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In the past few months, we've seen Nazi imagery appearing throughout Brandon. A few weeks ago, someone painted the Nazi swastika* on the rock above Walmart, and earlier this week another such symbol appeared on Richmond Avenue west of 34th, alongside crudely-painted phallic imagery. Based on the location and type of graffiti, we believe the latter case to just be neighborhood kids getting cheap thrills, but the use of color and the choice of location on the hill above Walmart indicates a real threat to the security of our community.  
 
We intend this post to serve dual purposes.  
 
First, a reminder to the good people of Westman that we have a duty to keep our community free of hate, welcoming to new arrivals, and safe and healthy for everyone. The vast majority of people here bear no ill-will towards others, and just want to live their lives in peace and relative comfort. Together, we share a mutual obligation to build towards the security and prosperity of all, so we may each achieve this as individuals. Our world is in constant flux, and we face climate change, disease, war, and famine. The path through the challenges ahead is difficult and dangerous, and will demand much from all of us. Our responsibilities to each other and to the natural world around us are paramount, and we must now set ourselves to the task of organizing and building a better future, together. In the coming days, we will begin a series of posts discussing new initiatives to strengthen our community, including food and clothing drives, garbage cleanup actions, and building a rapid-response community support network. If you have other recommendations or know of current initiatives we can bolster, please post them here or send your ideas to brandoncommunity@fastmail.com.  
 
Secondly, this post is a warning to those elements who would bring racist and fascist ideology to our community. We will not tolerate these anti-social beliefs or their proliferation, and we will work tirelessly to defend our community and uphold pro-social norms. While we believe people should have a chance to see the error in their ways and the space to reflect on how their actions affect others, we will not permit this at the expense of other members of our community on the receiving end of that harm.  
 
If you have information related to these kinds of anti-social activities or of fascist organization in the area, you can report it by email to brandonantifa@fastmail.com. We will remove personally identifying information such as email addresses from these reports, then make a post here on eBrandon to begin community discussion around how to address these problems.  
 
Love and solidarity.  
 
/* The Hakenkreuz (German "hooked cross") swastika used by the Nazi Party is distinct from other uses of the swastika around the world. Many immigrants have come to settle in Brandon and the surrounding area, bringing with them cultures and religions that revere this symbol: to use it as a tool of hate in our community is a double disservice to these folks.