To the Editor:

This past Sunday, Aug. 9, a Black Lives Matter rally was held in the Berne town park. The organizers were clear in its intent: an invitation to the community to come listen to the stories of those who have experienced racism in a small town, and as an educational event to learn how to fight racism and what resources are available to help fight for equality and justice for all.

This was meant to be a peaceful demonstration to show the community that, even in a small town, this is an issue we should all be paying attention to. Nothing more, nothing less.

However, a small group of people disagreed, and showed up to counter-protest this event. This is their constitutional right and should not be ridiculed or shamed.

However, what should be shamed is how this counter-protest has been presented online. Many of us subscribe to a Facebook page titled “The Happenings in the town of Berne, NY.”

Hypothetically, this is a page that is meant to inform the residents of Berne, or anyone in the surrounding communities, about all events, businesses, and notable items occurring within the town. It is a fantastic resource that allows the community to keep informed about their town happenings, when used correctly.

That, therein, is where the problem lies. Looking at the page on Saturday, it is clear the moderator of the page has absolutely no interest in presenting all happenings within the town. As of this writing, there are three pictures on the page related to the counter-protest, with zero content relating to the Black Lives Matter rally.

In fact, the moderator has captioned these pictures blatantly making fun of the rally at best. At worst, one picture of the group of counter-protestors claims there was concern of an attack on a local veterans’ memorial as part of the rally, of which there is no proof, nor did the counter-protestors reach out to any of the local organizers of the event to address these concerns beforehand.

However, the major problem with this is that, when anyone has been trying to comment on the photos. asking for a balanced viewpoint, for pictures from the Black Lives Matter rally, or to inform about the event, the comments are being deleted by the moderator.

This is censorship, plain and simple. Personally, I asked if any pictures from the Black Lives Matter event would be posted onto the site. Once my comment was deleted, I reposted the question again. This, too, was deleted, and I am now blocked from commenting on the page at all.

Looking again, I noticed that comments from the organizers trying to explain the intent of the Black Lives Matter rally, anyone who is trying to ask for information regarding the origins of these fears of the attack on the memorial, and even the speakers themselves are being deleted.

The only comments that are staying up, outside of some slight exceptions, are those who are helping the narrative that the moderator of the page is trying to push. The moderator is trying to create a sense of fear of the Black Lives Matter rally and its attendees, which, for a community page, is immoral and unacceptable.

Having personal beliefs is normal. It happens with everyone. And, in the sense of fairness, some comments that are just saying rude things or are personally attacking those pictured from the counter-protest are rightfully being deleted. There is no point in being rude due to political disagreements.

However, once you are being a representative of a town and running a community forum, then you must be able to put your politics aside and be strictly informative. These pages are meant to be informational tools, not propaganda.

Between the blatant ridiculing of the Black Lives Matter event, spread of unfounded fears without contacting those in charge of the event, and the deletion and banning of anyone who is asking for another “happening” to be presented with equal attention, the moderator should be ashamed of themselves.

This is not representative of the community; this is a clear attempt at pushing a personal agenda using a tool the moderator knows over 2,000 people will see, and making sure anyone who has a differing viewpoint is unable to make their voice heard within the community.

Running a community page is a responsibility and, if the moderator is unable to do this fairly, then it is time to resign as the moderator and hand the page over to others who will be less biased.

Scott Rue

Schenectady

Editor’s note: Scott Rue notes he is a former Berne resident. William Keal, who has told The Enterprise in the past that he is one of many of the page’s moderators, declined to comment.