Hate seems to never go out of style. But in this case, it seems to be gaining popularity.
A report by the Southern Poverty Law Center this week shows that Michigan had the highest number of hate incidents among states in the Midwest in the 10 days following the Nov. 8 election, Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press reports.
There were at least 40 incidents involving bias against African Americans, Latinos, immigrants, Jews, Muslims, LGBT, and others in Michigan during that stretch of time. Nationwide, Michigan had the sixth-highest number of hate incidents during that time period, after California, which had 99, New York, 69, Texas, 57, Washington state, 48, and Massachusetts, 42.
The reported incidents are those the Southern Poverty Law Center was made aware of it, so it's likely there were more.
The Freep reports a sampling of incidents:
On Nov. 16, a Latino immigrant was targeted at a Panera Bread restaurant in Troy by a suspect making references to Trump.
On Nov. 10 at Clarkston Junior High School, there was a Nazi swastika aimed at an African American. There were also Nazi swastikas painted in incidents in Albion, Wyandotte and Ann Arbor, among other municipalities.
The report addresses Donald Trump by saying:
At this point, it is not enough for Trump to look in the camera and say “Stop it!” to the harassers, as he did on 60 Minutes. Nor is it enough for him to simply “disavow” the white supremacists who see him as their champion, as he did at the Times. If he is to make good on the first promise he made as the president-elect — his pledge to “bind the wounds of division” in our country — he must repair the damage that his campaign has caused.
Rather than feign ignorance, he must acknowledge that his own words have opened “wounds of division” in our country. Rather than simply saying “Stop it!” and disavowing the radical right, he must speak out forcefully and repeatedly against all forms of bigotry and reach out to the communities his words have injured.
Another report by the nonprofit center in Montgomery, Ala., collects incidents submitted by teachers around the country. It doesn't identify the district for these Michigan anecdotes:
“A proud proclamation of racism was made by a student after the election: ‘Bet those black people are really scared now.’” — High school teacher
“White males have been overheard saying, ‘screw women’s rights, fag lover liberal, build the wall, lock her up.’ The rebel flag is draped on the truck of a popular student, and the p-word has been used very casually, citing Trump as the excuse.” — High school teacher
“We have over 20 percent Muslim students and 96 percent students of color. Before the election night, in my role in the building as the principal, I was already dealing with children calling Muslims terrorists, boys objectifying girls by calling out obscenities about their private parts, and racial tensions between Latino and Black students. We have had one incident the election night, but our students are really worried about being deported, some Muslim girls are coming to school without their hijabs, and kids have told me they are afraid that a war is going to happen. One child asked me, ‘How are we going to get our freedom back?’” — Elementary school principal
“I have seen open racism, spoken, for the first time in 23 years of teaching.” — Middle school teacher
