Leaders Condemn Anti-Semitic Messages in Liberal Austin

Austin skylineCarlos Alfonso on Unsplash

Austin, TX--A study by Smart Asset names Austin one of the best liberal cities in the country. Specifically, the number 1 city in the state and the number 2 city in the country to live, if you're liberal. An interesting placeholder in an otherwise blue state--at least for a little while.

Over the weekend a small group of people placed a banner over TX-Loop 1, or MoPac Expressway. Chief of Police, Joseph Chacon was quick to release a statement of denouncing the behavior on Twitter:

Police Chief Chacon's statementTwitter

Chacon's full statement:

"Let’s be clear. Hate and bigotry have absolutely no place in our community and certainly are not welcome in our police department. Views shared by demonstrators during a protest action over the weekend were abhorrent and do not reflect our values. A screen grab from the more than two-hour incident does not tell the whole story. I ask that our community not buy into the hate and images that have been taken out of context on social media. After enduring a barrage of hate speech and personal insults being hurled at them, officers who responded to the scene calmly and professionally carried out their duty to keep drivers on MoPac, bystanders and protesters safe while ensuring that the incident did not escalate and no laws were being broken. A supervisor responded to the scene and got a protester to comply with his requests to ensure the scene remained safe. At the conclusion of the conversation, the responding supervisor declined a request for a handshake and instead opted for a fist-bump citing COVID-19 safety protocols. APD remains vigilant in its priority in keeping the Austin community safe and holding those who commit crimes accountable."

Austin's Mayor Steve Adler, who is Jewish, also released a tweet condemning the incident:

I am heartbroken to see antisemitic hatred in Austin, a welcoming and respectful place. Hatred of any kind has no place in our city.-Mayor Adler

Why are people on social media making disparaging comments about the police in this matter? Because one of the police officers who was responding to the incident offered a fist bump to an individual of the group who allegedly hung the banner. The fist bump was an alternative to a handshake when the situation met resolution.

“A supervisor responded to the scene and got a protester to comply with his requests to ensure the scene remained safe. At the conclusion of the conversation, the responding supervisor declined a request for a handshake and instead opted for a fist-bump citing COVID-19 safety protocols. APD remains vigilant in its priority in keeping the Austin community safe and holding those who commit crimes accountable,” Chacon said.

People irrupted in fury across social media citing that hatred had found a home. If someone was to view the images alone, it's easy to see how the images could be misread.

The banner was reportedly placed a few blocks from the Jewish Community Center, who released a statement: “The Austin Police Department is aware, has been incredibly supportive, and has been carefully monitoring and observing the situation,” the JCC leaders wrote.

Austin was already on edge because of homophobic and anti-Semetic messages at Anderson High School. Painting the parking places is a time-honored tradition for Seniors and an approved school fundraiser for many high schools across Austin.

When some seniors arrived to school, they found their parking spots had additions that they themselves had not made.

One senior shared their concern with Fox 7:

"There was one spot with a swastika on it, another spot had the n-word spray painted on it with a hard R, and another one had homophobic language. There also was a huge swastika spray painted on the tennis shed," said senior Hannah Cukierman.

She went on to say: "I immediately broke down crying because I am a member of the Jewish community, and it honestly was horrific. It honestly makes me feel unsafe to go to school and I know that a lot of other people feel that way too. It targeted multiple groups, multiple minorities, not just one," said Cukierman.

Many locals who are proud to call Austin home are saddened by the recent events. Austin is generally laid back, and certainly known to be weird, but hate is something residents want to welcome.

In a statement regarding the weekend events, Mayor Adler said:

"This past weekend multiple anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic incidents took place in District 10. These incidents have shaken me and many Austinites, especially those of us of Jewish faith. These acts of hate do not represent our community values. No one should experience hate as they arrive at school, drive on our highway, or play in our parks.

Many city leaders, who denounce the hate chose not to share direct pictures of the messages. Instead, they call for compassion and to speak out against hate with a #NoHate message.

What do you think should be done with those who left messages of hate?