Local commission considers staging own demonstration
Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 4:06 PM CDT
Members of Jefferson City's Human Relations Commission are hoping to divert attention from a neo-Nazi organization planning to march from the Governor's Mansion to the Capitol next month.
At a meeting Tuesday night, the group discussed holding its own demonstrations Nov. 8, the date the National Socialist Movement has planned to march.
Mauricio Vargas of the Missouri Baptist Convention said the less visibility the neo-Nazi group gets the day of the march, the better.
"We should promote the sporting event (the state cross country championships) that day because it is multicultural, it's beautiful," Vargas said.
Members of the commission said they want to promote a message of inclusion, hope and peace and suggested having a rally in Lincoln University's quad area the same time as the neo-Nazi group's march. The idea of having a demonstration near the downtown area was immediately disregarded.
The commission plans to meet Nov. 6 to finalize the details.
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