To the Editor:

On Sunday, Aug. 9, I proudly attended the antiracism rally in the town of Berne park. It was well-organized and well-attended by 80 to 100 (my estimate) Hilltown residents intent on taking a stand against racism in our communities and dedicated to improving our own understanding of how racism affects so many, so negatively.

The speakers were excellent and informative and there was not so much as a voice raised in anger let alone anything approaching violence.

That did not stop a group of people from showing up in opposition to our rally, ostensibly to “protect” the veterans’ memorial. Protect from what? A group of their neighbors concerned with advancing this country’s long-standing ideal of “liberty and justice for all?”

This group then posted a group photo of themselves (some making obscene gestures and all but one maskless) to Facebook, posing in front of a “Trump 2020” banner. Apparently, they want to make racism a partisan affair.

Are they saying that Republicans are racists and Democrats oppose racism? Okay, that makes choosing a party easy. They also falsely referred to the “BLM-Antifa rally.” There was no connection to the national BLM organization and not even a whiff of “antifa” activity.

Many have noted that there seems to be nothing in this country today that is not partisan, including taking reasonable precautions against spreading a deadly virus, so I guess none of this is surprising. I only hope we can reassert our commitment to justice and equity before this country is even more severely damaged by this abject selfishness.

John Arrighi

Rensselaerville

Editor’s note: See related story.