Rockville Centre residents host counter protest to Proud Boys

Dozens of Rockville Centre residents gathered at Central Synagogue-Beth Emeth on Dec. 1, their flashlights lighting up the night as they joined local elected officials, religious leaders and anti-racism advocates to protest the far-right Proud Boys’ march through the village on Nov. 27.

Rena Riback, co-administrator of the Rockville Centre-based Anti-Racism Project, led chants of “Hate has no home here!”

“Let us shine our lights, move forward away from the darkness of bigotry and honestly address hate wherever it exists and in whatever form it takes,” Riback said.

Rabbi Michael Cohen, of Central Synagogue, Rabbi David Lerner, of Temple B’Nai Sholom, and the Rev. Scott Ressman, of United Church, took part in the gathering, in a show an interfaith unity. Cohen stressed his support for freedom of speech and assembly so long as it is “civil, peaceful and non-threatening.” “They will not inspire us to hate our brothers and sisters,” he said of the Proud Boys.

Ressman stressed how the creation story of the Bible makes it clear how important diversity is in our world. “How boring the world would be with only one kind of tree, flower, species of animal andcolor in the sky,” he said. “Sameness was not a part of God’s plan for the universe. Diversity is purposeful.”

After issuing several statements and a video on the village’s Facebook page, Mayor Francis X. Murray made his first in-person comments on the Proud Boys’ march at the counter-protest. “Just recently, a defined, hateful group invaded our downtown, trying to disrupt our beliefs and cause a divide in our harmony as a community,” Murray said. “As your mayor and your leader, I stand here tonight and say it’s not going to happen here.”

Though many cheered his remarks, there were still questions about how the village might deal with other controversial groups that gather unannounced, without a permit or village approval, as the Proud Boys did.

Margarita Grassing, the executive director of the Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre, mocked the Proud Boys’ wearing of masks to hide their identities, taking it as a sign that their beliefs are not welcome in the village. “It’s sad, but it’s also good to see their fake faces,” Grassing said. She also warned, however, that history repeats itself, and residents need to be vigilant about extreme ideologies’ potentially undermining effects on families.

The night ended with a musical performance of “This Little Light of Mine,” by Judy Leff, of “While They’re Little” family music classes at the new Backyard Players building on North Long Beach Road. Afterward, some residents said they were reassured by the gathering. Beth Finneran, Jaime Pertuz and Bee Myers said they were disappointed by the Proud Boys’ appearance, but not shocked given the continued political polarization around the country. Myers, who lives in the area of the village bordering Lake-view, said she was more concerned than surprised.

Finneran said she was especially worried about the Proud Boys’ connections to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 and the Capitol riot, and potentially bringing violence to the village. The group was designated an extremist group with ties to white nationalism by the FBI in 2018. Pertuz, who moved to the village with Finneran in June, said he was alarmed that his new home had been targeted.

Despite those fears, Finneran, Pertuz and Myers said they were encouraged by the large response. “It was heartening to see a counter message to go out that we’re not behind this,” Pertuz said. “I would like for them to know that they are not what most people here believe.”

Added Finneran: “We don’t want to dehumanize each other in our politics.”