STATEMENT BY THE MASS. MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION WITHDRAWING FROM "NO PLACE FOR HATE"

Watertown TAB & Press
April 9 2008
MA

BOSTON – Massachusetts Municipal Association The Massachusetts
Municipal Association firmly believes that in order to build and
sustain strong and vibrant communities throughout the Commonwealth,
it is essential to promote and protect basic human rights, mutual
understanding, and reconciliation.

In a resolution adopted on September 11, 2007, the MMA Board of
Directors stated that the terrible crimes committed against the
Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 must be recognized
as genocide. In its resolution, the MMA applauded the New England
Regional Director and New England Regional Executive Committee of
the ADL for unequivocally recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The MMA
further called on the National ADL to adopt the position of the New
England Region at the ADL’s National Commission meeting in November
and to support the Congressional Resolution on the Armenian Genocide.

The MMA Board of Directors expresses its strong disapproval that the
National ADL did not use the opportunity of its November meeting to
clarify and strengthen its earlier statements concerning recognition of
the Armenian Genocide. The Board believes that unequivocal recognition
of the Armenian Genocide is both a matter of basic justice to its
victims as well as essential to efforts to prevent future genocides.

Since 1999, the MMA has been an official sponsor of the No Place for
Hate (NPFH) program offered by the New England Region of the ADL. The
NPFH program is intended to assist municipalities in Massachusetts
to combat bias and promote tolerance. By helping to reduce acts of
violence and discrimination, NPFH has brought important tangible
benefits to the cities and towns which have chosen to participate in
the program. It stands as a worthy monument to the good works of the
man who inspired its creation, the late Leonard Zakim.

The inconsistency between the National ADL’s position on the Armenian
Genocide and the human rights principles underlying NPFH is a matter
of great concern to MMA Board members and the municipalities they
represent. The MMA feels strongly that it is imperative to speak
with absolute clarity on genocide and that, due to the NPFH program’s
association with the National ADL, the Association will no longer be
a sponsor of the program.

While these issues will continue to be discussed by municipalities
and concerned individuals, the NPFH program has changed. The New
England Region of the ADL recently announced that the NPFH program is
moving to a community-based model. The program will be available as a
resource to community and civic groups but will no longer seek local
government sponsorship or certify cities and towns as NPFH communities.

For Massachusetts municipalities that seek a program specifically
designed for local governments to promote tolerance, combat racism and
discrimination, and facilitate communitybuilding, the MMA commends
the National League of Cities Inclusive Communities program, which
can be accessed via the NLC’s website (). The NLC’s
program includes 190 cities and towns in 40 states and provides an
ever-expanding toolbox for municipal officials.

Statement adopted by vote of the MMA Board of Directors on April 8