Castro Valley CA residents gathered for a Unity Walk and to send this banner filled with messages of support to Christchurch
Castro Valley CA residents gathered for a Unity Walk and to send this banner 
filled with messages of support to Christchurch, NZ. 
 

In the aftermath of the Christchurch tragedy, NIOT leader Patrice O'Neill  reflected in a blog post that the attack in New Zealand is part of a  traumatic pattern. 
Eleven Jewish worshippers were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; Six people were killed in a Quebec mosque; Nine African Americans were shot to death during Bible study at Temple Emanuel in South Carolina; Six were killed before service at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, and in an equally deadly massacre, 49 people were slain in an attack on an LGBT nightclub in Florida.
One of the goals of Not In Our Town is to stop hate crimes before they happen and with that in mind, we presented a  list of 10 actions communities can take.  We were heartened to hear from several NIOT groups around the country that they were taking actions on the list. If you have 5 minutes,  please review the list of action steps  - along with some concrete examples of how they can be implemented - and take action in your town. We'd love to hear from you.  Please share more news and photos of your local actions with us at info [at] niot.org! 


Warmly,
The NIOT Team

P.S. - Remember to follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram. We  hope that you will follow us there and help us amplify our message!


Calgary leaders speak about responding to racism after a
screening of the NIOT film Light in the Darkness .
 
NIOT Goes North

The Alberta Human Rights Commission sponsored workshops and screening events featuring Not In Our Town at convenings of municipal leaders from across the province. Learn more about our collaborative learning with our Northern Neighbors on how to build inclusion and respond to hate. 

 Read More at the NIOT blog.

Swastika in Greenpoint, Brooklyn spray painted over with a circle and cross-out and the words 'No Hate' (Credit:  Twitter)
What One New York City Prosecutor Is Doing to Respond to a Hate Crime Surge

New York City has seen a sharp rise in the number of hate crimes this year. In just the first six weeks of 2019, 55 hate crimes have been reported, two-thirds of which were anti-Semitic attacks. 

The New York Times reports that it's an increase of 72 percent from the same period in 2018. The uptick comes after a year when bias crimes were already on the rise. 
Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez announced in December that his office was opening a dedicated Hate Crimes Bureau to deal with the rising problem of anti-Semitic hate crimes and other bias-motivated attacks. 

We reached out to ask DA Gonzalez  about how the bureau and the police deal with hate crimes and how they are working to improve trust and cooperation with affected communities in his borough. Read our Q&A

#2FORSEDER

Building Connection in the 
Aftermath of Tragedy


The premise: Invite two people who've never been to a Seder - non-Jews in particular - to come to yours "with the intent of building bridges and creating understanding about our Jewish values," in the words of its creator, Marnie Fienberg.  

Fienberg developed the idea for 2 for Seder while in mourning for her mother-in-law Joyce, who was murdered at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue this past October. 

" I hosted Seder for the past 12 years with Joyce. It took years for us to become a seamless team, holding a Seder for 20-25 people each year.

2 for Seder is held in honor of her memory. If you can participate, as Host or Guest, know that you are connected to Pittsburgh through bonds of love and matzah. Raise a glass to all our fallen and never forget." 

Read more  at the NIOT blog.  Events are co-sponsored by the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Center. The NIOT film team is covering stories in Pittsburgh about how the community is coming together after the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue.  
NIOT-BG Holds 5th Annual Interfaith Breakfast

NIOT BG interfaith breakfast
The NIOT-Bowling Green Interfaith Breakfast is always a popular event and this year was no exception. The theme was  Building Peace Where There's No Peace and the program  featured a video of six people of different faiths from the Bowling Green community talking about what their faith means to them and if they've experienced a negative interaction because of faith or felt stereotyped because of it. Watch the video.

The panelists were also asked to talk about inclusion and diversity as it relates to faith and what it looks like to live in an inclusive community.

This was the first interfaith breakfast for Rev. Matthew Every, the new pastor at First Christian Church and co-chair of the event. He said it was an incredible show of solidarity of how everyone can come together as a community and with compassion.

Mojabeng Kamala, a member of the Bowling Green Human Relations Commission, said a lot can be gained by listening to others.

"There's something very necessary about what went on today. The message does not get old. It continues and needs to be told," she said .



April Events: Community Meetings, Panels and Anniversaries!

Events this month include a panel discussion in San Rafael, CA to a 6th anniversary party in Bowling Green, OH to a community forum in New York City. Send us your events so we can add them to our calendar.  Read More
Silent Parade in Marin
Standing up to the legacy of slavery and the Confederacy isn't just happening in the South. Many miles away in Marin County, CA, a battle is underway over a school district named "Dixie." Watch our video documenting a Silent March to Change the Name.


Hope Headlines: April Stories That Inspire Us

Every day, we post stories on the Not In Our Town Facebook page that we think the NIOT community will find informative, interesting, useful and inspiring.* 

On our blog, we've pulled together a post with all of the stories from around the country of communities organizing against hate and standing up for love, diversity and inclusion in their towns and cities. 

Send us stories that inspire you! 


* If you're not seeing NIOT Facebook posts, you can change that.

Click on our page, click on "Following" dropdown menu and choose "See First in Your Newsfeed." 

You'll never miss another post!



Special Thanks to NIOT Supporters on Facebook


So excited to see several community members holding birthday fundraisers on their Facebook pages to help NIOT! Shout-outs to Martha Thomases, Stacey Silver and board member Cathy Fischer in recent months.

Anyone can do a birthday fundraiser on Facebook and we would love it if you would consider doing one for Not In Our Town! It's easy. Learn how .


Not In Our Town? We need your support!



We love to share stories and profiles from around the country, let us know about all your great work so we can highlight it!

Please stay in touch via  [email protected]  or  facebook.com/notinourtown   and let us know your news and the actions that are keeping you connected and strong.

Questions, concerns, or ideas? We'd love to hear from you!