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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Toledo Riot Aftermath: 2 Years Later

If one were to walk down Stickney avenue- or “The Ave” as some residents would call it- in North Toledo, one would not believe a riot ensued in this neighborhood two years ago. Children playing, music blasting through car stereos, friends relaxing on porches, teenage boys shadow boxing or playing a game of pick-up basketball at nearby Wilson Park would describe a scene on a typical day in this neighborhood. But taking a trip back to Saturday, Oct. 15, 2005, the scene drastically changes. At least 14 members of the Nationalist Socialist Movement turned an entire community upside down in their attempt to lead a hate march. In a chaotic four-hour scene to follow, a mob of 600 rioters looted a gas station and bar, engaged in a violent confrontation with police and pelted cars with rocks. The end result: more than 120 rioters arrested, a damaged city and community.

Today, the aftemath of the riot has further deteriorated relations between residents and the police, garnered a bad reputation for Toledo and left the north Toledo community with many unanswered questions.

What factors played a role in the neo-Nazis coming to Toledo?

The media had reports Thomas Szych, a white resident of North Toledo, contacted NSM due to conflict with black gangs. According to the Toledo Blade, a quarrel between Szych and his neighbor, a black woman, over a fence was the cause behind the planned neo-Nazi march.

The march was planned in response to what was thought to be worsening race relations in the community. Tony Newson, a resident of North Toledo, said he has never experienced any racial problems in is community.

“I have lived in this community for seven years and have never in my time here seen any racial conflict,” said Newson. “Everybody gets along.”

Tony Newson, his brother Josh Newson and Richard Huggins, believe the media played a role in promoting the build up around the march.

Toledo Blade reporter Clyde Hughes said the media played a part in the large crowd turnout and probably the intensity of the crowd.

"But to be honest, as a journalist, I don't know what we could have done differently," he said. "An event like that could not have been ignored by the media, print or electronic.”

Hughes said he believed NSM played a little gamesmanship with the media by refusing day by day to disclose its route and other information after promising to do so, leading him and reporters to write additional stories about the march they would not have written.

“That was a clever move by them to manipulate the publicity," he said. "In fact, there were things our police reporter was picking up on the streets that we decided not to report on because we felt it would add fuel to an intense situation, so I think in some ways we showed good restraint in our newspaper coverage and I think a review of our stories would bare that out."

Why were neo-Nazis allowed to march through a residential community?

Tony Newson said he and his neighbors were in disbelief upon learning a hate group would be marching through their commnity.

"There was a lot of unrest in the community leading up to the march," Newson said. "You just knew something was going to happen."

Former mayor Jack Ford said he didn't think the march was going to turn out the way it did.

“No one thought the protest would get out of hand," he said. "We expected some rock throwing, but nothing like a full out riot.”

Hughes said it was hard to predict.

“It's a tough call," he said. "Other cities handled it by giving them space in a public square, like what happened the second time the group visited in December.”

Ford said the neo-Nazis, as American citizens, are entitled to their right of free speech.

“First Amendment gives you the right to free speech,” he said. “If we would have denied them their right to march, we would have been infringing on their rights.”

Josh Newson said he is doubtful of the whole situation because he feels there are inequalities present. He said a musician wanted to shoot a video in Toledo, but was denied a permit to do so.

“Lyfe Jennings wanted to do a video here, but the city would not grant him a permit,” said Newson. “Our city denies someone who wants to provide positive energy for our community, but grants some people a permit whose intentions are negative?”

Should the community have had a say in who could march in their neighborhood?
Newson said he and other residents were angered to not have been able to have a say in who could march through their community. Newson said he felt betrayed by the city offering police protection to the 14 NSM members.

“My tax dollars provided their protection,” he said.

Ford said protection must be provided for those who lead a march.

“When you have free speech you have to protect people who are marching,” he said. “They could use the “due diligence” clause and sue the city if we didn’t provide them with protection if something were to happen to them.”

Hughes agreed police protection was necessary.

“Given the reaction this group draws, the police protection was appropriate," he said. "Without police protection and injury to the protesters, the police would have been drawn into the situation regardless and would have had less control."

Huges added “Of course, police and the mayor miscalculated how little control they would have allowing the Neo-Nazis to march in the streets and it all unraveled very quickly. I know we in the media didn't give a lot of thought to the counter-demonstrators, who proved just as fervent as the Neo-Nazis in their protest and quickly made for a bad situation.”

Newson said the march should have been held downtown rather than in a residential ommunity.

“The mayor should have done more to prevent the march from happening in the neighborhood,” said Newson. “I could see if the march was held downtown like it was when they came back a second time.” '

In the second rally, which took place in December 2005, slightly less than 30 individuals were arrested compared to the more than 120 individuals arrested in October 2005.

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is arguably America’s most important Amendment in the Constitution. Josh Newson said police would not allow him to lead a hate march in a majority white neighborhood. He said it would be impossible to obtain a permit and police protection to do this.

“I know for one thing; if I gathered a racist black group to Ottawa Hills, they lock my ass up!” he said.

Jack Ford disagreed.

“If one wanted to march in Ottawa Hills or Perrysburg, they should have that right,” he said. "A group would have to negotiate with city officials on a variety of factors. If a city were to deny one the right to march, one could sue for infringement of rights. NSM applied for a permit march two weeks prior to the march."


The Aftermath

The Toledo Blade quoted NSM leader Bill White saying his group put more blacks in jail than the Toledo Police Department did in an entire year.

Tony Newson said residents should have shown more restraint.

“It’s hard to ignore racist white people, but then again we ended up hurting ourselves," he said. "That day, I saw people being taken by the bus loads.”

Ford said the city of Toledo was negatively affected by he riots.

“Toledo earned a bad reputation from the riots,” he said.

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