BREAKING NEWS: Mayor denounces racism in Owatonna
Owatonna’s top official is speaking out against racism and reacting to flyers that have been distributed throughout the community.
Mayor Thomas Kuntz issued a statement Wednesday denouncing what has transpired in Owatonna over the past week.
In his statement, Kuntz wrote:
On June 20, I was made aware that several Owatonna residents received fliers containing racist and antisemitic statements on Juneteenth.
The statements made in these fliers are a direct contradiction to the City of Owatonna’s Mission Statement: “The Mayor and City Council shall represent the people of Owatonna by making decisions which ensure quality public services for all who live and work in the community.” On behalf of the City Council, I can assure you the City of Owatonna has zero tolerance for racism.
While we support the First Amendment, we stand strongly against those who hide behind it to promote hate. Our message to those who are distributing such messages is that there’s no place for hate in Owatonna. Owatonna is a community that is becoming more diverse as it grows.
The Owatonna Human Rights Commission is aware of this matter. The Owatonna Police Department has also been informed and is investigating the situation to determine whether a bias-motivated crime has occurred.
I hope you will join me in standing up for equal rights for all who call Owatonna ‘home’. All are welcome here.
Kuntz is reacting to a message that brought adjectives like “reprehensible,” “disgusting” “backwards” and “disturbing.”
But flyers touting white supremacy and anti-semitism that were anonymously distributed throughout Owatonna over the weekend might not be considered hate speech.
The U.S. Constitution allows for anyone to say anything, unless the words have the potential to incite violence, or if the speech includes threatening language.
The bounds of free speech – even extremely offensive language – are nearly limitless, and it runs rampant in today’s political and social climate.
While court rulings fail to suppress what many consider hate speech, experts have found that social movements often down discriminatory organizations, indicating that counterspeech is a favorable alternative.
That fits in line with a woman responding to a Facebook post about the flyers:
“It would seem like a better idea to turn this into an opportunity to do an article on (Black, Indigenous, people of color) owned businesses and/or leaders in the city, versus giving notoriety to the fool behind this. This person’s goal it to fuel division. Show them the opposite.”