Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Fight Fascist Trolls: fundraising for Toledo

19. October 2005 • Murph
Email this article

After ArborUpdate posted on last weekend’s neo-nazi march through north Toledo, we started to receive racist comments, as websites like Vanguard Network News (no, you don’t get a link.) linked to us.

Rather than deleting the unfortunate comments, we’ve decided to turn them into a fundraiser for the neighborhood that the neo-nazi march trashed.

Here’s the deal: For every racist comment left by neo-nazi trolls on ArborUpdate, I will donate $1 to the Lagrange Development Corporation, and invite you to join me, with either a per-comment pledge (currently stands at $14) or a flat donation.

Lagrange is a non-profit Community Development Corporation that serves the affected neighborhood; their programs include developing affordable housing, providing homeownership opportunities, rehabbing older homes, providing loans to small businesses, and running crime prevention programs; they were recommended to me by the City of Toledo’s Economic and Community Development department.

Send checks to:

Lagrange Development Corporation
3106 Lagrange St.
Toledo, OH 43608

Edit: You don’t have to read the comments in order to pledge – we’ll keep score, and, as long as you leave a valid e-mail address when you post your pledge, we’ll pull it out of the database and e-mail you when the vitriol winds down. Alternately, e-mail Bates (dasbates at umich dot edu) to tell him you’ve sent a check; he’s volunteered to track the total dollars raised.



  1. I’m moving my original pledge from Detroit MOSES to Lagrange – may as well have the most local impact possible.

    I pledge $1 for every comment left by racist trolls!
       —Murph.    Oct. 19 '05 - 04:21PM    #
  2. I’m in, and even working against my fiscal interests!
       —js    Oct. 19 '05 - 04:23PM    #
  3. Great idea Murph! Another creative solution proving we don’t need to fight hate with hate. I’m in for $1 per post.
       —Stephanie    Oct. 19 '05 - 05:06PM    #
  4. Count me in. Just remind me of the final tally. I haven’t been keeping up with the Neanderthal bleatings…
       —Marc R.    Oct. 19 '05 - 05:57PM    #
  5. I’m in.
       —Sarah    Oct. 19 '05 - 06:19PM    #
  6. I’m in. Their posts are horrendous.
       —Bonnie    Oct. 19 '05 - 07:54PM    #
  7. Me, too. $1 per post.
       —Larry Kestenbaum    Oct. 19 '05 - 08:04PM    #
  8. Since this was my idea, I’m in too, $1/post up to $50 or more. I think LaGrange is a great choice, so thanks for following up Murph & Bates. Can we get a periodic running tally of how much money we’ve raised?
       —Scott Trudeau    Oct. 19 '05 - 08:08PM    #
  9. Too bad there’s no autoscript that you could use to count this up, Scott. Then maybe we could have a little java counter that flipped over every time there was a new one…

    (And I see Blaine is strangely silent on this one. I can just see his “Well, I agree with you about the Jews, but not about the blacks… FREE PALESTINE!”)
       —js    Oct. 19 '05 - 08:45PM    #
  10. I was in earlier, but am too poornow. If I do get some cash by the end of this I’ll donate $10 or so.
       —Matt Hampel    Oct. 19 '05 - 11:48PM    #
  11. You know, it’s funny, but the Nazis didn’t do any damage in Toledo. It was the idiot homeboys who did all the rock-throwing, arson, etc. Oh, yeah, they used the Nazis as a convenient excuse, except that argument is BS. The thugs who comitted the crimes down in Toledo should be punished (and it wasn’t the Nazis!).

    And just in case you get the wrong idea, I do hate the Nazis. What a bunch of creepy morons.
       —Chico Panther    Oct. 20 '05 - 07:31PM    #
  12. Chico –
    To make clear, I don’t think that violent rioters should be held harmless, regardless of race. (When the Klan visited A2 a few years ago, there were violent rioters of all colors, and I think all of them were idiots.)

    I’m not suggesting here that we send money to pay bail for rioters. I’m suggesting we help out a neighborhood that clearly has need of a hand.

    Take a look at the programs the Lagrange group does – homeownership programs, neighborhood cleanups, crime prevention programs, etc.

    Harm was done in various ways. Let’s provide some help.
       —Murph.    Oct. 20 '05 - 09:37PM    #
  13. good god. i was feeling too broke to pledge until i read the comments. sign me up for $1 each.
       —Joy    Oct. 21 '05 - 05:00AM    #
  14. I’m between jobs and money’s tight, but put me in for 50 cents per post, and I’ll up it if I can.
       —Sara    Oct. 21 '05 - 12:46PM    #
  15. I’m in…

    A group of regular folks that I helped build a weblog for is dealing with racism heavy duty, and it is interesting to see how they sort of naturally ignore the racist trolls. Inspiring. Scott, this was also a stroke of inspiration…
       —Mark    Oct. 24 '05 - 06:52AM    #
  16. That disaster of a comment group is just sad. I’ll pitch in $10 just because I think this is silly.

    The racists are absolutely hilarious, and js, you are the sole reason I actually sat through their drivel – I laughed every time you posted something. (...your comment about Blaine was well-played as well.)

    It’s funny though how these people have no real philosophy behind their actions. It’s all just hate. It’s also kind of ironic how most all of them aren’t even of German descent anyway. Don’t they realise that the Nazis hated the Slavs and Anglo-Saxons as well?
       —eston    Oct. 25 '05 - 05:24AM    #