In Defense of My Hometown

The little Ohio town where I spent most of my first 40 years has been in the news a lot lately.  In light of recent events, a group of locals put together a "demonstration of solidarity".  Other locals, and some who aren't so local, decided to counter-protest.  Not sure how you counter-protest something that isn't a protest, but that's what they did.  They clearly don't understand the implied "too" in the BLM movement and a large number of them seemed to think rioting is the norm for BLM.  Oh, yeah, and the 2nd Amendment was somehow threatened by people carrying signs.

Now for some background: Bethel is 98% white, but it was founded by abolitionists.  The Grant Memorial building is one of our landmarks - yes, that Grant.  He's from that neck of the woods.   I'm not going to say there is no racism in Bethel, but I can recall only two overtly racist incidents and one of those may have been nothing but a rumor.  My family doctor was Filipino and a member of Daddy's church.  

The counterprotestors (not all of whom were locals) were convinced the BLM movement is about Black Supremacy, anti-police, and rioting.  That's what they rolled into town to stop from happening.  Then they physically attacked the peaceful demonstrators and ignored police instructions.  (Wait, what?)  That's what was all over the news.  The loud mouths and the violence.  Now the whole world seems to think Bethel, Ohio, is a hotbed of racism.  

It. Is. Not. 

Racism did not exist to me until my world grew beyond the borders of Bethel.  Not just because I'm white, but because in my world the color of people's skin was simply a difference, just like the color of their eyes of their hair.  I knew enough to think the n-word was impolite.  I do recall feeling the need to qualify thinking Billy Dee Williams was cute with "for a black guy" but honestly, that's the only way any of it touched my life until adulthood.  

My point, and I do have one, is that Bethel is a nice town populated by nice people.  Those counter-protestors were coming from a position of ignorance, not of hatred.  Most of them, anyway.  I don't live in Bethel any more, through no fault of Bethel's, but I will defend it.