Nazis 1, Toledo 0

The National Socialist Movement planned a march today in Toledo allegedly to protest harassment of white citizens by black gangs. The march did not occur, but the Nazis made their point loud and clear. In a fit of utter stupidity, the very gangs whom the Nazis were using as an excuse to rile the public square took the opportunity to riot in downtown Toledo, breaking into stores and looting as the Nazis stood by and watched their victory from the safety of police protection in a city park. Today's Toledo Blade foresaw the problem:

Young black people, let me be blunt: The march by hate groups in North Toledo today is aimed at you. Don't give them the time of day. Please. If the hate groups can upset you enough to cause you to react and get arrested, or cause you to show an outburst of violence, then they will have accomplished their goal. Don't give them that satisfaction, no matter how upset they might make you, and believe me, their words can make a minority pretty upset. You are not what they say you are, so stay home, do something else, or go to some worthwhile community function instead.

The AP Story is colorblind to the point of silliness, refusing to give the obviously vital information of what the racial makeup of the various actors - the rioters, the store owners, the police, the mayor (who is in fact black). While I hope to live in a race-oblivious America someday, this kind of reporting just lets people draw their own conclusions. This entire episode underscores how little white America can do to address the internal problems of black society. Now, whites will once again repudiate white supremacy and we should shun and shame those who have such viewpoints. But ultimately, there's no whites at fault here. The Nazis have assumptions about blacks - and in this case, some black youths went out of their way to prove the Nazis right. This is truly a tragedy for truth, justice, and the American way.