* Media advisory…
MEDIA ADVISORY: Bicameral group of lawmakers speak out on anti-Semitic packages received around Glenview
SPRINGFIELD – Many residents across the community State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) represents received packages of anti-Semitic flyers on their front lawns last week.
Today, Wednesday, March 9, Senator Fine will hold a press conference to condemn the despicable acts of antisemitism and call for support.
WHO: Senators Laura Fine, Sarah Feigenholtz, Ram Villivalam and Julie Morrison, alongside Representative Bob Morgan, and Alison Slovin with the Wiesenthal Center
WHAT: Press conference on anti-Semitic packages sent to members of the community
WHEN: Wednesday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Room, Illinois State Capitol and live on BlueRoomStream.com
* Literature…
The package came in a plastic storage bag and left on porches. I’m told that the beans in the package apparently weighted them down to prevent them from blowing away.
…Adding… Press release…
Members of the General Assembly stood together in solidarity during a press conference Wednesday to condemn the anti-Semitic literature anonymously distributed recently in the district State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) represents, and to provide members of the community actionable ways they can stand up against antisemitism and hate speech.
“This incident is disturbing and intolerable,” Senator Fine said. “As an individual, and as a Jewish woman, I am disgusted by these displays of hate. However, we will not cower from these threatening messages. Instead, I am asking my colleagues and members of my community to stand up against antisemitism to prevent situations like this, or more dangerous incidents, from ever happening again.”
Over the last few weeks, anti-Semitic flyers in plastic bags were left on driveways in Niles, Glenview, and Park Ridge. The flyers included images of prominent Jewish politicians—including Senator Fine—and businesspeople from Illinois and across the country.
“The meteoric rise of antisemitism both in Illinois and globally is breathtaking,” said State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). “The Jewish community and its allies cannot ignore or dismiss the historical parallel of what occurred before World War II and the Holocaust where six million Jews were murdered across Europe and the antisemitism we are experiencing globally, domestically and in Illinois.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents increased by 84% in the Midwest between 2016 and 2020.
“As antisemitism rises across the nation, we must continue to call our hate speech and hate crimes when they happen in our own backyard,” said Representative Bob Morgan (D-Highwood). “The governor’s budget addition for $20 million for security funding for religious and cultural institutions is urgently needed and will help our at-risk communities.”
Members of the General Assembly and advocates are further encouraging everyone to help combat hate speech and stop the spread of violent acts by holding people accountable, raising awareness, and supporting people who are targets of hate speech and notifying authorities and the office of the attorney general when hate crimes take place.
“We need to take bigots at their word and ensure our elected officials are safe and to investigate the sources of these serial attacks,” said Alison Pure-Slovin, director of the Midwest region for the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “The Simon Wiesenthal Center calls for a special Illinois taskforce on anti-Semitism and reiterates its call to FBI Director Wray to establish a special FBI National Taskforce on anti-Semitism to help us beat back the scourge of hate.”
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:36 am:
Whoever put this together is a disgusting hateful bigot.
- Sir Reel - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:39 am:
If this c#*p is showing up on porches, imagine what’s churning through the internet.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:41 am:
People have been finding these around Niles, Park Ridge and Edison Park also. Found one while walking my dog on Monday. It was weighed down with rice and almonds in the bag. It wasn’t on anyone’s porch, it was in their front yard like it had been thrown out a car window.
- The Hills 60010 - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:42 am:
Look at how the spiritually sick think it’s now okay to drag their brand of crazy hatred back out into the proper community. Nah, Sir, the beans in the bags are not there to hold anything down, they are another form of bigoted stereotyping.
- cover - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:44 am:
IMHO the people distributing this garbage are Putin’s kind of people.
- James the Intolerant - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:45 am:
A store that I used to frequent on the southwest side of Chicago put up a Let’s go Brandon sign several months ago. I have not been there since.
- Osborne Smith III - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:48 am:
This is absolutely disgusting. The racial and ethnic bigotry that continues to survive in our society is a disgrace to humanity.
- Siriously - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:49 am:
Exactly what Sir Reel said.
Sir Reel - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:39 am:
If this c#*p is showing up on porches, imagine what’s churning through the internet.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:51 am:
This disgusting bigoted flier reminds me that those unwilling to renounce racist thinkers in the politics of their party are the ones enabling and excusing these things “because politics”
It sickens me.
Let’s not pretend for a tenth of a millisecond… these folks with that “catch phrase” and the continued bigoted hate speech are not being enabled by one party… or worse… not being condemned by that party… all but welcoming them… in Illinois.
Both parties are NOT using that phrase… and certainly not using that hate speech, phrase or not, it’s one party welcoming this as normal, which allows this to happen anywhere, at any time.
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:52 am:
=== I’m told that the beans in the package apparently weighted them down to prevent them from blowing away===
Somebody is fixin’ to make some hate soup.
The GOP needs to do something to address how in goosestep they’ve become with white nationalists and christian nationalists — something other than trying to take rights away from women, non-whites, and anyone that isn’t a zero on the Kinsey scale.
That kind of makes it look like they’re encouraging this.
- Cricket - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:55 am:
Wow! Just google “anti-semitic packages suburbs” and see how much of this is going on in recent weeks nation wide.
- Banish Misfortune - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 11:59 am:
Words fail.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:01 pm:
I’m hopeful that one or more people with a Ring camera are able to identify who’s behind this. A bicameral response is appreciated but let’s not diminish the behavior of party leaders who not only refuse to condemn this behavior but welcome those who espouse it.
- Commisar Gritty - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:02 pm:
I saw garbage like this when I was working on a race in central IL in the 2016 cycle. They were using the weighted bags to distribute klan receuitment material. I think Rich covered it then too. Absolutely disgusting, the Glenview PD should be fingerprinting those bags and finding out who is behind this.
Though I have a few guesses
- thisjustinagain - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:02 pm:
The only thing more chock full of nuts than the content of the docs is/are the person(s)putting it together. They’d better go to the hardware store and replace all the screws they lost.
- Unconventional wisdom - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:19 pm:
Try to find out who distributed this. That would be most interesting
- Fixer - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:23 pm:
The Hills, help me out here because I made the same assumption Rich did. What’s the symbology behind the beans here?
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:24 pm:
I’m with Prudent here.
There is no way not a single person showed up on a security camera anywhere when handing these out.
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:30 pm:
== What’s the symbology behind the beans ==
How to describe it without sounding like a terrible person…
What is the slang term for an accountant?
Are there any religiously stereotypical views of professions which handle money, that you have heard before?
I don’t want to go on any more, because frankly it’s making me uncomfortable.
Hopefully the above is enough.
A handful of gravel weighs down a bag. You have to go out of your way to specifically select beans instead of rocks.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:38 pm:
Let’s Go Brandon –> Trumpism/MAGA
Yes, there is a hate link to Trumpism/MAGA. Hate existed before MAGA, but MAGA has energized it as a political movement. GOP politicians are feeding off of this movement. So they can deny it until the cows come home, but so long as they tolerate the more radical wing of the party they are complicit.
- Steve - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:44 pm:
-it’s one party welcoming this as normal-
Sadly, neither political party is immune from the hate.
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/02/16/anti-semitism-and-the-democratic-party
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-12-07/republicans-and-democrats-alike-must-fight-anti-semitism-in-their-ranks
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:46 pm:
- Steve -
Your “whataboutism” means you are fine with the racist things this post has.
Thank you for clarifying who you are, and what you’re about.
Appreciate it.
- Steve - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:52 pm:
-Your “whataboutism”-
Not only am I Jewish : I’ve had a Bar Mitzvah. If anti- semitism from the Squad doesn’t bother you…
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:55 pm:
=== If anti- semitism from the Squad doesn’t bother you…===
Friend… is there anything in that flyer that is from any Democrat?
Which party is welcoming racists, and as a party embracing racist policies and politics?
Your thoughts to “the squad”… some might call that racist.
Like I said, I really appreciate you telling exactly who you are.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 12:55 pm:
Stick to Illinois, people.
- The Hills 60010 - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 1:51 pm:
-Fixer- - TheInvisibleMan - handled some of what would have been my answer to you, but also add in the ignorant term for the yarmulke/Kippah.
- The Dude - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 2:13 pm:
Who the heck is able to afford giving beans away now a days.
- illini - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 2:48 pm:
I just received an email from the Southern Poverty Law Center in which they identify “hate groups”. This is a report they issue annually. Unfortunately I was not able to listen in on their morning call. But to my point, they identified 733 groups nationally and 23 groups active in Illinois. Surprisingly, most of these groups are based in the Chicago area and the Northern Suburbs. So it may not be that surprising that these goon squads are active in that area.
Check out the website and the maps for more information
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 2:49 pm:
@The Dude
About 10% of my previous years garden harvest of bush beans gets let to fully ripen, and then the pods harvested, shelled and dried for the next spring.
Cantaloupe seeds were started/sprouted indoors this week. Spring is getting close.
But that’s getting off topic a bit.
- Leslie K - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 6:37 pm:
Invisible @12:30–I think you did an excellent job explaining, without getting mired in muck. And thank you, because I wasn’t piecing that together on my own.
Hills, also a good point about the ignorant term for the kippa.
These flyers are a stark reminder that we must always remain vigilant against hate.
- Yiddishcowboy - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 10:02 pm:
@Steve: I waited several hours to think about whether I wanted to even post; however, this thread and some comments toward you have been on my mind all night. While, true, this was a post about IL pols addressing the Jew haters (likely on the far right) passing their sick propaganda, the reality is there is antisemitism on both sides of the political spectrum. So, I hear you. Pointing it out on this thread may have been “off topic”, but it shouldn’t be considered a “whataboutism.” And the people who considered it so, while likely meaning well, are simply incorrect and reacted too bloody quickly, imo.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 6:40 am:
=== but it shouldn’t be considered a “whataboutism.” ===
With great respect, sincerely.
It is whataboutism. The reason it is, you make the point for me;
===While, true, this was a post about IL pols addressing…===
And I’ll stop you right there.
Arbitrarily inserting a “both sides” in this instance is a watering down of what exactly is happening… here… in Illinois… at this time.
Referencing out of state members of Congress isn’t helpful either, especially in a derogatory way.
Again, with respect.
If Illinois Republicans would like to rid itself of the stigma here in Illinois, there should be a great push for inclusion.