Vintage Chicago Tribune: In 1977, Skokie was a refuge for thousands of Holocaust survivors. Then a group of self-styled Nazis planned a march.
In 1977, a group of self-styled Nazis planned a march in Skokie, home to thousands of Holocaust survivors. A legal battle ensued.
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Related, I highly recommend the Illinois Holocaust Museum, I went this fall and it was really good
Edit: Also its the third largest museum on the holocaust in the world
And this is why my grandparents lived in Skokie. My grandmother was a Holocaust survivor.
Frank Collins was the guy who organized and lead the march. The reason I remember him, is because he was a janitor at St Francis hospital in Blue Island where my wife worked. I would visit my wife at lunch time and talked to him without knowing who he really was. He was later arrested for having sex with an underaged boy. Another reference in The Blues Brothers.
I went to Tech School in Georgia. One of my teachers in a ELA type class was a lawyer for the nazis when this happened. He was Jewish. He was adamant that he’d done the right think because it was their constitutional right.
My brother and I made quick work of the Illinois Nazis
If this topic interests anyone I recommend the Ultra podcast by Rachel Maddow. It’s about the infiltration and influence of Nazis in the USA society and politics before and during WWII and how most of them got off scott free.
City of Chicago was denying Illinois Nazis parade permits to march in Marquette Park. Illinois Nazis decided to then march in Skokie. Once their right to march in Skokie was affirmed,they decided to not march. They then returned to march at Marquette Park and march garnered little protest and less press coverage.
The movie about this is excellent. It brings up good debate still relevant today.
One of the most noble, free speech advocates, was the Jewish ACLU lawyer that represented them in their bid to march.
I find this remarkable and honorable.
And all the “free speech” advocates said let them march
but when Black Lives Matter and defund the police activists march, it’s war from the police
funny that
Thank you for this post, it was very informative and educational.