If the city of Toledo had it's collective way, it probably would like a chance to go back and rethink it's decision to allow members of the American Nazi Party to stage a protest march in what was evidently a mixed neighborhood of the city, as this was a decision that has resulted in a lot of turmoil and destruction. A neighborhood tavern was torched, and an ambulance was attacked with rocks as it entered the area.
The decision to allow the march was one only the ACLU could love. After all, they sucessfully fought for the right of Neo-Nazis to march in the streets of a Jewish neighborhood. The group and it's supporters like to tout this as suppossed proof that they are out to protect the Constitutional rights of all groups,not just progressive and liberal groups. Of course, that decision did not result in the kind of turmoil that occurred in Toledo. Nor was either case proof of the concern of any party involved as to the constitutional free speech rights of any group.
Amazingly, the riots transpired aftr the Nazis had all ready packed up and left, accorrding to most acounts. And, though the mayor of Toledo bemoaned the actions as something that would be touted by the right wing extremists as proving their point-their ostensible purpose for the march was in protest of black gangs attacking whites-one has to wonder what the city expected, and what the hell, actually, they were thinking when allowing this protest.
After all, in any such decision, there are always public health and safety considerations which are tantamount. Not to say that the demonstration should not have been allowed, only that it should have been thought out and coordinated more carefully. Perhaps limited to a certain area, where proponents, or for that matter opponents, could have been informed as to the time and place, and allowed to attend, under security scrutiny, along with the media. The group could have staged their event, and could have made their point.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the group was determined to get in the faces of the targets of their protests, and worse, the city seems to have been glad to oblige. As a result, what might be described as a counter protest did indeed get way out of hand, which could have resulted in tragic consequences. What is more, this seems to have been encouraged by gang members working in conjunction with anarchists from out of town. One thousand anarchists or more, in fact.
If I didn't know better, I would swear that the city allowed this to occur not out of any concerns for the free speech rights of the Nazis, so much as out of a perceived method of working the city residents up into on the one hand shaming themselves into cleaning up the very real problems of the city, and on the other hand inflaming them against the nazis in a way they could then use to harness the energy of their indignation come the next election. Toledo is I think a Democratic city, and this could have been perceived as a way of working up even more furor against the Republicans, who tend to be identified with the Nazi crowd by a large segment ofthe black population. At the same time they could have made the point that they were the champions of free speech.
But the city of Toledo bit off more than it could chew here. It may never have occurred to them that with racial tensions being on such a jagged edge now, in the aftermath of the Katrina disaster and rampant unemployment (Toledo's being at 6 per cent, a point higher than the national average) the last thing the black population of the city of Toledo needed was a dressing down by American Nazis giving the German Nazi salute. And more to the point, the blacks who were riled up to the point of rioting seems to have been as resentful of the city which allowed the protest, as it was of the Nazis themselves.
All told, not a good day for Toledo, nor an admirable example of the practice of free speech or the support of same.
