File #: RS2024-638    Name:
Type: Resolution Status: Passed
File created: 7/30/2024 In control: Metropolitan Council
On agenda: 8/6/2024 Final action: 8/6/2024
Title: A resolution expressing the Metropolitan Council's condemnation of the July 2024 verbal assault on children by a Nazi hate group.
Sponsors: Kyonzte Toombs, Joy Styles, Zulfat Suara, Sandra Sepulveda, Delishia Porterfield, Jennifer Gamble, Terry Vo, Antoinette Lee, Brandon Taylor, Joy Smith Kimbrough, Rollin Horton, Courtney Johnston, Sean Parker, Sheri Weiner, Emily Benedict, Erin Evans, Jordan Huffman, Jeff Gregg, Brenda Gadd, Mike Cortese, Bob Nash, Ginny Welsch, Tonya Hancock, Burkley Allen, Jason Spain, Russ Bradford, Sandy Ewing, Clay Capp, Jacob Kupin, Quin Evans-Segall, Tasha Ellis, Jeff Eslick, David Benton, Olivia Hill, Tom Cash, Jennifer Webb, John Rutherford, Thom Druffel, Deonte Harrell, Jeff Preptit
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A resolution expressing the Metropolitan Council's condemnation of the July 2024 verbal assault on children by a Nazi hate group.

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WHEREAS, Nashville is a city that celebrates diversity and welcomes all people regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sex or gender; and

WHEREAS, Nashville has recently been inundated with hate groups, many of whose members do not live in Nashville and have no identifiable connection to Nashville; and

WHEREAS, one such hate group, while protesting downtown on or about July 13, 2024, hurled hateful racial slurs at a group of young Black boys, aged 9-15 years old; and

WHEREAS, these young children routinely gather downtown to share their musical talent through drumming; and

WHEREAS, drumming is a means for these children to not only earn money but to express their creativity and joy as children; and

WHEREAS, the aforementioned hate group, consisting of adult white men, repeatedly called these young Black children the "n-word" in an attempt to dehumanize them and take away the joy and innocence of being children; and

WHEREAS, the adult men continued to hurl racist insults toward the children despite the presence of officers from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) as MNPD officers escorted the children from the area; and

WHEREAS, no child should be subjected to such vile and hateful behavior; and

WHEREAS, Nashville does not welcome or encourage hateful behavior; and

WHEREAS, hate groups and any individuals who seek to spread hate and division are not welcome in Nashville; and

WHEREAS, our right to free speech, though fundamental, should not be used to justify adult men weaponizing vile, racist language against children; and

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council denounces any form of speech that promotes division, intolerance, or incites hatred; and

WHEREAS, it is crucial that Nashville stands strong against hate and intolerance, and strives to create a community that upholds the values o...

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