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More than 500 cops to patrol Common tomorrow; Walsh urges people to stay away and not give Nazis the attention they crave

Mayor Walsh says he'll be spending Saturday going from one barbecue to another in Boston's neighborhoods, many as part of annual "unity" events at the city's housing projects.

That, he says, is how Bostonians should react to tomorrow's racism rally at the Parkman Bandstand.

But, Walsh continued at a morning press conference, police will be out in force on and around the Common to make sure there are no repeats of what happened in Charlottesville.

"The courts have made it abundantly clear they have the right to gather no matter how repugnant their views are," Walsh said, adding, however, they don't have the right to incite violence. "In return [for a permit], they must respect our city. ... If anything gets out of hand we will shut it down."

He urged Bostonians who do go down to the Common to protest the race-baiting anti-Semites to avoid giving them what they want - attention and interaction - and show the world that Bostonians are for peace and equality.

Walsh, Gov. Baker and Police Commissioner William Evans said that in addition to at least 500 uniformed and undercover cops roaming the Common and nearby streets, more cops will be stationed at staging areas, just in case. Evans said police will confiscate any bats, sticks or other potential weapons.

"We have to make it clear what we stand for in the city of Boston," Walsh said. "We ask everyone to help us promote peace."

Walsh even said he is still urging tourists to come to Boston tomorrow - except maybe during the rally's hours of noon to 3 p.m.

Evans said Tremont Street along the Common will be shut around 10:30 a.m. The Common garage will also be shut, but all downtown T stations will remain open (except Bowdoin, but that's because it's normally closed on weekends).

Evans added he kind of blames the local media for whipping up hysteria over what Walsh said would be "5 people [coming to Boston] to spew hate."

"Everyone thinks there's going to be a war tomorrow," Evans said.

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Comments

Exactly.
Evans is right... the hysteriia caused by media (you included adam.. i love uHub but past few days its been all Nazi articles)

The rally will be bigger than 5 people.
Just like those "10 people on twitter" shut down the 2024 olympics

But it will be nothing like people expected.
And the alt-left media will claim victory (walsh too)

too predictable

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Y'all can do better than that. There is no alt-left, we all hate Trump and his 'he can do no wrong' supporters.

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I'm most concerned about those who limit speech and now try to limit thought. I've said this all along, no one should go to the Common on Saturday.

I probably would be just as fearful of the counter protesters.

To me, they are all the same.

*I am not a Nazi nor sympathizer. I am not a racist, not harbor any racist feelings. I've never gone out of my way to offend, injure or ridicule. If I have, it has been a terrible oversight and I apologize.

God, I hate 2017
Now I will check back later to see how much I am a Trump lover and defender by those here on U Hub where the shtick never gets old.

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Patricia you win best post. You must have perfect blood pressure with no anger issues. Sincerely, it is so refreshing and it has made myday. Finally, someone who doesn't stress out while U-Hubbin'.

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IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/BAf42be.jpg)

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And people who hate Nazis.

Who could be expected to tell the difference?

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I understand where you're coming from but on the other hand, you're kind of playing into the white nationalists' hands. If this was say a Mitt Romney rally and people were trying to shut it down because they don't like Republicans, you'd have a point. What's happening here is that white nationalists want to move what the acceptable side of being a right wing conservative even farther toward their viewpoints so that someone like Mitt Romney, someone who was a pretty right wing GOP politician is now viewed as nearer to a centrist. These turds want to stretch the scope of the political spectrum until it snaps and the whole works collapses on all of us.

So when neo-nazis chanting about Jews march around a college campus on a Friday night, we should applaud and honor people who go out there like Heather Heyer and get murdered while trying to defend what this nation stands for. There are two sides, but only one right side. This isn't like Baker v. Coakley.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

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Counter protesters are going there looking for a fight.

I read the "tough talk" here on Uhub earlier this week. I can't tell the difference any more

You can't stop hate with coke cans filled with urine and other fun stuff. You don't stop hate by limiting speech and worse, thought. You just push it underground.

I heard the guy that is pulled this permit is actually an Occupy Boston guy, weird.

Anyways, the adult thing to do is ignore them. That makes them feel small. All this posturing by the "good guys" just feeds into their anger.

These people aren't doing anything to the republican party, I don't get your point. Like I said, the guy that pulled the permit wasn't a republican. You are confusing these people with republicans. I can't blame you, it's what is being pushed.

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Sure, let's say 200 counter protesters are going to go looking for trouble and 200 Neo-Nazis are going to be there, being idiots. However, I suspect the violent counter protesters are going to make up maybe 5-10% of the total protesters whereas 100% of the Neo-nazis are going to be neo-nazis. Neo-Nazism and white nationalism are by definition aggressive, violent movements. So they're all garbage and to use some minority of the protesters to damn the works is to think like the president and fall back on claims that 'both sides are to blame'.

As for the underground part, I'd prefer it to be underground. Again, to my earlier point - these people want their view to be at least on the margins of political discourse vs. where it should be, categorized by all as totally unacceptable. Again, these are Nazis and white supremacists here. They add nothing to our civll society and should be shamed out of open existence through massive counter protests.

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So, tell me about your statistically significant sample of counter-protesters showing that they're "looking for a fight."

Well, I guess yes if you mean metaphorically and not literally, then sure, I'll concede: I am coming to fight against all kinds of injustices.

I can only speak for myself (and realize this is not generalizable data, unlike OP here) that I want to stand up and be counted as someone who cared enough to show up against white supremacy, facism, et al. I don't have to make that fight literal, but sadly, some people only know how to fight that way. I prefer words to the sword and the light of love instead of the light of tiki torches.

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The same conservative media supports republicans with the financial backing of republican patrons. The talking points used by the president are the same talking points used by the white supremacists. The same nuanced dog whistles used by Limbaugh, Fox and locally WRKO and the Herald. Sunshine is a wonderful thing.

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I can't tell the difference any more

That's because you're not a clever person. Reflect on that.

You don't stop hate by limiting speech and worse, thought. You just push it underground.

I've personally addressed this made-up point at least twice this week. Are you not listening, or do you actually not understand the arguments pointing out why this is a completely incorrect point?

I heard the guy that is pulled this permit is actually an Occupy Boston guy, weird.

And I heard that Elvis will be in attendance tomorrow, singing "Blue Christmas" to calm things down. I'll concede this is specious horseshit when you do.

Anyways, the adult thing to do is ignore them. That makes them feel small.

We've been trying to ignore you chucklefucks for thirty years. Turns out, when we turn our backs, you elect nazis. I think you've be lost the benefit of the doubt.

These people aren't doing anything to the republican party, I don't get your point.

At no point was anyone arguing anything about their relationship to the contemporary GOP, despite their obvious collusion. Try to pay attention.

I can't blame you, it's what is being pushed.

Pushed by whom, specifically? I'd like names. Because where I come from, we treat nazis with exactly the respect they deserve: a punch to the jaw.

Also, if you're going to spend the day concern trolling, you should at least have the good grace to go reset your password and log in.

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That was 20th century advice, and repeated often - only it doesn't work and it never worked.

Kind of like "Just Say No to Drugs" didn't work, either.

https://bullyvaccineproject.com/tag/ignoring-bullies/

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Patricia, first of all I just want to thank you for always being civil in your comments. We may have different points of view on a lot of issues, but you are never rude or posting things just to stir the pot. That is a rare virtue in this day and age and I sincerely appreciate it.

That being said, you've mentioned several times that the counterprotesters are limiting the free speech of the people holding the rally and that's just not true. They are allowed to tell me that I should be eradicated because I'm Jewish and I am allowed to tell them to eat shit. Neither of us will be arrested for that, as we are both exercising out first amendment rights.

With regards to the counterprotesters looking for a fight, I'm sure there are a small number of people that are doing just that. But I'm also confident that the vast majority of us have no violent intentions. I'm not exactly Captain Hardo. I've never even been in a fight and at 35 I don't plan on starting now. But I couldn't live with myself if I just sat home and did nothing while these people came to my city and tried to normalize hate speech.

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Mitt Romney was a right-wing GOP politician? He was elected governor of Massachusetts, how "right-wing" can he be?

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to be the GOP candidate for President in your lifetime there champ. That's pretty right wing by any measure.

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I'm most concerned about those who limit speech and now try to limit thought. I've said this all along, no one should go to the Common on Saturday.

You just broke every single irony meter in the Commonwealth with the juxtaposition of those two lines. Think about it, I'm sure it will come to you.

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You win this week's "most contradictory statement made on the Internet" award.

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So, you admit hating people for their political preference. Not a racist, not a thug, not someone who has done awful things, but because of whom they vote for.

To you they are the same.

This is why I hate 2017 and can't wait for this Armageddon that's surely coming!

Getting popcorn ready!

** Disclaimer: And no, Not a Nazi nor sympathizer. Not a racist, never meant harm to anyone. If I ever have, please, please forgive me!

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Why do you hate in the first place? Hate is a strong word. Make fun of southern accents all you want no one you are targeting your hate towards would expect anything else from someone who "hates" people.

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Not every drawl hides engrained racism. Just FYI.

And some of us get really discouraged and frustrated when you know, y'all make blanket assumptions about a group based on arbitrary factors like annunciation.

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If hating Nazis is "Alt-Left" then the majority of this country is proudly alt-left.

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These protests, while their ideology may not even be totally clear, are designed above all to stir people up and make them look like fools. Boston fell into the trap bigtime! The right wingers haven't event shown up and everyone's already in a tizzy!

The Left is starting to look hysterical. Suddenly everyone is a nazi. Or at least anyone not punching a nazi is a nazi.

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Good thing, then, that there are plenty to punch these days.

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I think this is a good summary of how many people good people now feel about these Nazi fucktwits and their enablers and excuse makers and those who attempt to minimize or normalize their behavior.

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The Specials expressed the sentiment much better:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqH_0LPVoho

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Minimization is a favorite tactic of violent bullies.

I'm too tired to count all the other fallacies you are providing here. Maybe I'll just use this with my students as a primer with Fallacy Referee to help.

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Stop using Alt Left - or even "left" to describe people who thing spewing racist mysogynist and nazi crap is wrong.
Imainstream America knows it's wrong and don't support trump. He is a Russian puppet sympathizer mysogynist racist idiot completely not capable of being president and he and his family are whoring out the White House.
Stop the hysteria - these nazi protesters are dumb as rocks and if we ignore them they will have no platform. The press is feeding into this so that they sell papers and advertising.

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My understanding is the march from the Reggie Lewis Arena will go along Tremont to the Common, did security for the route get discussed at the press conference?

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Nevermind, based on parking bans in the City's advisory, it'll be Tremont to Charles Street South.

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Briefly, in that they announced Tremont will be closed at 10:30 AM. Right now, I'm assuming that the march is straight down Tremont to Boylston & Tremont?

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In an attempt for Trump to deflect from the wide spread criticism he has incurred for his equating the reaction of Charlottesville counter-protesters to the Nazi, White Nationalists and Alt-right demonstrators, after having blamed them for causing the violence, he now strives to change the subject from his lack of moral convictions to the controversy being really about the removal of confederate statues and political correctness run amok.

Predictably his supporters are quick to jump on this alternative reality by embracing this new narrative. Adding to this mental masturbation are those who now complain about the restrictions being placed on the neo-Nazi rights. Others are joining in with their objections following a similar spectrum of artificial reasons - free speech, counter-demonstrators being the real problem, ad nauseum. I even read a post from young man (who obviously has never has been required or motivated to do anything meaningful or principled in his life) complaining that vendors, as a result of BPD security restrictions, were being denied their ability to earn a living.

We also have the musings of those who insist that we should just ignore these public demonstrators and they will go away. Really? Pretending that about a third of the electorate’s goal is to cleanse the country of anyone who is not white and Christian is not a threat? Cowardliness and fear to confront bigotry has never worked before and is not going to work now.

Thinking about all of this, I am reminded of a particular incident of shape shifting dialog from the 2016 campaign. In October of 2015, then Presidential candidate, Ben Carson caused a stir by asserting that gun control laws were responsible for the Holocaust, a patently absurd myth that enjoys surprisingly widespread acceptance in some quarters of the American right. In defense of Carson, Dr. Keith Ablow, a Fox News medical contributor and Caron fundraiser, offered a slightly different spin on the thesis.

Ablow argued, in summary: "If Jews in Germany had more actively resisted the Nazi party or the Nazi regime and had diagnosed it as a malignant and deadly cancer from the start, there would, indeed, have been a chance for the people of that country and the world to be moved to action by their bold refusal to be enslaved.”

Beyond the offensive victim-blaming aspect to this characterization, it is simply false to say that Jews did not resist Hitler's rise to power, his attempted conquest of Europe, or his attempted genocide of the Jewish people. Now we have many of those same conservatives (who always seem to champion or ignore the existence of the hate and division) telling us that counter-demonstrators are really the problem, don’t violate the Nazis and Skinheads rights, don’t get involved because it only makes things worst.

What the hell is happening to America’s historical sense of what is right and what is wrong? Have we become so afraid or so jaded that have forgot what we were given by those that came before us. Are we so mentally paralyzed that we are no longer willing to fight for what really made our country great in the first place.

I am in my 60s…I have more time behind me than I have going forward. From an socio-economic point-of-view, I suppose I could say my life is relatively comfortable - . I don’t need to get involved…I did my military service…I pay my taxes…I always treated folks correctly and, besides, they aren’t demonstrating against me, not my problem, right?

Let the next generation step up. Isn’t this the way things are suppose to work? You reach a certain age or achieve a certain stage in life and it okay to just abdicate your civil and moral responsibilities to others and ignore the things that don’t effect you directly - leave it to others to deal with injustice or bigotry.

Well, this is not the right way to act or think. This is not who we were, are or should be…we are, after all is said and done, Americans - when push comes to shove, we always do the right thing.

As I posted the other day: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” (Edmund Burke).

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We aren't the ones pissing our pants over interracial marriage and "white genocide".

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As for Trump's spin that removing statues and monuments is somehow eradicating history, it is interesting to note what Robert E. Lee thought about memorializing the South's role in the Civil War. A review of newspaper accounts (published at the time) reveals on two occasions when Lee formally rejected the idea of Confederacy monuments.

In a 1866 in a letter to fellow Confederate Gen. Thomas L. Rosser, Lee wrote, "As regards the erection of such a monument as is contemplated, my conviction is, that however grateful it would be to the feelings of the South, the attempt ... would have the effect of ... continuing, if not adding to, the difficulties under which the Southern people labour."

Three years later (1869), in declining an invitation to a Gettysburg ceremony to identify where Confederacy monuments should be placed on the battle field, Lee wrote: "I think it wiser, moreover, not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, to commit to oblivion the feelings engendered."

So much for eradicating history or altering our culture as Trump attempts to deceive people as some sort of compelling issue.

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The scene- the United States in 2040, a high school classroom in Virginia.

The teacher finishes the segment the US in the 1850s and the rising tensions over slavery between the northern and southern states. Towards the end of class, a kid raises their hand and asks 'what happened in the 1860s?'

The teacher looks puzzled for a moment then replies 'why I don't think anything happened of note during that period. If something had happened, there would be a lot more statues around town commemorating it.'

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The Common garage will also be shut, but all downtown T stations will remain open (except Bowdoin, but that's because it's normally closed on weekends).

I was under the impression that Bowdoin is open on weekends now, as they got rid of its reduced hours during the Government Center closure and never reverted back. So will it be open tomorrow or what?

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https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/02/10/bowdoin-t-station-will...

Bowdoin is definitely supposed to be open weekends. Unsure about this weekend specifically.

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Until the T decides to close some of them down for "safety" reasons. Which always somehow seems to happen whenever there's a event or rally or similar along the Common.

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The cops gotta love Marty for this one. OT for everyone!

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I like the plan to keep the peace once everyone is at the Common. You guys on this side, you guys on this side, cops in the middle, no one cross over. Well, what about while they're all packed into T subway car/commuter train cars on the way in? Will our famously understaffed T Police be confiscating sticks/bats/bottles of mysterious liquids, and maintaining the peace sufficiently?

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These right-wing neckbeards are gonna be so confused by having to deal with a public transit system and so terrified of going to an honest-to-god city that they aren't gonna do anything but cower in their seats, assuming they have the courage to get on the train to begin with.

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The irony would be if the organizers got Storrowed on their way to the event.

"This is our fucking low clearance reverse curve!!"

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Eating a sheetcake is not the way to deal with white supremacists

I'm marching with around 7,000+ others from Reggie Lewis to the Common.

I want these suburb and backwood dwelling troglodytes to hear our voices coming from a mile away.

I want them to look at each other and know a massive force for equality is coming to face them head on. I want them to gulp hard and question everything at that moment.

Then, I want them to leave.

I want them to see us coming and go home.

Those that stay will be protected by our cities finest.

And we will drown out their chants, laugh over their "seig heils" and show this display of evil for what it is.

A big @#$%-ing joke.

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That Tina Fey piece was lame and she seriously needs to do some thinking, both as a comedian (there was opportunity for gold, but she missed it) and as a person because how many people can afford to ignore this horribleness by eating their way through it?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs4P1kKK-5k

I love how he mixes in "Flight of the Valkyries"

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tomorrow, I hope the counter-protesters start chanting "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit" in Elmer Fudd voices.

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It'll probably be the counterprotesters playing Rudr of the Valkyries. That would be the logical thing to do to discredit the rally..

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Police shouldn't confiscate anything that's generally legal. Instead, they should turn people away from the Common if they are carrying sticks.

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http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SF-alt-right-Patriot-Prayer-dog-po...

They are planning on not cleaning up after their dogs in the day or so before the rally, so the field is covered in dog doo. I propose Boston do the same.

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that's their plan EVERY day.

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/native San Franciscan

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and not clean it up agree to come back the day after the rally and remove it.

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Gonna need a bigger bag.

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Too bad you can't show movies outdoors in daytime.
A City Hall viewing of The Producers would be good counter programming.

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">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlmGknvr_Pg[/youtube]

Followed by this

">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOQ-Gdml_c[/youtube]

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Parks and Recreation have already set up the crowd control barriers, but with gaps so folks can still walk through.

And a NBC Boston live cam truck pulled up on Boylston, presumably to begin its "Countdown to Nazipocalypse 2017" coverage.

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Related?

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of neo-Nazis would be arriving on commuter trains the night before their big rally so they can get the best seats on the Common (like the annual idiocy that happens before Sox Tickets go on sale or before Pops Go The Fourth happens on the Esplanade), I seriously doubt it.

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About a year or so ago, on a nice sunny day, I bought a cigar at Peretti's in Park Square. I walked over to the Common, thinking I could enjoy a quiet smoke in the sunshine.

I found an isolated spot, fired up the stinker, and settled in. A few minutes later, a Park Ranger approached me, told me he would skip the citation, but I had to leave. Because it is illegal to smoke on the Boston Common.

But in 2017, it's okay for neo-Nazi's to crap all over the place.

I just hope that none of them have the audacity to light up between calls for genocide. Then they'll be in real trouble.

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People have devised good responses in the past:

http://www.neatorama.com/2007/09/03/clowns-kicked-kkk-asses/

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"Gov. Charlie Baker said 200 state troopers would also be available."
http://www.wcvb.com/article/free-speech-rally-fight-supremacy-rally-bost...

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