TCPalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Start action plan vs. racism, antisemitism on Treasure Coast | Our View