BERNE — Would-be attendants to a Black Lives Matter rally in Berne scheduled for Aug. 9 are wary of the potential for violence and disrespectful speech from locals who disagree with the Black Lives Matter movement, and who may feel emboldened by Berne’s recent 2nd Amendment Sanctuary resolution, which states that the town of Berne does not recognize New York State’s various gun-control laws.

The concerns stem from comments seen on social media, as well as online reactions to Rensselaerville resident Sarah Gordon’s antiracist business registry, which called for local businesses to take a pledge against racism, but which also prompted racist, homophobic, and misogynistic backlash, along with threats against Gordon. 

“I have not asked anyone from the official Black Lives Matter Movement to speak at our event,” rally organizer and Berne resident Laurie Searl told The Enterprise, “because I was concerned that some people in town, some counter protesters, would perceive that as ‘outside agitators’ and it would incite them to demonstrate against us. 

“That may sound ridiculous,” Searl continued, “but people are so sensitive in our current political climate and this is really meant to be a community event; we expect there will be other young people there, in addition to my grandchildren. So obviously we do not want to incur the wrath of the community.”

 Searl said she was inspired to organize the rally after attending Rensselaerville’s Black Lives Matter march in June, which drew more than 100 people, mostly white, who showed support for the Black community after unarmed Black man George Floyd was killed by a white police officer on May 25, in Minneapolis.  

“My feeling about the focus of this rally is something akin to a consciousness-raising event among people in a rural town that is mostly white,” Searl told The Enterprise. “The idea began when I went with my grandchild, Lee, to the Rensselaerville march. At 14, [children] are very attuned to the different kinds and signs of injustice in the world. 

“But not everyone is so aware,” Searl said, “so I think of this as being a chance for people in our community to learn from each other and to address together how to eliminate racism. What are the steps we should take? What are the things we should address in our own hearts? A question Lee has had to answer from friends is, ‘Why are you doing this? There are almost no Black families in Berne, so this doesn’t concern us.’"

The rally will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Berne town park on Sunday.

Searl shared with The Enterprise a selection of comments seen on Facebook from those who disagree with the rally, and some who view it as hypocritical when local summertime celebrations have been postponed or canceled for public safety. 

A user named Shane Smi objected, with expletives, to a Black Lives Matter protest allowed by the town to inhabit the park while taxpayers couldn’t gather there for fireworks. Smi concluded, “Covid is a political pile of shit anyway!!!”

Someone using the name Lisa DeGroff, who is chairwoman of Westerlo’s Republican Party, responded, “AMEN!!!” 

Smi was likely referring to Berne’s scaled-down SummerFest celebration, which was limited to a fireworks show instead of the usual games and music. The fireworks event, held on Aug. 1, was promoted with instructions for attendees to follow public-health protocols, including wearing masks and staying near their own vehicles. 

Albany County officials had braced for a surge in COVID-19 cases, and even set up special testing, after widespread protests and marches in the wake of George Floyd’s death — but there was no spike.

A spike came much later, including a large cluster from a Fourth of July weekend party, attended by about 200 college-age people on Hudson Avenue in Albany. “You’re hugging, you’re dancing, you’re having a great time,” said County Executive Daniel McCoy, contrasting the behavior at the Hudson Avenue party to that of massive numbers of people who gathered for racial-justice protests in the city of Albany and in places throughout the county without causing noticeable spikes in COVID-19 cases.

The protesters wore masks and weren’t sharing food or drinks, said McCoy. “So protesters did it right; partiers aren’t doing it right.”

 Of the Berne rally, user Jerome Wheeler, wrote, “tiki torch sale Aug. 1 to the 8th.” 

Tiki torches, once a benign decorative element, took on a political charge when self-identified white nationalists wielded them as they marched in Charlottesville to protest the removal of Confederate statues, which itself was a response to the mass shooting of a Black Bible-study group by Dylann Roof, who is white. 

The rally drew anti-racist protestors, a crowd of which was struck by a car driven by James Alex Fields Jr., who was aligned with the white supremacists, killing one woman and wounding 28 others.

At a recent Black Lives Matter rally in Greenville, attendees were met with counter-protests, with rumors spreading that a motorcycle was driven into a crowd, recalling the Charlottesville car attack for many.

“We did handle the incident at the Greenville protest where a motorcycle came into contact with one of the protestors in a parking lot,” Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky told The Enterprise. “There were no injuries or damage and the investigation is closed noting a lack of evidence to support any type of criminal charges at this time.”

There’s also a concern that counter-protesters at the Berne rally may be armed, since the Berne Town Board passed a resolution earlier this year stating that it will not infringe on residents’ Second Amendment rights by restricting the ownership and use of firearms.

However, since Berne does not have its own police force, it is policed by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and the State Police, meaning that the resolution carries only spiritual weight. 

Berne Supervisor Sean Lyons told The Enterprise in an email that, while he supports and encourages all residents to enjoy their constitutional rights, firearms are not allowed on town property by policy. 

“I would encourage anyone to practice their second amendment rights to be armed, just not on Town Property because Berne has a use policy for parks/buildings and firearms are not allowed,” Lyons said. “I hope and pray both sides this weekend will remain civil and talk out differences and be role models for future protests and counter protest encounters.”

Searl told The Enterprise that she has alerted the sheriff’s office just in case, but an assistant to Sheriff Craig Apple told The Enterprise on Aug. 3 that there was no detail assigned to the rally. 

“We hope that no one will come to this event to disrupt it,” Searl said. “Everything I have said about it online, and in my letter to the Enterprise, has been to try to defuse the negative reactions and especially anger or hate. I have tried to explain that this is an event where school-age children will be present and that the purpose is to examine how small towns can address racism.”