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In a response to white supremacists fliers found in the neighborhood, Pittsford community members participated in a family unity walk to take a stand against racism. Olivia Lopez
Mona Haleem, of Pittsford came to the family unity walk in Pittsford to contribute to the combat of racism after a white supremacist flyer was found in five different Pittsford neighborhoods. Folks met at the Spiegel Recreation Center in Pittsford on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (Photo: OLIVIA LOPEZ, @olopez4/staff photographer)
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — The person who dropped white supremacist fliers on Pittsford driveways appears to have triggered the opposite of the reaction he was looking for.
There was no name on the flier, and there's no way of knowing how many people have visited the website it was promoting. There were, however, about 200 people parading through downtown Pittsford in the rain Sunday afternoon, proclaiming their commitment to openness and diversity.
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"Hate and racism go against the values of our community," Town Supervisor Bill Smith said. "This is as good a statement as I can think of that our community welcomes everyone."
The fliers were distributed late last month. They advertised a website and organization that aimed to "make Rochester great again by making Rochester whiter."
Though relatively few people seem to have actually received a flier, the backlash was widespread and fast. Most notably, a group calling itself PittsFORWARD created a Facebook page and organized Sunday's walk.
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One of the main organizers was Kendra Evans, who is white but has three adopted children of color. Her family often elicits either curiosity or "people being judgmental — not in a good way," she said.
She said the rally was only the first step the group has planned — it also would like to host a series of community discussions, among other things.
"We want to cultivate a culture that not only tolerates diversity, but promotes it," she said.
Pittsford community members walked through the rain in a family unity walk to combat racism in Pittsford on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (Photo: OLIVIA LOPEZ, @olopez4/staff photographer)
According to 2010 U.S. Census data, the town of Pittsford is 89.3 percent white, making it one of the most homogeneous municipalities in Monroe County. That was reflected at Sunday's rally as well.
Pittsford is also one of several east-side suburbs that have dealt with racist slurs from fans or players at school sporting events. In January 2014, Pittsford Sutherland students in the cheering section at a varsity boys basketball game started chanting "We want Slurpees," targeting a player of apparent Indian descent on the opposing team.
When asked what elected officials can do to promote diversity and inclusiveness in concrete ways, Smith, the town supervisor, said he would continue to support groups like PittsFORWARD and, in the present case, help the Monroe County Sheriff's Office identify the person who passed out the fliers.
The Pittsford Central School District is a long-time participant in the Urban-Suburban program, which brings minority students from the city into Pittsford schools.
Bradley Hurst (Photo: Justin Murphy)
One of the few black people present Sunday was Bradley Hurst, son of the renowned civil rights attorney and activist Lloyd Hurst.
When the Hursts first moved to Pittsford in 1965, they could count the other black families in town on one hand, Hurst said. Nonetheless, he said he always felt welcomed as a child and made some of his closest friends there.
He lives in Greece, N.Y., now but came to the rally to see how many people would show up — black or white.
"It would be great to see more diversity in Pittsford, but it's not like you can just drag people in," he said. "I don't know how they can cross that bridge."
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