We live in El Sobrante and are grateful to live in a small community with such diversity of race, religion, and ethnicity.
Then we heard that in June, 2019
a member of our community erected a 10 foot by 10 foot swastika in his front yard. A swastika, which once was a religious symbol, is now widely recognized as an international symbol of hate. In the last 100 years, under the banner of the swastika millions of Jewish, Roma, gay, and other people were brutally slaughtered.
The presence of a swastika in our community makes many people feel unsafe to live in a community that tolerates visible expressions of hate and bigotry. Therefore, we are calling on this person to remove the swastika.
We came together and took a stand in our community when hate reared its head in the past. Many businesses and homes have a
Not In Our Town: El Sobrante sign posted. We are speaking out now to show our neighbors that we want to keep El Sobrante as a welcoming community, free of intolerance and hate.
Please add your name and circulate to your neighbors.
Update #34 years ago
Good news! After the pressure from our local community grew once again, the man covered his swastika in gravel. Our community raised their voices in this video United Against Hate in West Contra Costa County. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48bnUPXIk-c&feature=youtu.be. This is just a fraction of the many voices who stand against hate in our area. Others have demonstrated with signs in their windows, protests on the streets, comments on social media. We will continue to stay vigilant
Update #24 years ago
We have recently become aware that the owner of the property has once again uncovered the swastika in his front yard. The 50,000 who signed this petition have clearly stated swastikas have no place in the community of El Sobrante, California. The majority of our neighbors stand against racism and hate. We will continue to work with local leaders in our community to stop this symbol of hate and ensure it permanently is removed from the landscape of our town. Please circulate this petition.
Update #15 years ago
We thank you for your support of this petition. We are pleased to let you know that the man who built the swastika completely covered it with gravel. We were encouraged by the strong response of El Sobrante residents and the community at large to let him know we do not want swastikas in this town. Let's keep up the good fight against bigotry and hate wherever it rears its ugly head. --
Find out more at Not In Our Town niot.org
