Gettysburg Times reports on planned June 19, 2010 Aryan Nations Nazi Rally and Gettysburg Times also reports on the plans of the YWCA to hold meetings on peace, and another group to hold a separate event that same date.   The Gettysburg Times has also reported on the YWCA’s efforts in a report “Peace promoters want message to resonate beyond Aryan rally,” stating that “Those [interested in the YWCA peace efforts] who cannot attend, but would like to be informed of the planning process, should contact Andyshak Hayes at 717-334-9171, ext. 113 or aahayes@ywcagettysburg.org.”

June 8 – Gettysburg Times Report: Group to promote peace, not speak out against Aryan Nation

Gettysburg Times:  “As community members continue to hold meetings at the YWCA Gettysburg & Adams County to promote peace during the Aryan Nation’s June 19 visit to Gettysburg, the event is beginning to draw national attention.” “Knight Sor, conciliation specialist for the United States Department of Justice, attended Monday evening’s meeting. Sor told roughly 20 people at Monday evening’s meeting that a group known as 4 Civil Rights received a permit for the same date, time and place as the Aryan Nation to demonstrate. ” “According to Sor, 4 Civil Rights will hold a peace rally on the east lawn of the Cyclorama on June 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. No one at the meeting was aware of this group or its receiving a permit at the same time as the Aryan Nation. Sor said that the permit is under the name Carlene J. Mayers.”

Gettysburg to help police Aryan Nation rally

BY SCOT ANDREW PITZER Times Staff Writer Published: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 1:10 AM EDT

Gettysburg Police Department has signed an agreement to provide law enforcement services next month when a white supremacist group rallies at Gettysburg National Military Park. The nine-member Gettysburg Borough Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve its resolution with the Park Service for the June 19 event. “We have to put whatever police we have there, in case something comes up,” GPD Chief Joe Dougherty said regarding the event, scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. near the old Cyclorama Center. Taxpayers are underwriting the cost of staffing the Aryan Nation event with law enforcement. U.S. Park Service Police and Cumberland Township Police are also likely to attend the rally. “We pay our own bill, they pay their own, and neither one gets repaid by either side,” said Dougherty, noting that overtime is a budgeted expense. Law enforcement costs are not finalized at this time, but in 2006, when the World Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held a similar Gettysburg Battlefield rally, taxpayers forked over $64,000 for law enforcement. The KKK was not charged, and the Aryan Nation won’t be charged June 19, with the Park Service citing freedom of speech issues. “It’s very similar to the agreement we had when the Ku Klux Klan was here years ago,” explained Gettysburg Mayor William E. Troxell. Borough police logged 21 hours of overtime at the 2006 rally, and were paid $1,157. Borough Council Solicitor Harold A. Eastman Jr. explained that the borough was approached by the Park Service for the police presence. He described the pact as a “cooperative agreement,” and proactive, in case a police incident transpires. “It’s a safety net in case things go badly,” said Eastman. “Everything will be in place ahead of time.” Veteran Councilman Ted Streeter recounted the 2006 event, noting that the KKK was quarantined in a fenced-off area, and there was no spill-over into the borough. The rally, held on a rainy afternoon, drew 200-300 people, and there were no reported police incidents. “They all go home, and you wouldn’t know they were here if you didn’t go see it,” Streeter said Monday night. Dougherty reported that the “biggest impact” the event is expected to have upon the borough is road closures, with Taneytown Road and Steinwehr Avenue. As an alternative to the Aryan rally, the local YWCA is planning a family-oriented event to draw attention from the neo-Nazi rally. “We don’t really expect any problems,” said Chief Dougherty. “The majority of everything involved is going to be taken care of by the National Park Service,” said Chief Dougherty, adding that federally-trained officers are attending the event. Four citizens attended the 50-minute session Monday night, as council continues its “six-month experiment” in holding two monthly business meetings. The board also approved its annual allocation of $150,000 in state Community Development Block Grant funding, with $80,000 going to American with Disability Act upgrades throughout town, and $40,000 to code enforcement work.

— AP reported on May 20, 2010 that “The National Park Service has approved a permit for a white supremacist group to hold a rally at Gettysburg National Military Park next month.”
— “The Aryan Nations group plans a rally June 19 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. near the old Cyclorama Center.”
— “Park spokeswoman Katie Lawhon said the park is obligated to make the land available to the public to exercise their free speech rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
— “The group has said it plans speeches and discussions of current issues such as immigration and homosexuality.”