Nazis are coming to Lansing.
Members of America's Nazi party, The National Socialist Movement, which is dedicated to preserving the Aryan race, plan to rally at the Capitol in Lansing on April 22.
The group wants to present its message that multiculturalism and diversity are bad and have caused society to fail.
In response, several different groups plan to demonstrate their opposition to the Nazis in different ways.
One group, the Lansing Coalition Against Nazis is going to protest the rally and its hateful message.
In another effort, the city of Lansing is hosting an event at Eastern High School to get people to ignore the Nazis and take away their audience. The event will celebrate multiculturalism and feature food, dancing and other activities.
The Nazi group is threatening to attend the counter event, claiming it's unconstitutional for the city to take sides in light of their protest.
Yet another group, BRIGHT, or Brody Residents In Great Harmony Together, plans to counter the Nazis' message by putting tape over their mouths to show how oppression silences people. BRIGHT is the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender caucus for the Brody Complex.
All three methods of protest are good ways for people to show they don't agree with the Nazi message.
The Nazis have a right to rally in Lansing, even if we disagree with their message. The best way to counter them is not to restrict them, but to drown their hateful message in a sea of good speech that reflects Lansing's pride in being a diverse city.
The city is attempting to do that by holding its own celebration.
Nazi's thrive on attention and getting their message out through media coverage, and by depriving them of that, it could lessen the impact of their message.
But providing residents with another place to go shouldn't be the city's only response.
The city should let people know how they can protest the Nazis peacefully without getting arrested.
Lansing officials don't want the Nazis and protesters to clash and become violent, and that's understandable.
But should we just let them come here unopposed?
By being out there and challenging the message of hate with a message of tolerance, people are letting the Nazis know their message doesn't have a place here.
