On July 26, 2010, the B’nai Shalom Synagogue of Olney, Maryland, a suburb of Washington DC was vandalized by persons unknown spray painting swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on the outside walls, parking lot and light posts. NBC Washington reported that the attack on the Olney, Maryland synagogue happened the night before parents were to drop off their children for a summer camp.
Attack on DC Area Olney, Maryland Synagogue with Nazi, White Supremacist Vandalism (Photo: NBC Washington)
The Olney, Maryland synagogue was covered with swastikas on the outside and on the sidewalk, as well as spray painting of slurs against Jews. The anti-Semitic phrases, scrawled using black spray paint, included “work will set u free,” a reference to a sign that hung over the Auschwitz concentration camp, and “Death 2 Zionists.” The vandals also used German, writing phrases including “Juden raus,” which means “Jews out” and was used by Nazis.
The spray-painted comments also included the phrase “Death 2 Zionists” and “14/88.” 14/88 is a reference used by white supremacists. The “14” refers to the “14 words” promoted by white supremacists “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” which was promoted by David Lane, a criminal leader of the white nationalist group The Order. The “88” refers to eighth letter of the alphabet, “H,” and stands for “HH” or “Heil Hitler.”
Olney, MD Synagogue: Death Threats, Promotion of Nazi and White Supremacists 14/88 Message (Photo: NBC Washington)
Debbie Kovalsky, synagogue president, said the damage is “heart wrenching to see.”
The Jerusalem Post stated that “In addition to the synagogue vandalism, two homes in the area were also spray-painted with swastikas and other symbols.” WJZ reports that “Police say two homes on Rolling Acres Way in Olney were vandalized, with swastikas and the symbols ‘SS’ spray-painted on the yards and trees.”
The Maryland Gazette reported that “B’nai Shalom First Vice President Jeff Orenstein said he was expecting to find a couple of swastikas when officials received the call from police Monday morning about the graffiti. But the vandalism went well beyond that, he said. ‘We were very shocked at how much more there was,’ he said. ‘It appears to us that this was more than a couple of kids that came by with a can of spray paint to play a prank. I think there is a lot more to this.’ ”
On July 28, 2010, the Maryland Gazette reported that “Faint outlines of hateful words and symbols still lingered outside of B’nai Shalom of Olney on Tuesday, despite the efforts of more than 200 people to clean up the graffiti that was found spray painted in black on the walls, parking lot and light poles Monday morning. The rest, synagogue President Debbie Kovalsky said, will have to be removed with a sand blaster. More than 500 people, including County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), attended a prayer service later that evening in a show of support for the synagogue. Clergy and parishioners from local churches and rabbis from synagogues in Rockville, Columbia and Baltimore also joined B’nai Shalom members.”
Montgomery County police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Montgomery County Police ask anyone with information on the case to call 240-773-5500 and ask for the Investigative Services Division.
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)supports our universal human rights, including our universal human right of dignity, and our universal human rights of freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
We condemn such death threats, such vandalism and attacks against houses of worship as seeking to intimidate and spread fear among those seeking their universal human rights of freedom of worship. We reject the hate of Nazis and white supremacists, and we call up all those who hate to unburden the hate from their hearts.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Detroit, Michigan-based, National Socialist Movement (NSM) Neo-Nazi group plans to hold a rally with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Knoxville, Tennessee on August 14.
NSM’s Brian Culpepper told the Knoxville News Sentinel he expects both Ku Klux Klan members and “various other factions of the white nationalist movement.”
The August 14 Neo-Nazi event is to be held at Knoxville Market Square with a walk and further rally on the steps of Knox County Courthouse. Another group is planning a counterprotest.
The Neo-Nazi NSM group is encouraging Tea Party members to see them first hand, stating: “Tea Party patriots and those that have not seen the NSM in person are encouraged to come and see firsthand what our people and our message really are. ”
The Neo-Nazi group states that groups involved in the August 14 event will include: “1. Brotherhood of Klans: Guest speaker Imperial Wizard Jeremy Parker, 2. United Knights TN. KKK, 3. SSAG: Guest speaker Ted Dunn, 4. U.S. Presidential Candidate Brian Holland… Among the featured speakers will be Commander Jeff Schoep and members of the Officer Corps.”
Security Services Action Group (S.S.A.G.) was one of the post-George Lincoln Rockwell neo-Nazi groups, which was reportedly associated with street violence in Detroit. Virginia’s Brian Holland views himself as a “National Socialist” presidential candidate for 2012, and Brian Holland calls himself a “Majority Rights Activist.”
Hate Group Speakers for Knoxville, Tennessee August 14 Event: NSM's Jeff Schoep, Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard Jeremy Parker, and Brian Holland (left to right)
Jeff Schoep has led the Nazi, Hitlerite National Socialist Movement (NSM) for years. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) quotes Jeff Schoep as stating: “The Constitution was written by white men alone. Therefore, it was intended for whites alone… When you put on your NSM uniform, you are not just representing the NSM but all National Socialists that fought and died for our Race and our Cause! You are showing the Jews and the rest of the world that our Fuhrer is not forgotten and that his life’s struggle was not in vain… All non-White immigration must be prevented. We demand that all non-Whites currently residing in America be required to leave the nation forthwith and return to their land of origin: peacefully or by force.”
United in Hate: Ku Klux Klan's Randy Gray (image 1), National Socialist Movement's Jeff Schoep (image 2), and Christian Identity's James Wickstrom (image 3) (Photo 1 Midland Daily News, Photos 2 and 3 SPLC)
Jeff Schoep has led the Nazi, Hitlerite National Socialist Movement (NSM) for years. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) quotes Jeff Schoep as stating: “”The Constitution was written by white men alone. Therefore, it was intended for whites alone… When you put on your NSM uniform, you are not just representing the NSM but all National Socialists that fought and died for our Race and our Cause! You are showing the Jews and the rest of the world that our Fuhrer is not forgotten and that his life’s struggle was not in vain… All non-White immigration must be prevented. We demand that all non-Whites currently residing in America be required to leave the nation forthwith and return to their land of origin: peacefully or by force. ”
The SPLC states that “James Wickstrom may be America’s hardest-line preacher of the racist and anti-Semitic theology of Christian Identity. Known for violent, raging sermons that call for extermination of “the Jews,” Wickstrom, who has an extensive criminal history, has been preaching his hatred since his involvement in the 1970s with the anti-Semitic and antigovernment Posse Comitatus.”
The SPLC quotes James Wickstrom as stating: “I’d like to see these Jews all be brought to the VA [Veterans Administration hospital] and wooden chairs be put down on the lawn. Tie the Jews in. Bring these veterans down who have been mutilated … and give them baseball bats and let them beat these Jews to death! Every one of them! Take these chairs and Jews after they’re beaten to death, throw ’em in the wood chipper! And from the wood chipper let the remains go into a big incinerary [sic] truck, which is right behind the wood chipper, and give them the holocaust they rightly deserve!”
The SPLC quotes James Wickstrom as stating: “I have a dream! If that goddamn n**ger can have a dream, I can have a dream, too. I have a dream that in the days to come there won’t be anyone who isn’t white that’s gonna be in America!”
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The Midland Messenger report on the planned July 31 white supremacist / Nazi event that “A post on Stormfront, a website for neo-Nazis and white supremacists, announces a July 31 rally on the steps of the Midland County Courthouse. Scheduled to speak is Randy Gray, who was elected as a GOP precinct delegate in 2008. He was stripped of that position after he showed up the day after the election on the streets of Midland in his KKK robes protesting the election of Barack Obama. Also scheduled to speak is James Wickstrom, a longtime member of the Christian Identity movement. Wickstrom claims that only white people were created in the image of God and only white people have souls. He also claims that Jews are the ‘children of Satan’ and that white, Western Europeans are the true Israelites favored by God. Wickstrom lives in Rhodes, Michigan. A third speaker is Jeff Schoep, ‘commander’ of the National Socialist Movement which has its headquarters in Detroit. His organization wants a United States made up only of those with ‘pure White blood’ — and no Jews or homosexuals allowed. And although Schoep claims that his group is non-violent, their party platform demands that ‘all non-Whites currently residing in America be required to leave the nation forthwith and return to their land of origin: peacefully or by force.'”
Scotland: Shock after Nazi sign appears at Stonehaven — Scotland Press and Journal: “An investigation has been launched after a Nazi sign was erected in a north-east town. The sign, which was placed near a group of travellers who have pitched up in caravans next to Stonehaven’s open air pool, read ‘Nazi Gathering’ and displayed a swastika.”
On a hot and rainy day in Washington DC, on Sunday, June 13, 2010, volunteers of diverse religions, races, ethnic backgrounds, genders, and age groups came together to remember the June 2009 attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and to remember the tragic death of museum guard Stephen Tyrone Johns a year ago on June 10, 2009.
We Remember June 10, 2009 Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Photos: Left – AP, Right – USHMM)
Speakers from among the public included R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm, Elisa Tetreault, Mrs. N. Washington, and DamangaExecutive Director Mohamed Yahya. Other volunteers came to help organize, record, and promote the event among the public. Attendees included an employee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum who attended as a private individual, and who expressed his appreciation for the volunteers’ public remembrance. Media attendees included FOX 5 News and a contributor to the Washington Jewish Week.
Jeffrey Imm spoke of the need to have a public remembrance on the June 10 attack and the murder of Stephen Tyrone Johns, in addition to the museum’s private remembrance on the morning of June 10. He stated that the volunteers had gathered to share the grief of Mr. Johns’ family and also to stand united to defy hate and to urge “our fellow human beings to Choose Love, Not Hate.” He also stated that he recognized that some had told him that they were afraid to come to a public remembrance, but we should not let fear terrorize us from standing up for equality, liberty, dignity, and love for our fellow human beings.
He stated that “Some believe that this attack was someone else’s problem. They believe that the attacker James Von Brunn’s white supremacist hate is only a problem for non-whites, and has nothing to do with the Jewish public. Some believe that his Holocaust Denial is only a problem for those remember the Holocaust, and this is only a problem for the Jewish world. But the fact is that terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was attack based on hate. No one could possibly doubt that an attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was a attack on all Jews – not just one type of Jew, American Jews, or Jews in Washington DC – but an attack on all Jewish people everywhere around the world. Moreover, the attacker’s Holocaust Denial is an attack against the terrible truth of the Holocaust itself. No one could possibly doubt that this attack by a white supremacist also was hatred against black Americans.”
“But the attack was not just against Jews and black, not just in Washington DC, and not just Americans. The attack was one motivated by hate itself. The terrorist Von Brunn himself documented his philosophy in writing to a Nazi sympathizer in Germany, stating that hate was ‘natural, normal and necessary,’ and that ‘compassionate nations’ would ‘die.’ Such an attack of hate was one that speaks to the violence against all people that have compassion, all people that defy genocide, all people that seek justice, and yes all people that seek to love their fellow human beings. The cancer of hate leads to that much destruction. We stand here today united, not just to remember that attack on June 10, 2009, but also to reject that hate that motivated it. We stand here today to remember the awful consequences of allowing hate to go unchallenged. We stand here today to say ‘Never Again’ to such hate, not just in others, but also in ourselves. But in our challenge to hate, in our unwillingness to be afraid, we don’t offer an upraised fist, but we offer an outstretched hand. We urge those who hate to drop the burden of hate from their hearts. We urge them to Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.”
Jeffrey Imm Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Elisa Tetreault that all “men and women are equal before the law, without discrimination because of sex, blood, language, social origin, or religion. Equality is not something that you should practice because it is the law, but something you should practice because it is right.” She urged others “to take a look at who we are, take a look at who we are standing next to. It can be men, women, gay, straight, black, white, Latino, Asian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim. Each of us are fighting for justice in different ways.”
She stated that: “On June 10, 2009, Stephen Tyrone Johns was shot to death by a white supremacist and Holocaust Denier. It is tragic when anyone loses their life, especially at the hands of hate. It is hard to believe that the actions of one person can cause so much hurt. The truth is that all it takes is one person. What I have learned is that we all make a difference. A wise man once said ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’ This is what we are here for. This is what we are fighting for. It does not matter your skin color or the religion you practice or your sexual orientation, we are all equal, we all bleed the same color. I stand here before you to say that one person can make change. Act as if what you do makes a difference, because it does. Remember to Choose Love, Not Hate.”
Elisa Tetreault Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Damanga Executive Director Mohamed Yahya has great experience in fighting against hate in the ongoing genocide in Sudan’s Darfur. Mr. Yahya spoke of his sympathy and grief for Stephen Tyrone Johns in his efforts to protect the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as a real hero and a great, great man. He spoke of how America is viewed around the world as a nation that prizes freedom, equality, liberty, and compassion toward others – freedoms and dignity that is lost in many other parts of the world, including his war-torn home of Darfur and Sudan. Mohamed Yahya has been recognized as a leading fighter against genocide by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Mohamed Yahya Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Mrs. Washington spoke of the importance of remembering the attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was not a random act of violence, but was a targeted attempt to attack and terrorize Jewish Americans and to deny the reality of the Holocaust itself. Mrs. Washington also pointed to the importance of where this public remembrance was being held – Freedom Plaza, and the important symbolic nature of this location. The Freedom Plaza in Washington DC is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King’s was planted at the site.
Mrs. Washington urged the public to stop and take a moment to reflect on such critical issues for our freedom as the need to stand defiant against hate and the need to understand that an attack on the human rights of one of us represented an attack on such rights for all of us. Mrs. Washington pointed to the need to continue to realize this dream of equality and liberty, dignity, respect, and love for all of our fellow Americans and fellow human beings.
Mrs. Washington Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
The volunteers stood together at the Freedom Plaza area to urge others to Choose Love, Not Hate.
Freedom Plaza – Washington DC – Open Air Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue – Between 13 and 14th Streets NW – Site of June 13, 2010 Public Remembrance of Attack on US Holocaust Memorial Museum
On June 13, 2010, volunteers from the Washington DC area joined together to have a public remembrance of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum attack on June 2009 and to remember the tragic murder of museum guard Stephen Tyrone Johns by white supremacist, Holocaust Denier James Von Brunn. We also remember that there were those whose hearts were burdened by hate, who praised Von Brunn’s terrorism, and that the struggle against white supremacism and anti-Semitism continues.
Near the end of the public remembrance of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Musaum attack, two members of a Charlottesville, Virginia-based “white nationalist,” anti-Semitic group, Occidental Dissent, sought to heckle speakers at the public remembrance. The Occidental Dissent group claims to seek “the creation of a Jew-free, racially exclusive White ethnostate in North America.” The group also has a history of seeking to deny women’s rights, and has publicly stated its goals are to infiltratepolitical organizations to promote “white nationalism.” The visitors included the group’s leader who calls himself the pseudonym “Hunter Wallace” or “Prozium” (based on the movie “Equilibrium”) and Mike Capatano (who left after a moment). The group’s leader “Hunter Wallace” remained behind, wearing a yellow Gadsden Flag shirt.
White Nationalist from Anti-Semitic Occidental Dissent Group Visits Public Remembrance of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Attack
Mohamed Yahya Responds to White Nationalist Heckler: "If you hate me, I love you"Volunteers Stand United in Love and Tolerance - Urging All to Choose Love, Not Hate
R.E.A.L. founder Jeffrey Imm quickly reached out to the Occidental Group group leader, as one of our brothers and sisters in humanity who we must work to reach, and indicated this demonstrated an important reason why we held such a public remembrance. The R.E.A.L. founder pointed out that we do not offer an upraised fist against white supremacism and anti-Semitism, but we offer an outstretched hand to all to choose love, not hate. R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm then in fact extended such an outstretched hand to the group’s leader and urged him to choose love, not hate.
Jeffrey Imm, Mohamed Yahya, and Mrs. Washington Offer an Outstretched Hand, Not an Upraised Fist - to White Nationalism and Anti-Semitic Group Leader - We Urge Choose Love, Not Hate
On June 13, at 2 PM, for our public remembrance of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Attack and the tragic death of Stephen Tyrone Johns, if it rains we will meet under the marquee of the National Theater across the street from Freedom Plaza. There are no shows at the National Theater on June 13, and we submitted an Assembly Notification to the Washington DC Police for that location as alternative. The National Theater is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004
The photo below shows Freedom Plaza on the RIGHT and the National Theater marquee on the LEFT. We just walk across the street.
What if it Rains? If we have a brief thunderstorm, will stand under the shelter in front of the National Theater (Left), which is right next to Freedom Plaza (Right)
National Theater Marquee: Rain Plan Location Alternative if Rain - Across the Street from Freedom Plaza - National Theater Address: 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004
A year ago, on June 10, 2009, in Washington DC, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was attacked by a white supremacist, Holocaust denier James Von Brunn, who sought to enter the museum with a rifle to kill Jews. In his murderous rage, he shot and killed black security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns, who was in Von Brunn’s way. The terrorist James Von Brunn was shot and stopped by security guard Harry Weeks and other security guards, and Von Brunn died in a prison hospital on January 6, 2010.
June 10, 2009 Terror Attack (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
This philosophy of terrorist hate should give us all pause to reflect. If anything were to be learned from the June 10, 2009 terrorist attack, it is the cancerous destruction that hate will cause.
In our support for our universal human rights of equality and liberty, we offer another approach. While we defy hate, we also offer an outstretched hand, not an upraised fist, to those who hate. We urge those who hate to release such burden of hate from their hearts and to join us in defending our human rights, which are also their human rights.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is intended to remember the worst atrocity committed against an identity group in human history. When such a place is itself the target of terrorist hatred, it should be a severe warning signal for Americans and all human beings. But that warning signal has been scrupulously ignored, as has the terrorist attack itself been largely forgotten. Even worse, some have sought to rationalize hate against other identity groups themselves, and sadly like Von Brunn, have come to view that compassion is only for the weak.
The cancer of hate has continued to spread. Months after the June 10, 2009 terrorist attack, I saw some people with signs in the streets of Washington DC promoting racial hatred, some carrying signs with swastikas, and some with signs spewing vulgar and obscene messages. Racial supremacist and anti-Semitic groups have sought to promote their cause in our nation’s capital and around the country. On our public airwaves, there are those openly call for bombing houses of worship, who openly promote racist views, who question American legislation designed to guarantee our civil rights, and who ultimately believe that hate is the answer to our nation’s and to the world’s problems.
The lesson that has been taught by the Holocaust has been summarized as “Never Again.”
The lesson that the June 10, 2009 terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum must teach us is “Never Again to Hate.”
That is a lesson that too many are not interested in hearing about. But if we ever seek to be responsible for equality and liberty, it is our most vital lesson to be learned.
For many reasons, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum terror attack must not be forgotten. But on June 10, 2010, a year later, there was little interest in remembering it. Washington DC area mainstream newspapers only posted AP wire reports to their web sites buried in the “local news sections,” and the private remembrance by staff of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was covered primarily by Washington DCtelevision stationson their web sites that cover “local” news. Such a terror attack of hate is no longer viewed as “national” news.
We Will Remember Stephen Tyrone Johns (Photo: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)
In terms of public activism, however, we believe that American citizens also have an obligation to do their part, in remembering this terrorist attack. We are holding a public event to remember the event. We also urge those who seek to express their commitment to challenging hate to share your thoughts with us at info@realcourage.org, and we will share your statements on our web site.
On Sunday, June 13 at 2 PM, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) is hosting a public remembrance in Washington DC of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum attack and the murder of Stephen Tyrone Johns. We have invited the public to join us in this public remembrance, and to share their testimonies of the need to promote tolerance, dignity, respect, and equality for our fellow human beings.
We will hold this public remembrance at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, near where Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his speech “I Have A Dream.” We too, have a dream, of human dignity, of human rights, and of equality and liberty – not just for all American, but also for all human beings. We have a dream of our fellow human beings united to be responsible for equality and liberty.
But we know that we cannot begin to make that dream a reality without defying and denying the cancerous growth of hatred in our nation, in our society, and around the world.
On June 13, when we publicly remember the terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, our united message will be “Never Again to Hate.”
On Sunday June 13, 2010, at 2 PM, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) invites Washingtonians to a public event to remember the June 10, 2009 attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and to remember the loss of Stephen Tyrone Johns. Choose love, not hate.
We will meet at the Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, near where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his speech “I Have a Dream,” and will stand united in our diverse religions, ethnicity, and races. We will stand united for equality. We will also say “Never Again” to hate.
Freedom Plaza - Washington DC - 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW - Site of June 13, 2010 - "Never Again to Hate" Event
We will remember black security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns who was shot to death on June 10, 2009 while on duty defending a museum that stands in remembrance to the Holocaust. We vow that his death will not be in vain, but that such sacrifices will remind us of the need to be ever-vigilant and defiant against the forces of hate that seek to spread in Washington DC and throughout America.
As those who promote hate seek to create ever-increasing numbers of hate groups in America, our message to them is that America will never retreat on hate. But we don’t answer hate with hate. Instead of an upraised fist, we offer outstretched hands and hearts to those who do hate, to urge them to release the burden of hate from their hearts, and join us in defending the universal human rights and dignity of all people.
— Date: Sunday, June 13, 2010
— Time: 2 to 4 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time
— Location: Freedom Plaza, Washington DC, 20004 – on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 13th and 14th Streets NW
— Contact: Jeffrey Imm, info@realcourage.org, 301-613-8789
The Freedom Plaza in Washington DC is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King’s was planted at the site.
— Parking lots: the nearby National Theater reports the following parking lot areas include:
— PMI
— 1220 E Street, NW – Enter on E Street between 12th and 13th Streets
— 424 11th Street, NW
— 1325 G Street, NW – Enter on G Street between 13th and 14th Streets
— QUICK PARK
— 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW – Enter on 13th Street between E and F Streets
On Sunday June 13, 2010, at 2 PM, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) invites Washingtonians to a public event to remember the June 10, 2009 attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and to remember the loss of Stephen Tyrone Johns. Choose love, not hate.
We Will Remember Stephen Tyrone Johns Sacrifice and Courage (Photo: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)
The attack by white supremacist and Holocaust denier James Von Brunn on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on June 10, 2009, was based on hate. We will urge our fellow Americans to Choose Love, Not Hate. We will urge our fellow Americans to say “Never Again” to such hate.
We will meet at the Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, near where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his speech “I Have a Dream,” and will stand united in our diverse religions, ethnicity, and races. We will stand united for equality. We will also say “Never Again” to hate.
"Never Again" to Hate. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
We will remember black security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns who was shot to death on June 10, 2009 while on duty defending a museum that stands in remembrance to the Holocaust. We vow that his death will not be in vain, but that such sacrifices will remind us of the need to be ever-vigilant and defiant against the forces of hate that seek to spread in Washington DC and throughout America.
As those who promote hate seek to create ever-increasing numbers of hate groups in America, our message to them is that America will never retreat on hate. But we don’t answer hate with hate. Instead of an upraised fist, we offer outstretched hands and hearts to those who do hate, to urge them to release the burden of hate from their hearts, and join us in defending the universal human rights and dignity of all people.
The Freedom Plaza in Washington DC is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King’s was planted at the site.
It is summer. It rains, and hopefully it will not be raining at 2 PM.
But if we get caught in a thunderstorm, we will simply walk across the street under the cover of the National Theater marque, which is literally across the street at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.
If we have to speak there on the street, then we can also do that as well. The National Theater has no shows that day, and we have submitted an Assembly Notification for that location with the Washington DC police, as a fallback alternative.
The photo below shows Freedom Plaza on the RIGHT and the National Theater marquee on the LEFT. We just walk across the street.
What if it Rains? If we have a brief thunderstorm, will stand under the shelter in front of the National Theater (Left), which is right next to Freedom Plaza (Right)
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO NATIONAL THEATER:
FROM MARYLAND AND NORTH OF D.C.
ROUTE #I- 95 SOUTH
Pass Capital Beltway (I-495)
EXIT #22 – BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON PARKWAY
EXIT RIGHT TO ROUTE #50 WEST – TOWARD WASHINGTON
Becomes New York Avenue
Continue about 10 miles
LEFT ON 4TH STREET, NW
RIGHT on E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM SPRINGFIELD AND SOUTH OF D.C.
ROUTE #95 NORTH
EXIT ROUTE #395 NORTH
EXIT 12TH STREET, NW
Stay in Left Lane
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM BALTIMORE AND EAST OF D.C.
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON PARKWAY – ROUTE #295 TOWARD WASHINGTON
EXIT RIGHT TO ROUTE #50 WEST – TOWARD WASHINGTON
Becomes New York Avenue
Continue about 10 miles
LEFT ON 4TH STREET, NW
RIGHT on E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM SOUTH ARLINGTON AND ALEXANDRIA
RTE #1 NORTH OR #I-395 EAST
EXIT (Or from Route #I-395 Continue) ONTO 14TH STREET BRIDGE INTO DOWNTOWN D.C.
RIGHT ON PENNSYLVANIA AVE, NW
LEFT ON 13TH ST. NW ONE BLOCK TO E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is to the left at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM ANNAPOLIS AND THE EASTERN SHORE AND ROUTE #50
ROUTE #50 WEST TOWARDS WASHINGTON
Becomes New York Avenue
Continue about 10 miles
LEFT ON 4TH STREET, NW
RIGHT on E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th and 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
UPPER MARLBORO, ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE AND SUITLAND AREA
SUITLAND PARKWAY WEST
EXIT ROUTE #395
Follow signs toward Maine Avenue and Richmond/Downtown exit)
EXIT 12TH STREET NW – DOWNTOWN
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM FREDERICK, GAITHERSBURG, WEST OF D.C.
ROUTE #270 SOUTH
At the Beltway – Route #495, follow the signs to Northern Virginia
Cross Bridge.
EXIT RIGHT TO GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKWAY.
EXIT RIGHT AROUND TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT BRIDGE ON LEFT
STAY IN MIDDLE LANE TO CONSTITUTION AVENUE
Go 12 blocks.
LEFT ON 12TH STREET, NW
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM UPPER D.C., CONNECTICUT AVENUE OR 16TH STREET
SOUTH TO H STREET, NW – OR FROM 16TH STREET SOUTH TO K STREET, NW
RIGHT ON 13TH STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is to the left at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM FAIRFAX, NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUBURBS, AND ROUTE #66
ROUTE #66 EAST TOWARD D.C.
CONTINUE STRAIGHT ONTO THEODORE ROOSEVELT BRIDGE
STAY IN MIDDLE LANE TO CONSTITUTION AVENUE
LEFT ON 12TH STREET, NW
Go two blocks
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
FROM GEORGETOWN and KEY BRIDGE
M STREET, NW, EAST
M STREET BECOMES PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE AS IT ANGLES OUT OF GEORGETOWN
LEFT ON 17TH STREET, NW
Go one block
RIGHT ON H STREET, NW
RIGHT ON 13TH STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is to the left at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
