Hamilton, peaceful no more

This wasn't supposed to happen here

[Reprinted from Issues & Views May 6, 2002]

And now for more PC run amok. The citizens of Hamilton, Massachusetts, a town that has been described as a “pastoral bedroom community,” find themselves polarized over a proposal made by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). As told by the Christian Science Monitor (4/25/02), in "A bid to legislate love splits a New England town," the ADL has created a bizarre program to certify towns as "No Place for Hate" zones. A town’s governing council must agree to the designation for a proclamation to be issued.

Hamilton’s town selectmen refused to sign such a proclamation, that includes a pledge to “interrupt prejudice,” oppose “subtle acts of racism,” and “encourage diversity.” The rejection of the proclamation led to snide hints in the newspapers of “anti-Semitism” and headlines claiming that “hate” was on the rise in Hamilton. The Monitor reports:

Towns certified as No Place for Hate zones receive a placard and choose from 30 ADL initiatives, such as making a peace quilt. Programs created by the ADL, a Jewish organization, are endorsed by numerous religious and community groups nationally, and about a dozen towns in Massachusetts are currently on a waiting list to become No Place for Hate zones.

Hamilton was the first community in the state to look at the proclamation and pause: What kinds of demands would it place on them? Would the town be forced to post signs in public places? Would the ADL closely monitor it or hold it to impossible standards? . . .

"For private groups, we tend not to lend official sanction, official endorsement," [David] Neill says [he is soon to be chairman of the board of selectmen]. He points out that two years ago, the board used the same logic to turn down an organization that sought to post safety rules for children in public parks.

In fact, at a time when many towns are adorning themselves with the equivalent of municipal bumper stickers--claiming, for example, to be a "Tree City" or a "Safe Kids" community--Hamilton bears no such label. Moreover, many of its 8,300 residents backed the selectmen's decision, interpreting the move as a defiant defense of democratic values against a knee-jerk political correctness. . . .

In turning down the proclamation, the selectmen also invoked the First Amendment, saying it was not their place to tell residents what to think. . . .

Others sound simply indignant at the mention that their peaceful town should need such a program. After all, Police Chief Walter Cullen says, Hamilton hasn't prosecuted a single hate crime in his three decades with the department. And although most families are extremely busy, with both parents often leaving for work early and returning late, there's still a great deal of trust and security in the community, many say.

"We didn't feel a need for their blessing or certification of our town's way of life," says selectmen chairman John Serafini, a key force behind rejecting the proclamation.

Copyright © 2010 Issues & Views