How to resolve AdBlock issue? SARATOGA SPRINGS – City Mayor Ron Kim released a statement Monday requesting a report from the public safety department regarding Saturday afternoon’s “march in Saratoga Springs” by “a hate group that is known for acts of violence against people based on their vile, despicable, white supremacist views.”
“On Saturday afternoon a group known for their misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic, and anti-immigration views, and propensity for violence - including on Jan. 6, 2021 when its members stormed the United States Capital - briefly marched in Saratoga Springs,” Mayor Kim said, in the statement. “This is not a normal group of individuals seeking to influence public debate.”
“Pursuant to Title 3 of the City’s Charter, I am asking the Commissioner of Public Safety to provide my office by the close of business on Thursday, Aug. 10 with a full report of the incident, including:
1) what information was provided to the Department and/or Saratoga Springs Police Department prior, during, and after this group marched;
2) what actions were taken by the Department and/or the Saratoga Springs Police Department when it became aware of the march;
3) what relevant regulations and/or laws were violated by the march; and
4) any recommendations to prevent a repeat of this incident in the future.”
Title 3 of the City Charter grants the mayor authority to require any department to report to the Council in writing on the status of any function, program, or project involving the City, as well as “ultimate responsibility for and see to enforcement of City laws, codes, rules, and regulations.” The Charter additionally states that Departments shall provide aid and assistance to the mayor in execution of these responsibilities.
“I am also asking the other departments of our city government to weigh in on how we prevent a repetition of this incident and I know each is actively reviewing their responsibilities and mandates towards that end,” Kim said.
A handful of social media posts Saturday, apparently made by random passersby, depicted approximately three dozen masked people, draped in black or yellow T-shirts, standing in front of parked cars on the west side of Broadway while a tape recording of the “Star-Spangled Banner” played. A yellow pickup truck festooned with American flags and bearing a sign that read Law & Order atop its cab, stood on the west side of the Caroline Street and Broadway intersection.
Members of the Proud Boys also marched in Ballston Spa on Saturday, Village Trustee Liz Kormos reported in a post.
Monday’s statement from the city additionally included comments by councilmembers Jason Golub and Dillon Moran.
Commissioner Jason Golub of the Department of Public Works: “The message and methods of the Proud Boys is one that has condoned violence and ideologically motivated crimes over the past several years. This is not what the city or the people of Saratoga Springs stand for.
“While freedom of speech is a constitutionally protected right, there is no place for violent rhetoric or violent actions in our community. Saratoga Springs is a place where every resident and visitor must feel safe to be who they are without fear. We are a city that wants to build bridges not burn them down, to heal old wounds and find solutions. No matter a person’s background, beliefs, or circumstances, we as a community will not allow hate and violence to take root here. We live in a polarized time and can absolutely disagree on the best direction for our city or our country, but we cannot do so in a way that condones violence or makes it unsafe for anyone else to be whom they are. As a leader that is non-negotiable for our city.”
Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran: “Communication between city officials and between departments is essential. The city is inclusive and welcoming to all. We need to be made aware of the presence of a group that is emboldened to create an atmosphere of violence and disruption. That Commissioner Montagnino didn’t feel the need to let the city council know of this situation demonstrates an abdication of his responsibility to Saratoga Springs as a whole.”
Former city Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan, who is running for a seat as County Supervisor in the November election, released a statement during the weekend to “denounce what the masked individuals in today’s demonstration attempted to do and emphatically reject their ideology of hatred and bigotry.”
