Newton Forum on Prejudice Turns Ugly

NEWTON, MA - Members of the Newton community convened Thursday night for what Newton Mayor Setti Warren had intended to be a discussion about tolerance and inclusiveness in the face of prejudice.

But at times, the dialogue strayed from talk of understanding the different issues people face to focusing entirely on anti-Semitism, as some members of the crowd vocally opposed any other subject, the Boston Globe reported.

According to the Globe, Jewish activists harassed an African-American woman who said her son was called a racist slur at school, while unidentified members of the crowd chimed in to say they were disappointed that people spoke about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act and marriage equality.

In an attempt to regain control of the meeting, Mayor Warren described how he was equally pained to learn about the three incidents of anti-Semitism at F.A. Day Middle School and an incident where racist questions were emailed to a black student group at Newton North High School.

As tensions rose, it was the students who were able to shift the forum back to its original agenda.

The Globe reported that some high schoolers talked about the various forms of prejudice they've witnessed at school and cautioned against declaring one type of hate speech "worse" than another.

"I thought the students were terrific," Newton Superintendent Dr. David Fleishman told Patch. "They modeled what it means to be compassionate citizens who are well-prepared to thrive in a diverse world."

Fleishman spoke at the meeting and received boos from the crowd before being walked to his car by police, according to the Globe. Despite leaving with an officer escort, he told Patch he did not think the forum would have turned violent.

But, he said, he was disheartened by what he witnessed on Thursday.

"We wanted the students to see what adult conversation looked like and they didn't get to see that last night," Dr. Fleishman said.

In a statement Friday, Mayor Warren described the meeting as "difficult, but essential" and said he was proud of what the community accomplished. He echoed Dr. Fleishman's sentiments about the maturity displayed by the students who spoke and said they give him hope for the future.

Going forward he said his administration and several youth organizations will continue to work with students and faculty, as well as civil rights groups, to ensure further progress is made.