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Boise City Council Passes Anti-White Supremacy Resolution

Boise City Hall Brick Building Logo
Lacey Daley
/
Boise State Public Radio

White supremacy will not be tolerated in Boise —that’s according to city council members who unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday rejecting such ideology.

The crowd at Boise City Hall gave council members a standing ovation when they adopted the resolution, which also calls for city staff to be trained on recognizing and confronting systemic discrimination.

Originally, the resolution blamed much of the rise of white supremacy on the words and actions of the Trump administration. Council Pro Tem Elaine Clegg defended that language.

“The tone of leadership nationally is contributing to what’s happened across this country in emboldening these actions and I think it’s appropriate to call that out,” Clegg said.

But Councilman Scott Ludwig amended the resolution to refer to national politicians.

“I believe in every ounce of my body in the statement made in here,” Ludwig said. “It’s just the process of including the president of the United States in this resolution that I think has been overreaching in this setting.”

Mayor Dave Bieter also asked the council to remove part of the resolution that said white supremacists continue to view Idaho as a haven.

Hayden, Idaho served as the headquarters of the Aryan Nations until 2001when Victoria and Jason Keenan won a $6.3 million lawsuit against the group after armed guards shot at them a few years prior.

But the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, found 10 such organizations in Idaho in their most recent annual survey.

Patrick Little, a failed, anti-Semitic politician from California, who sent out robocalls saying he wanted to make Sandpoint a regional capital, is also running for a council seat in nearby Garden City.

Follow James Dawson on Twitter @RadioDawson for more local news.

Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio

I cover politics and a bit of everything else for Boise State Public Radio. Outside of public meetings, you can find me fly fishing, making cool things out of leather or watching the Seattle Mariners' latest rebuilding season. If you have a tip, please get in touch!

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