Human Rights Commission Takes on Anti-Semitism

After days of threatening phone calls, emails and faxes aimed at the leaders of the Arlington Public Schools, the vitriol surrounding the Pledge of Allegiance issue seems to be easing, but the words have left a lasting impression.

The situation started on June 30 when Sean Harrington, a senior at Arlington High, was interviewed by Fox News after his impassioned plea to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance at the high school was denied by a 3-3 vote at the School Committee meeting.

Though the pledge is recited in all of the elementary schools and at the Ottoson Middle School, it stopped being recited daily at the high school decades ago and the decision as to whether it is recited daily is left up to the individual school administration.

Harrington spent three years gathering more than 700 signatures for his petition to to reinstate the pledge in the high school. He presented it at the June 22 meeting and the committee deadlocked. A tie fails.

Once Fox News was on it, the School Committee members were flooded with angry emails and phone calls from around the country.

"There have been many inappropriate phone calls to my office," said Superintendent Kathleen Bodie. "Secretaries in my office have been yelled at and called names. There have been dozens of emails, most of which have contained hateful messages. A few emails have been threatening."

By Wednesday evening, the Arlington Police Department was involved, responding threats, some of which were "anti-semitic in nature," according to Arlington Police Captain Robert Bongiorno who called them "offensive, hateful, potentially criminal."

As of Friday, the emails and calls had slowed, Bongiorno said. "We are cautiously optimistic that it is losing fuel," he said. "But we will continue with the criminal investigation."

As for the rest of Arlington, it will take some time to heal from the pain this incident has brought, said Nancy Rhoads of the Human Rights Commission.

The Commission plans on doing some work around the issue of anti-semitism, which has been an issue in Arlington several times in the past year. At the Ottoson Middle where there was a recent controversy involving an anti-semitic Facebook page and other comments in school. Around town where there have been a few incidents of vandalism, including swastikas painted on cars.

"When you have a certain number of these things, you can't take them each as individual acts," said Rhoads.

As of now, the Commission plans to facilitate community dialogue by using their "rapid response network," a group of clergy and community leaders who can speak out about these incidents to their congregations and colleagues.

Rhoads said more will be decided at the Wednesday meeting of the Human Right Commission at 8 p.m. at Robbins House.

Asked why she thinks incidents like these bring up such hatred, Rhoads said, "Difference can be hard for some. And when people feel threatened they tend to pick on people's differences."