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Upcoming workshop focuses on 'interrupting hate' in public spaces Sunday May 7, 2017 at 12:01 AM By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Michelle Glass, Rogue Valley regional director for Unite Oregon, sits on the front line of what is being described as a “hateful climate.” She says incidents of racism and threats of violence are being reported to Jackson County community agencies at an alarming rate. "A Saudi man was followed by another man in Market of Choice in Ashland. The Saudi man asked the man following him if he could be of help. The man who followed him said he wanted to protect his family and country from people ‘like him.’ A store employee asked the stalker to leave, but he waited outside the store, where he proceeded to shove the Saudi man." Other confrontations in Glass’ summary include: "A young woman was going into a store and held the door open for another person coming in. He was very nice and said thank you. Another person behind him yelled at her and told her, ‘Don't need your help, move, you dumb Mexican.’ ” Between January and April of this year, a community response team organized by Unite Oregon tracked and responded to 152 similar incidents and fielded another 86 calls from Rogue Valley residents who expressed fear of leaving their homes to go grocery shopping, sending their children to school, or going to work. The escalation in physical and verbal altercations has prompted a “call to action,” says Isleen Glatt, training and outreach coordinator for the Resolve Center for Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice. The organization, formerly known as Mediation Works, is resolved to “take a stand” against hate crimes and hate speech, says Glatt. Resolve is offering “Interrupting Hate in Public Spaces,” a free community workshop for those interested in learning active, nonviolent bystander intervention. The first session will be presented from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 8, at the Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave. A second session will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in Southern Oregon University’s Stevenson Union in Ashland. Rabbi Debra Kolodny is the keynote speaker and lead facilitator for the “Training Active Bystander” sessions. Kolodny, executive director of the Portland-based Resolutions Northwest, has been an advocate for worker’s rights and an activist for racial, women’s and LGBTQ causes since 1980. Throughout her career, she has led initiatives on multicultural awareness, equity, diversity and racial justice. Kolodny cites an article published in Willamette Week in March that reported Oregon now leads the nation in hate crimes. The statistics were compiled in a data-gathering project from the investigative nonprofit journalism website ProPublica, along with a consortium of news organizations, civil rights groups and universities. “It’s time we put ourselves on the front lines,” she says. “We want to build a world we want our children to live in.” Alma Rosa Alvarez, of the Racial Equity Coalition and a professor at SOU, has lived in the Rogue Valley for 20 years. Racism, she says, “has always been here. But we hadn’t seen it so boldly displayed before.” Alvarez notes a spike in incidents targeted at the Latino population since the November 2016 election. She says she’s heard from students, farmworkers, store employees and “even bank tellers” being harassed, bullied and threatened with deportation due to their “perceived country of origin.” “It’s scary,” she says. Witnesses of physical and verbal altercations in public spaces frequently don’t act, Kolodny says. As tensions flare, Kolodny is hoping for a “shift from passivity.” The goal of the workshop is to equip participants to intervene. The focus of the upcoming training sessions is “exploring what inhibits us from interrupting hate” in public spaces and teaching participants “to overcome those inhibitions.” “If you see something, say something.” The key to intervening, Kolodny says, is “centering on the one being targeted, not the (aggressor), without escalating the situation, and removing that person from the situation.” She offers the following “Do's and Don’ts” for bystander intervention: Do: Make your presence as a witness known. If possible, make eye contact with the person being harassed and ask them if they want support. Move yourself near the person being harassed. If you feel you can risk doing so, create distance or a barrier between the person being harassed and the attacker. If it’s safe to do so, and the person being harassed consents — film or record the incident. Take cues from the individual being harassed. Is the person engaging with the harasser or not? Notice if the person being harassed is resisting in their own way, and honor that. You can make suggestions, such as, “Would you like to walk with me over here?” And then, follow their lead. Follow up with the individual being harassed after the incident is over; see if they need anything. Keep both of you safe. Assess your surroundings. Are there others nearby you can pull in to support? Working in a team is a good idea, if it is possible. Can you and the person being harassed move to a safer space/place? Don’t: Don’t escalate the situation. The goal is to get the person being harassed to safety, not to incite further violence from the attacker. Don’t do nothing. “Silence is dangerous — it communicates approval and leaves the victim high and dry.” If you find yourself too nervous or afraid to speak out, move closer to the person being harassed to communicate your support with your body. Kolodny cautions that the above list does not “stand alone.” “It’s important to get the training,” she says. She adds that sessions will give participants the tools to put the “Do’s and Don’ts” into practice. The ultimate goal, Kolodny says, “is to intervene with the intent of protection, safety and moral integrity.” Alvarez says that her organization is happy to be a part of the “Interrupting Hate” training. “It’s time to dismantle hate.” Registration for the upcoming workshops is preferred. Child care will be available at the Medford site. For more information and registration, call 541-770-2468 or visit www.resolvecenter.org. — Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected].