CARMEL – Putnam County is the only county in the Mid-Hudson Valley without the services of a human rights commission allowing for a community to engage in dialogue regarding issues of hate and discrimination.
Due to the increase of incidents of hate throughout the region, County Legislator Nancy Montgomery called on her colleagues to create such a panel that would result in no cost to local taxpayers since no budget would be needed to operate the commission that would be staffed entirely by volunteers.
James Hyer of Mahopac, chairman of the Committee for a Putnam County Human Rights Commission drafted a proposal for the establishment of such a council.
Hyer said the commission’s first mission was education and outreach. “Advocating for something that doesn’t cost taxpayers a nickel and brings people together while preventing problems before they occur shouldn’t be a question. We can’t wait for a hate crime to happen in Brewster or Mahopac or Nelsonville. We shouldn’t wait for a child to be bullied in school. It’s so sad that Putnam is the only community in the Hudson Valley, New York City or Long Island without such a committee,” he said.
Hyer noted while the Putnam commission would focus on education and outreach, it would limit enforcement activities to providing information about the State Division of Human Rights in addition to other community resources such as the Dispute Resolution Center that currently provides mediation services for those seeking alternative dispute resolution.
Hyer said while both the nation and state have experienced significant increases in the number of hate crimes and hate-related incidents, “Putnam County and the Hudson Valley have not been immune to the escalation which continues to pose a significant threat.”
Hyer compiled a list of hate crimes and hate-related incidents that have occurred locally in recent years. One of the most alarming came two weeks ago following a rally in Mahopac organized by area churches showing their support for their Jewish neighbors.
He said 24 hours after the vigil, a menorah was desecrated with a white supremacy sticker in Mahopac.
Other incidents outlined by the attorney included anti-Semitic materials scrawled at the Centennial Golf Club in Carmel, Fulmar Road School in Mahopac, Mahopac Chamber of Commerce Park, private homes in Putnam Valley, Nelsonville, Cold Spring and Kent, anti-black smears in Mahopac, Carmel, Patterson and Southeast along with anti-Hispanic graffiti in Southeast, anti-Christian slurs in Patterson and gender-related graffiti scrawled on a private home in Kent.
Hyer said incidents of discrimination “can impact the fabric of people’s lives by threatening the places where they live, work, earn an income, frequent and how they obtain financing.”
Hyer said the underlying theme of his presentation was “changing the world by changing our communities. Putnam County must be known as a place that does not tolerate hate.”
According to the proposal he outlined, the duties of a human rights commission would include the “fostering of mutual respect and understanding among all ages, races, creeds, colors, national origins, sexual orientations, gender identities, disabilities, pre-disposing genetic characteristics, financial or marital status and domestic violence victim status groups within the county.”
