By Shannon Lukens.
Online hate and discrimination and the impacts of social media was the subject of discussion for Wednesday’s STAND meeting, which is the Steamboat Team to Disrupt Antisemitism and Discrimination.
Library Hall was filled with participants of all ages, including students, teachers, law enforcement, and members from throughout the community.
Traci Hiatt on the STAND Advisory Council
Traci Hiatt welcomed the crowd. She is on the STAND Advisory Council.
“We brought everyone together to talk about how we can work as a community to support one another and show up as our best selves in stamping out hate calling out what we see on social media what we see as things that might be discriminatory and really showcasing the values of this community that more than anything we support and love one another.”
Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary with Har Mischpacha and STAND Director
Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary is with Har Mishpacha and also the STAND Advisory Council. She emphasized that social media is a wonderful connection tool but also a tool for hate and discrimination. She spoke of personal instances in her role as local rabbi.
Contact Information: (970) 457-4270 or STANDsteamboat@gmail.com
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser spoke via Zoom about “darkness and light, love and hurt. We all have a choice.” He said it is temping to meet hate with hate.
We are all facing a connection crisis right now. “As people get to know each other, we have a chance for respectful engagement.”
Weiser spoke of the importance of teaching young people about genocide because the Holocaust happened.
“In Colorado, we can be a light and a beacon for our nation.”
Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett
Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett was also one of the featured speakers and is a member of the STAND Advisory Council.
Beckett says he receives three or phone calls a week about online bullying.
He spoke of one particular person in the community, of which he is well aware. He said multiple people in the room have reached out to him about this person and their negative interactions, including Steamboat Springs School District Superintendent Dr. Celine Wicks. Chief Beckett said this social media user began posting on the school district’s social media site about school policies relating to transgender students. He said inflammatory language was used including “brain washing” and “mutilating” when speaking of school policy that is in line with state mandates. Chief Beckett said this person went on to demand the termination of Superintendent Wicks.
Then Chief Beckett also said the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees every citizen to the right to free speech.
He added that if something like this happens to you, that you can always call Steamboat Springs Police and they will look into it and determine whether it is harassment, which is a crime. He said Steamboat Springs Police will charge a person if there is a crime.
He added, “Social media has exposed us to an unprecedented amount of information which complicates things like free speech.”
Contact Information: mbeckett@steamboatsprings.net or 970-879-4344
Chelsie Holmes runs Queer Futures
Chelsie Holmes runs the Queer Futures group in Steamboat Springs. “Queer Futures provides a safe affirming space for LGBTQIA2S+ and questioning folks of all identities, their allies, and their families to gather, learn, connect with resources, and foster joy and resilience.”
Holmes said adults are the biggest bullies online. She gave specific examples.
Holmes said transgender kids and LGBTQ kids are the scapegoats of the upcoming election because some are “spreading hateful rhetoric to gain power or stay in power.”
She spoke of how important it is to protect our local youth. “Respect the trans people in your life and use the names and gender that they want you to use.”
Contact information: chelsie@queerfuturesco.org or 970-879-2034, ext. 102
High School Student Sofia Scherff-Zamora
Sofia Scherff-Zamora is a high school sophomore. She said, from a teenager’s point of view, to be aware of your friends and what they are seeing and report it if it is bad. “Let’s work together to combat the spread of hate and extremism on social media.”
High School Student Julian
Julian is another local high school student who spoke of when anti-trans bullying online escalates to violence. Julian is transgender and he said hateful rhetoric online has affected his health.
Regarding private messages, he said, “No one deserves to have such cruel things spelled out in their face, such as, ‘I hope you get raped or kill yourself.’”
He said the hate he received in middle school was one of the worst times of his life. He then took online classes and eventually returned to high school.
Julian said, “I wish people could see how hurtful it is to be mean.”
Traci Hiatt thanked Julian for telling his story and told the group, “This is why we’re here.”
Noam Dahary is the BBYO Israel Enrichment Director
Noam Dahary spoke of factors that contribute to online hate are anonymity, echo chambers, lack of empathy, and lack of regulation.
He said to identify who is doing the online hate, whether it is a troll/bot/fake account, community member, or friend. He said you can report online hate to ADL, FOA, Fake Reporter, or the Police.
How to report discriminatory, hateful, threatening or harmful speech:
- Safe2Tell: https://safe2tell.org/ and 1-877-542-SAFE (7233), the SAFEtoTELL mobile app, or by texting S2TCO to
- Steamboat Police Department: 911 or (970) 879-1144
- STAND: Standsteamboat@gmail.com
- Anti-Defamation League (ADL): https://www.adl.org/report-antisemitic-bias-or-discriminatory-incident
Dahary added the importance of Productive vs. Destructive, and staying positive to “fight the darkness.”
Ron Krall with the STAND Advisory Council
Ron Krall says the STAND Advisory Council is working on a new Social Media Campaign called, “Routt won’t STAND for hate.” They plan to develop a safe way to call out the hate speech and discrimination online. They are looking for people in the community to join the advisory group.
Contact Information: krallrl@gmail.com
The evening ended with a group picture supporting Trans Day of Visibility which is this Sunday.
Chelsie Homes writes, “In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, Yampa Valley Pride is hosting their second annual social media takeover. There is a lot of negativity and hate on social media directed at the trans community, so we are asking allied organizations and businesses to take a picture with supportive signage or flags, then tag @yampavalleypride so we can flood our local feeds with positivity and support.”
STAND ADVISORY COUNCIL
Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary (STAND Director)
STAND Advisory Council Members:
Chief Mark Beckett, Jennifer Bock, Samantha Coyne Donnel, Bella Davidson, Officer Lisa Eifling, Manuel Fajardo, Jay Hamric, Traci Hiatt, Mark Fitzgerald, Matt Karzen, Ron Krall, Brian Krill, Meghan Lukens, Patrick Madden, Alissa Merage, Sherriff Doug Scherar, Pastor Tim Selby, Jenny Shea, & Dr. Celine Wicks
Community Engagement Committee Chairs: Ron Krall and Kate Nowak
Messaging and PR Committee Chairs: Jen Bock and Alissa Merage
Student Programming and Support Committee Chairs: Jenny Shea and Jay Hamric
RESOURCES FROM THE MEETING
Guidance for participating in Social Media:
- Questions from Rabbi Kolby on whether or not to have a conversation:
- How important is the relationship I have with the person who posted it?
- How close to the communities in question is this person?
- How problematic is the content of the post and what, specifically, are the components that I find discriminatory?
- How does my spirit feel in dialogue with this person?
If you decide to engage…Lean in: listen for their pain, express yours.
- Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Account Right Now, by Jaron Lanier. https://www.steamboatbooks.com/book/9781250239082
Resources for safe and responsible social media use:
- https://www.stopbullying.gov/
- Media Watch: How to spot misinformation Online
- Seniors: 1-2 hour self directed course – MediaWise for Seniors: https://www.poynter.org/shop/fact-checking/how-to-spot-misinformation-online-july-2021/
- Teens: Teen Fact Checking Network and Is This Legit: https://www.poynter.org/mediawise/programs/tfcn/
- American Federation of Teachers Online Safety and Cyberbullying Resources https://www.aft.org/online-safety-and-cyberbullying-resources
Guidance for parents’ managing kids’ social media:
- Steamboat Springs School District Parent and Caregiver’s Resources to Navigating the Digital World https://bit.ly/4czw1ID
- Raising Digitally Responsible Kids: https://resources.saferschoolstogether.com/view/474771331/i/
- App for parents to monitor kids’ devices:
- BARK: https://www.bark.us/ monitors texts, YouTube, emails, 30+ social media sites
- Web Watcher: https://www.webwatcher.com monitors browsing +
- There are a lot of parental controls for locking down what kids can access on their phones:
- Talk to your kids before monitoring their phone use. It’s worth the awkwardness to avoid being discovered spying, which can permanently break the trust between a parent and child. If a child isn’t ready for a serious conversation about online safety, they shouldn’t be on the internet.
How to report discriminatory, hateful, threatening or harmful speech:
- Safe2Tell: https://safe2tell.org/ and 1-877-542-SAFE (7233), the SAFEtoTELL mobile app, or by texting S2TCO to
- Steamboat Police Department: 911 or (970) 879-1144
- STAND: Standsteamboat@gmail.com
- Anti-Defamation League (ADL): https://www.adl.org/report-antisemitic-bias-or-discriminatory-incident
General resources:
- STAND: standsteamboat.org
- Health Partnership: https://thehealthpartnership.org/
- Integrated Community/Comunidad Integrada: https://www.ciiccolorado.org/
- REPS: https://www.nwcosuicideprevention.com/
- Mind Springs Health: https://www.mindspringshealth.org/steamboat-springs/
- Better Tomorrow: https://bettertomorrowco.org/
- Queer Futures: https://queerfuturesco.org/
- Comma Project: https://commaprojects.org/
- Media Savvy @ COMMA: https://commaprojects.org/programs/
- Graham Hackett, graham@commaprojects.org