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Standing against hatred

Marshall has candlelight vigil for Charlottesville Monday

Photo by Jenny Kirk Citizens from around the area gathered to remember, connect, sing, denounce hate and share love at a candlelight vigil on Monday night at Memorial Park in Marshall. About 50 people were in attendance to express their solidarity with the peaceful counter-protesters demonstrating against white supremacists and fascists who had gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend.

MARSHALL — Marshall area residents gathered in solidarity with those who peacefully stood against the rising hatred, bigotry and racism of the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and other white supremacist organizations rallying on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia.

More than 50 people joined together for the Charlottesville Corner Vigil held on Monday evening at Memorial Park.

“Although we are extremely saddened and angry about what took place in Charlottesville Saturday, we are gathering not to curse the darkness, but shine a light on humankind’s ability to say ‘no’ to hatred, violence and bigotry while lifting up our ability to reach out to one another with compassion and love,” said Darwin Dyce, one of the Marshall event organizers.

Julie Walker handled out candles with plastic cups for the event, which was sponsored by the Marshall Area Peace Seekers.

“I cleaned out the thrift store to make sure everyone had one,” Walker said about the candles.

Paralegal Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 others were injured when a 20-year-old man rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters at the white nationalist rally. The man fled the scene, but was apprehended soon after the fatal incident.

“I came out to support everything — what’s going on — and spread the message of love,” Minneota resident Emily Hoffman said. “It’s just hard when people are out there spreading love, so when that really gets interrupted by hate, it’s disheartening.”

On Monday, the 20-year-old suspect was denied bail at an arraignment — he’s charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit and run.

“We stand in solidarity with those in Charlottesville who found their peaceful voice to stand against rising hatred, bigotry and racism,” Dyce said. “In this time of intense grief and soul searching, we reach out to those killed, injured and impacted by senseless violence.”

Two state troopers — H. Jay Cullen and Berke Bates — also died on Saturday in Virginia. The troopers were in a helicopter circling Charlottesville, surveilling the demonstrations below, when their helicopter crashed to the ground and burst into flames.

“I came to stand in unity for the people who marched,” said Michele Knife Sterner, who came to the candlelight vigil with her 11-year-old daughter, Kaziah Kelsey. “Growing up as someone who is biracial, I’ve always been very aware of racial issues and things like that. I’ve dealt with different things throughout the years. I want to stand up for my other friends and family that I have who may not feel as confident to do so.”

For many families, it is difficult to explain the clash of ideologies, but it’s almost a rite of passage in Sterner’s family.

“My daughter has been talked to by me and my mom (Karen Sterner), who taught human relations for a long time at Southwest (Minnesota State University). We’ve always talked about racial justice and social justice to (Kaziah), so she’s pretty knowledgeable.”

Hundreds of white supremacists and fascists arrived in Charlottesville to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, who fought for the pro-slavery Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War.

“There was a lot of fear in Virginia,” the Rev. Anne Veldhuisen said at the vigil. “There was a lot of fear around this nation and this world because of the loud and angry voices of a few cowardly insecure men and some women. But that’s all they were — loud voices — voices that were spitting hate, bigotry, homophobia, sexism, Islamophobia, etc… etc….”

Veldhuisen said those voices did not speak for most people.

“They may have picked and pulled pieces of Scriptures out and hurled them at the masses walking toward them. They may have invoked the name of God, perhaps even the name of Jesus. But that is not the name of God or the name of Jesus that we read about and know about through Scripture,” she said. “It has nothing to do with the love of God that has been shared with us in so many ways.”

Veldhuisen said that love is the one that conquer hate. As she was reading through Facebook and Twitter, she noticed a note from a friend of hers who was there in a church in Charlottesville.

“They had to lock the doors as they were there praying, with their candles lit, because a mob of torch-bearing, hate-filled people had closed them inside,” Veldhuisen said. “My friend Sarah posted something that said ‘Torches bring hate. Candles bring peace. My friends, choose the flame you wish to bear into the world and bear it well.”

Veldhuisen added that even people “in safe and quite little Minnesota towns” are affected by what happened in Virginia. The violence in Charlottesville also drew condemnation from U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, who visited Marshall Monday afternoon.

“You’d think the country was past this,” Peterson said. He said that “We just cannot tolerate” the actions of Neo-Nazis, the KKK, and white supremacist groups.

“It has no place in this society,” Peterson said.

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