Boulder anti-hate group teaches citizens to hate OSA

Boulder anti-hate group teaches citizens to hate OSA

A starting point

By STEPHANIE OLSEN Colorado Daily Staff Writer

On the eve of the first meeting of the "Community Anti-Hate Action Committee," the suspect in the pivotal racial assault case was identified and arrested.

The action committee put together by the city's Human Relations Commission (HRC) met for the first time on Wednesday afternoon to discuss logistics for fighting racism and hate in the Boulder community.

"What we are here to do in a nutshell is to develop an action plan to help attack hate crimes and the climate in which hate crimes are committed," said Richard Johnson, director of community services for the city of Boulder and co-organizer of the committee.

Johnson said the committee is not only about racism in Boulder, but it is more generally about hate in the community.

He listed incidents over the past year of anti-gay graffiti on churches, the distribution of anti-Jewish literature, people of color being scrutinized in stores, anti-Muslim hate speech etched in benches and ongoing violence against women.

"They aren't exclusive to Boulder, but Boulder isn't immune to them," Johnson said.

The racial assault on CU-Boulder student Andrew Sterling, whose mother is white and father is black, on June 3 was the "galvanizing point," according to Johnson, in creating the action committee. While walking home from downtown, Sterling was attacked when a man exited from a van and punched him twice in the face, breaking his jaw.

Tuesday, Phillip Bernard Martinez of Lafayette was arrested on charges of second-degree assault and ethnic intimidation for the racial assault on Sterling.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation says Martinez has a record of arrests on more than 100 charges including sexual assault, attempted kidnapping and burglary since 1986.

On Wednesday, Kerry Kite, co-founder of Shoulder 2 Shoulder, a student-led group at CU promoting tolerance and diversity in Boulder, and a member of the action committee, said she has mixed emotions about the arrest.

"Obviously we are very glad that both the citizens of Colorado and the Boulder Police Department worked together in finding what could be the perpetrator," said Kite. "On the other half, this is just one case."

She said she does not want people to lose focus on the larger problem of racism in Boulder because incidents are happening all of the time.

Kite said she was not shocked the perpetrator was of Hispanic descent, but she said she was "disheartened."

"In general I don't want to take away from the fact that there are stereotypically normal people in this world that are doing the same thing," said Kite.

Sterling said it is a relief that police have arrested the suspect.

"I was getting less and less hopeful," Sterling told the Colorado Daily on Wednesday.

Regarding a discrepancy between the police report, which said the perpetrator was 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, and CBI records, which say Martinez is 5-8 and 130 pounds, Sterling didn't have much to say.

"My memory isn't very good at all about it," said Sterling, "I was knocked out."

On Wednesday, committee members talked about immediate actions that could be taken and proposed issues to be talked about at the next meeting on Tuesday, July 12.

Bill Cohen, representing Rabbi Deborah Bronstein from Congregation Har HaShem in Boulder , said monitoring the process of the investigation involving Martinez might be appropriate to demonstrate the community is taking it seriously.

Mariagnes Medrud, a Human Relations Commissioner, said the city's Human Relations Commission is presenting a resolution to City Council on July 19 to reaffirm the city's commitment to condemn racism, bigotry, harassment and discrimination.

"I think it would be appropriate for as many people as can to show up and support (the resolution)," said Medrud.

Kite said Shoulder 2 Shoulder wants to start a non-profit organization that would function as both a reporting center and a community center.

Lastly, Susan Levy, executive director of Boulder Valley Women's Health Center (BVWHC), spoke of the upcoming trip of Operation Save America (OSA), an anti-abortion group, to the Denver Metro area July 16-23.

"We (BVWHC) will be going forward with efforts to distribute small posters in areas where these folks are likely to be," said Levy.

The small posters read, "The answer is NO! to hatred and intolerance" and "This business says NO! to hatred and intolerance."

Levy said she supports OSA's right to free speech, but does not support the ways in which it protests - holding up graphic posters and videotaping patrons of abortion clinics.

"We as a community need to say this is not OK," she said.

She invited members of the committee to display the signs, saying the issue is not centered on individual positions about abortion, but rather the way in which OSA protests.

"I'd love it if this committee would stand up and say, 'sure, this will be our first step,'" said Levy.

Contact Stephanie Olsen about this story at 303-443-6272 ext. 125 or at olsen@coloradodaily.com.