Credit: Amanda Burg/NewtownPANow.com
Democratic State Rep. Steve Santarsiero hosted an event Thursday evening to speak out against various acts of hate and intolerance that has emerged throughout the nation following the most recent presidential election.
The nonpartisan and nonpolitical event was held at the Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield and brought several hundred supporters, all of whom gathered around Santarsiero and other community leaders, including Republican State Sen. Chuck McIlhinney. Some held candles, others held signs that read “no place for hate.”
McIlhinney noted to the crowd he was extremely touched at the outpouring of support for the event from residents of the community, and that the event only cemented in his mind the need for an event of its kind and the power of social media.
“This is a tremendous outpouring tonight for what I think is an important statement. This isn’t a political rally, this isn’t a call to arms, it’s just the opposite,” he said. “No election will change our nation of laws. We have a system in place and for anyone to misinterpret that as a call to action to ostracize any individual or individuals or to go after groups of people – we are a nation of immigrants, we’re all American. In the end we are the government, we stand united and there is no place for hate.”
McIlhinney noted that while the election results may upset some, it is not an excuse for a call to revolution and he has confidence that the country can withstand the results. “There has been a lot of elections that have gone one way or the other, and we’ve survived because we are above it all,” he said.
The event’s speakers also included Council Rock High School North student Mason Luff who recalled the recent events at his school which made nationwide coverage, including notes found around the school with derogatory comments and swastikas drawn about.
“The hate we approach today is not simply a Council Rock North problem, or simply a high school problem, it is a human problem,” Luff said. “Hate is the antonym of the best words, love and acceptance. Like the nation, my school is due for a chat, and everyone deserves to have their voice heard. Do not let an election divide us. We are one people, regardless of color, creed, or whatever else, we are all members of humans of the world. A vote in an election does not define someone’s position on hate. Hating someone for casting their ballot and nothing else, is still hate.”
Santarsiero noted in a press release prior to the event that the evening’s mission would be to call upon our nation’s leaders to speak out “forcefully” against the hate crimes that have ensued.
“Citizens of every society must always be vigilant to avoid the mistakes of their own pasts, so that freedom can endure for everyone, not just the majority. We gather here to say to our elected leaders, to our president and president elect, to our local officials and everyone in between, that you must speak out against hate and note that hate has no place in this land.”
