CONTRA COSTA — Danville’s mayor called out a group of people who gathered over the weekend on private property near a town border to display a “white lives matter” sign to passersby.
A town social-media account’s post Monday morning said Contra Costa sheriff’s deputies were aware of the gathering, which a sheriff’s spokesman said happened at 1:11 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Camino Tassajara and Crow Canyon Road. There were no violations of the law, the spokesman said.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Mayor Newell Arnerich noted community reaction to the gathering of several people seen holding up that sign, as well as a second sign touting an anti-Semitic documentary-style film, at the intersection across from Blackhawk Plaza
“Those responsible made sure to cowardly cover their faces and hide behind their signs. These people were acting out hate speech. Though not a crime, this was clearly an abhorrent gesture towards people of color,” Arnerich said in part.
“People and groups like these are looking for confrontation and publicity, and we will not condone them nor give them any credibility, attention, or the publicity they are seeking.”
Noting the weekend’s tragic mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., the mayor said town officials and departments stood against racist beliefs or “any acts that direct harm or hatred toward people based upon race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender or disability.”
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
Source: www.mercurynews.com