By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Citizens horrified by the racist attack at Waffle House in Bowling Green earlier this year demanded Thursday that U.S. Rep. Bob Latta take a stand against racist rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
As customary, their pleas were made to a staff member in the congressman’s Bowling Green office. District Director David Wirt took notes and said he would pass along the information to Latta.
Members of La Conexion of Wood County have asked many times to meet with Latta, R-Bowling Green, but have yet to gain access to the congressman.
Wirt asked if the citizens had seen Latta’s statement on Facebook after the Waffle House attack.
Beatriz Maya, director of La Conexion, said the hate crime calls for more than a Facebook post.
“We found that Facebook post not up to what the situation is requiring,” she said. “We’re expecting him to be more of a strong voice in this incident.”
Initially, news media was kept out of the meeting Thursday between Wirt and the citizens, and were told to wait outside the office. However, when it started pouring rain, members of the media were allowed in.
Maya explained that a series of community meetings have been held since the March 31 attack involving two men using racist slurs and beating up two customers at the Waffle House. The victims reported the attackers said Trump would deal with immigrants like them.
Jacob Dick, 22, North Baltimore, and Zachary Keller, 21, of Custar, have been charged with felonious assault and ethnic intimidation.
The community meetings identified some actions to be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. Bowling Green city and police officials have responded by agreeing to offer employee and bystander training, and working on an ordinance on hate crimes.
But the community also had the following recommendations for Latta:
- “We ask that you send a clear and strong message from your constituents to President Trump that his rhetoric is inciting violence in local communities. The recent incident is deeply damaging the reputation of the city and of BGSU. This racist rhetoric must immediately cease.”
- “We ask that you work with Congress to address the dramatic increase in hate crimes and specifically the rise of white supremacy and white nationalism.”
- “We invite you to work with the City of Bowling Green, BGSU, the community at large, and with victims of hate crimes to develop welcoming environments for diverse populations and to effectively develop proactive solutions to prevent hate crimes.”
A letter from La Conexion noted FBI stats showing a 17 percent increase in hate crimes in the U.S. between 2016 and 2017.
Latta should not sit by silently as Trump’s use of racist rhetoric incites violence, the citizens said.
Linda Lander referred to the terms used by Trump for immigrants from countries south of the U.S. – such as drug dealers, criminals, rapists. He speaks of legal asylum seekers as “animals” and refers to their efforts to come to the U.S. as “an infestation.”
“Anything he can do to rob them of their humanity,” Lander said. “It’s spoken in a way to justify his bigoted immigration policies.”
Trump is inciting fear and anger, she said.
“All the statistics show immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S. citizens,” Lander said.
The people seeking asylum are primarily families, who are put in cages once they arrive, she said. “They’re not bringing in drugs. They are bringing in nothing” because they are so poor.
Dr. Bill Donnelly said the requests made by La Conexion and the community are reasonable.
“I think this is a clear and compelling letter,” he said. “These are not political points. They are basic human rights.”
Bowling Green has put a great deal of effort into being a “welcoming community,” and the congressman should stand up to the rhetoric that is marginalizing a portion of the local population, Donnelly said.
Just Thursday morning, Trump was in the Florida Panhandle area talking about immigrants, lamenting the fact that the U.S. is “not allowed to shoot these people,” Donnelly said.
That kind of hateful rhetoric could have an effect on people like the young men who beat up the two other men in Waffle House just for being brown.
Meanwhile, “they are not hearing their representative stand up and say this is wrong,” Donnelly said.
Some in the meeting talked about the dangers of letting hateful rhetoric become commonplace.
“This is the same type of propaganda used against the Jews” in Nazi Germany, Lander said. Terms like “infestation” are “used by dictators to put down people. That’s how low he has gone.”
It is up to Latta to “remind our Congress what happened in Nazi Germany,” Donnelly said.
Maya pointed out that Bowling Green is not the only place in Latta’s district that is seeing the hatred.
“Unfortunately, this is not the only racist incident to happen in District 5,” she said.
“This is inciting violence in his own community,” Maya said. “This racist rhetoric must immediately cease. And we want our congressman to talk about it.”
Amanda Schackow talked about all the efforts being made in Bowling Green to be a “welcoming community.” But Latta has been absent on the issue.
“He could be a positive force in it,” she said. “He’s just not chosen to do that. He’s really just been silent.”
Christina Yaniga, a Pemberville Village Council member, said other communities and immigrants are feeling the national unrest and lack of willingness to discuss issues.
“Our community’s not exempt from issues like these,” she said. “This affects everyone in our district. All of our communities have immigrants in them.”
Yaniga said the citizens are offering Latta an invitation, not a confrontation.
Donnelly agreed that rational discussion without rhetoric is needed. “This sort of hatred prevents us from having a reasonable national discussion. We need to have a rational discussion.”
Lander noted all the local efforts by the City of Bowling Green, Bowling Green Police Division and BGSU.
“Everybody is trying to work together on this national problem right now. Rep. Latta could play a part of this,” she said. “Congress has a moral responsibility to stand up and say this is wrong.”
The citizens again asked for a meeting with Latta, and were again referred to his scheduler in Washington, D.C. Maya said she has called that person at least three times since the last visit to Latta’s office in Bowling Green, but has never received a return phone call.
“He needs to respond to us,” Maya said. “He needs to face his constituents.”
But Maya said she has been trying to schedule a meeting with Latta for two years. “The point is we can’t get through to our congressman. That is shameful.”
