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Hate thrives in silence. Society must stand against antisemitism

Hate thrives in silence. Society must stand against antisemitism

Yahoo2 days ago

Florida continues to lead the nation in reported antisemitic incidents, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Palm Beach County, in particular, has seen a troubling rise in such cases, with 353 incidents reported in 2024, marking a 277% increase since 2020. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for communities to confront and counteract hate in all its forms.
The May 21st shooting outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. serves as a stark reminder of how unchecked hate can escalate into tragic violence. Closer to home, we've witnessed white supremacists delivering antisemitic rants during public comment at local government meetings, accompanied by hate group salutes. Such incidents, once considered fringe, are becoming disturbingly commonplace in public forums.
In Delray Beach, we took decisive action by updating our civility rules to make it unequivocally clear: hate speech has no place in our chambers. Working alongside the city attorney and fellow commissioners, I helped lead this initiative, drawing on insights gained as an alumnus of the ADL's Glass Leadership Institute — a program that prepares emerging leaders to confront antisemitism and defend civil rights. The revised policy empowers our mayor to interrupt and remove individuals who use public comment to spread bigotry or intimidation.
Our annual Grand Chanukah Festival has become a beloved tradition in Delray Beach, reflecting our city's proud embrace of diversity and Jewish heritage. But even as the celebration has grown, so too has the need for heightened security—an unsettling reminder of the ongoing threats our Jewish community faces. Whether in celebration or crisis, the Jewish community can always count on me to be a steadfast ally and advocate.
As elected officials, we have a responsibility to stand firmly against antisemitism and all forms of hate. This means not only condemning such acts but also implementing policies that protect and uplift all members of our community. By fostering an environment of respect and understanding, we can ensure that Delray Beach remains a place where everyone feels safe and valued.
Hate thrives in silence. It's incumbent upon each of us to speak out, take action, and uphold the principles of dignity and equality that define our community.
Rob Long is vice mayor of the city of Delray Beach.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Rise in antisemitism needs a strong response from all Americans | Opinion

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Obituary: Milwaukee Courier founder Jerrel Jones, pioneer in local journalism, dies at 85
Obituary: Milwaukee Courier founder Jerrel Jones, pioneer in local journalism, dies at 85

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time34 minutes ago

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Obituary: Milwaukee Courier founder Jerrel Jones, pioneer in local journalism, dies at 85

Milwaukee journalism pioneer and visionary, Jerrel Jones, 85, founder of the weekly newspaper, the Milwaukee Courier and owner of WNOV radio station, has died according to a statement from the family. 'He was a mentor, a pioneer, and a beacon of strength,' Mary Ellen Jones, daughter and general manager of WNOV, said in a statement. Jones led Courier Communications Corp., which included the newspaper for 61 years. The Courier was founded in 1964 during the Civil Rights movement and desegregation in Milwaukee's schools. In 1972, Courier Communications bought WNOV, with Jones as the majority stakeholder, making it the first Black owned radio station in Wisconsin and one of 30 in the United States, according to the station's website. In 2013, Courier Communications bought the Madison Times, a Black newspaper in Madison. In a statement Mayor Cavalier Johnson said: "Milwaukee has lost a titan of local media with the passing of Jerrel W. Jones. His leadership of both the Milwaukee Courier newspaper and WNOV radio provided important outlets for news, entertainment and information. Jerrel was an engaged owner and community leader. His family, friends and colleagues have my condolences." A special tribute edition of the Milwaukee Courier is planned for the end of July and community members are invited to share a reflection of Jones. The Courier is the oldest continuously publishing Black newspaper in Wisconsin and has been a force in politics, culture and community since its first edition. Jones gave it the slogan "the newspaper you can trust" and it was a key source of information and commentary for Milwaukee's Black community. And Jones held politicians to account, even those whose campaigns he helped support financially. One of those was Democratic state Sen. Gary George, who represented part of the northside of Milwaukee at the time. In 2003, Jones supported then-Gov. Jim Doyle's efforts to expand casino gambling in the state that would have benefited Potawatomi Casino, and one of the major advertisers for the Courier and major employer in the Black community. However George voted against it. Jones was furious after the vote and the Courier wrote an editorial lambasting George saying he "has had the opportunity to represent his loyal supporters for a long time. It is time that he must go. His actions, votes and leadership are clearly in question." Jones went even further, launching a recall against George in March that year. "I backed Gary for 20 years. I've taken a lot of crap from Gary over those 20 years," Jones said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2003. "I've never even heard of a recall effort where we recall our own. this is the first time and, hopefully, the last time." Jones led the recall effort gathering 15,000 signatures, nearly more than double what was needed to launch a recall and a month before the deadline, according to a Journal Sentinel story. Roughly seven months later George lost his recall election to Spencer Coggs. This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Obituary: Jerrel Jones founded Milwaukee Courier founder, owned WNOV

Trump Deploys Marines to L.A.
Trump Deploys Marines to L.A.

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Trump Deploys Marines to L.A.

700 Marines dispatched: President Donald Trump sent 700 Marines to California, where riots and protests against immigration raids are still going on, to protect federal property and personnel. This follows the deployment of the National Guard and several days of protests in San Francisco and Los Angeles that local and state police have struggled to get under control. Of course, the administration hasn't decided what the rules of engagement are just yet. Or where the deployed troops should sleep: "A statement by the U.S. Northern Command said that 2,100 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines will protect federal personnel and property under the command of Task Force 51, the headquarters that has been assigned the mission," reports The Wall Street Journal. "The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control, and standing rules for the use of force, the command said." 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To do so, however, ignores a history of conflicts of interest, persecution of dissidents, a lack of curiosity, and skewed science that has plagued the vaccine regulatory apparatus for decades." Kennedy cites the Rotashield incident as an example: "Committee members regularly participated in deliberations and advocated products in which they had a financial stake," he argues in the Journal. "The CDC issued conflict-of-interest waivers to every committee member. Four out of eight ACIP members who voted in 1997 on guidelines for the Rotashield vaccine, subsequently withdrawn because of severe adverse events, had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies developing other rotavirus vaccines." This was further confirmed by the HHS Inspector General's report in 2009. Some of these now-dismissed ACIP appointees had been selected by former President Joe Biden in January. The last-minute series of appointments seems to have been intended to preserve a pro-vaccine majority on ACIP heading into a potential shift like the one we're seeing now. But Biden may not have taken into account the degree to which the Trump administration prefers to move fast and break things. Like with so much of what RFK Jr. peddles, there's a grain of truth within: The Rotashield incident was disturbing, and increased transparency into advisory committee actions would be good; but an incident from 30 years ago (that was subsequently investigated and rectified) doesn't necessarily mean the whole advisory board should be thrown out or that all of their decision making is invalidated. And Kennedy relies on strange reasoning at times, objecting to the "exploding" immunization schedule. But the sheer number of doses recommended does not tell us very much about whether those vaccines are safe and valuable, and what types of risks are present. It's hard to say how much this actually changes things or how worried you should be: ACIP reviews new vaccines but is also tasked with evaluating existing vaccines. Lots of families already make the choice to deviate from the standard vaccination schedule, mostly in minor ways that don't really cause significant issues with herd immunity (i.e. delaying a less-important vaccine—think rotavirus or PCV, not polio—by six months or 1 year, or spacing out the doses). The traditional childhood vaccines—polio, MMR, DTaP—still have rather high uptake rates (over 90 percent; higher for polio), and newer vaccines not generally required by public schools like HPV and COVID have high opt-out rates. Though skepticism toward the MMR vaccine has increased at times since the '90s, uptake is still decently high. 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Kristi Noem brands all of Los Angeles a ‘city of criminals' as she defends the ICE raids and deportations
Kristi Noem brands all of Los Angeles a ‘city of criminals' as she defends the ICE raids and deportations

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Kristi Noem brands all of Los Angeles a ‘city of criminals' as she defends the ICE raids and deportations

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem branded all of Los Angeles 'a city of criminals' as she defended the actions of the Trump administration. Noem blasted Mayor Karen Bass for describing LA as 'a city of immigrants,' suggesting that violence had erupted because the mayor had 'protected them for years.' The city is the second largest in the U.S. and has a population of almost four million people. Speaking to Fox's Sean Hannity, Noem said the ICE raids had searched for 'over 400 to 500 targets' that were known members of gangs and had been 'victimizing people for years' while Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom had done 'absolutely nothing.' 'And now she's holding press conferences, talking about the fact that people have the right to peacefully protest and that they're a city of immigrants,' she said, adding sweepingly: 'Well, they're not a city of immigrants, they're a city of criminals because she has protected them for so many years.' Noem's comments were slammed online, including by former Marine fighter pilot and political candidate Amy McGrath, who wrote: 'Super offensive to call 3.8 million of your fellow Americans 'criminals.'' 'Who talks about their fellow Americans like this? More than 1 in 40 of us live in Los Angeles County,' wrote another user, with another adding: 'Kristi Noem hates America and hates Americans.' Her comments come after President Donald Trump doubled the number of National Guardsmen on the ground in the city, with 2,000 more troops joining those on the ground on Monday. A contingent of 700 Marines has also been mobilized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The federalization of the troops has been criticized by many, including Newsom who, along with state Attorney General Rob Bonta has sued the Trump administration. The last time a president bypassed a sitting governor to mobilize a state National Guard was in 1965, when Lyndon Johnson invoked the Insurrection Act to protect Civil Rights marchers in Alabama. Noem defended the move to deploy the National Guard, telling Hannity: 'We're coming in and doing what the president has said that he's going to do and he's going to allow people to live in a safe community again and we're going to use the authority that he has as president of the United States to conduct these operations. 'And the more that people conduct of violence against law enforcement officers. Boy, we're gonna hit them back and we're gonna hit them back harder than we ever have before.' Her words echoed those of the president himself, who appeared to coin a new phrase in response to the clashes – 'If they spit, we hit.'

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