MONTICELLO – As darkness was closing in on Sullivan County Sunday, a small group of people gathered in front of the county courthouse in Monticello to stand against hate.
County Human Rights Commission Chairman Marty Colavito said this was the first of several similar events. This one was timed with the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth. “People in our community have decided to stand together and kind of answer the hatred that has been happening throughout the country; the attacks on people predicated upon their faith, their identity, their culture,” he said. “It’s a non-political event. It’s just a bunch of folks who want to get together and say hate has no home in Sullivan County.”
The gathering was organized with Sullivan Allies Leading Together as matter of protest against those who have committed hateful acts against people of all faiths.
Colavito expects the gathering to take place on later dates in Fallsburg and Liberty.
“We’re taking it on the road,” he said. “We’re trying to get people to realize all these hateful acts that are happening. We are opposed to that type of hatred in Sullivan County. We’d rather be inclusive and compassionate.”
