Schroon passes diversity pledge following flag incident

SCHROON LAKE | The Town of Schroon passed a resolution Thursday condemning acts and imagery associated with hatred after a banner of a graduating senior wearing a belt buckle and hat emblazoned with the Confederate flag was affixed to a town utility pole. The banner — part of a gesture to honor graduating seniors — was hastily removed after residents forcefully complained, as school and town officials tried to figure out how it could have escaped notice at so many levels before it went up. The incident was a bruise to a town with a proud history of inclusiveness and comes on the heels of racist graffiti painted onto bridges in Saranac Lake and Bloomingdale. "Hate has no place here," said Board Member Roger Friedman. "We were the first that opened to diversity and we have been welcoming ever since." The incident played out against a regional and nationwide backdrop of increased racial tensions following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman. This has bubbled up in the Adirondacks, particularly in Saranac Lake, where the leader of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative said she was relocating after racist messages were inscribed along her daily jogging route — an event that drew the ire of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. To those with a sense of history, it kindled thoughts of times past, when, with the exception of Schroon, Essex County was noted for its racial and religious exclusiveness. Schroon hotels catered to those of the Jewish faith in the early days of Adirondack vacationing at a time when they were prevented from lodging or joining clubs elsewhere in Essex County. As such, board members said they felt it was important to become the first of Essex County's towns to officially make its position on diversity known. Friedman said he was working on the ordinance in response to other incidences of racism in the county when the town experienced its own incident. His draft had been considered at the town's regular meeting earlier in the week, but other board members wanted a chance to add their edits. Friedman said he was satisfied with the final version, even though it softened his original language, somewhat. But whatever the specific wording, board members were in agreement of the overall message. "A lot of us have lived here a long time and we know what this community is about," said Board Member Richard Gero. Gero said he did not believe the young man on the banner was necessarily wearing the Confederate paraphernalia out of maliciousness, and that to a younger generation it can be symbolic of a rebellious attitude. It needs to be explained to them that the Confederate flag has come to be a more insidious symbol. "This should be a teachable moment," he said. Board Member Meg Woods said the incident seemed to be more "inadvertent" than the overtly hostile acts elsewhere, but that because of rising racial tensions across the nation, it is appropriate to take a stand. "We're just a little drop in a large bucket of communities making a change, and that's good," she said. Woods said the town is in communication with the school system, which is working on its own response that will likely include some form of dress code. Town Supervisor Jeff Subra said he believes Schroon's stance on inclusion and racial justice can be a model for other towns, and that he envisions the formation of a town diversity committee to address racial issues in the community. The meeting was attended by about a dozen residents, most of whom objected to the board's consensus removal of language in the original draft that specifically referenced the Confederate flag. "Is anybody on the board worried about offending someone who supports the Confederacy?" one resident asked. Others said the racial tension that has infected much of the country is present to some degree in Schroon, where there occasional Confederate flag can be seen flying at private residences. A symbol of hatred and treason, they said, the flag has no place in the North Country. Not everyone agreed, and one young resident said he feared that intolerance toward symbols could spread to churches that opposed gay marriage, or even Nike for employing questionable labor practices overseas. Unlike some discussions over race, the debate remained civil, and the young man who spoke against the ordinance was praised by his opponents for attending the meeting and becoming involved in the discussion. "I wouldn't have expected anything else," Friedman said after the meeting.

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Schroon passes diversity pledge following flag incident

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