The Plymouth NPFH Committee is committed to help protect the promise of equal justice and civil rights for all members of the Plymouth Community, and to react to incidents that may threaten or isolate a group of people based on visible, as well as invisible differences.
From time to time, members of the Plymouth NPFH Committee receive resident concerns about local incidents that may not constitute a hate crime or a violation of an individual’s or a group’s civil rights, but are nonetheless viewed by some as “offensive” or “distasteful”. Often these incidents are political in nature, and they almost always involve activity that may be protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Committee member hearing such a concern will bring the matter to the attention of the Committee Chair who will gather information about the incident. The Chair may contact the person raising the concern, the Plymouth Police Department or other sources, as appropriate, to determine whether the matter should be placed on a Plymouth NPFH meeting agenda for discussion.
If placed on the agenda, members will determine what support the Committee can provide. If no crime has occurred, no individual’s or group’s civil rights have been violated, and the conduct involved is protected by the actor(s) First Amendment rights, the Committee may have no alternative but to choose to take no action. The Chair will follow-up with the person who raised the initial concern with an explanation of the Committee’s decision.
While Plymouth NPFH promotes diversity and certainly does not condone “offensive” or “distasteful” conduct aimed at an individual’s differences, we, of course, also support the right of each and every citizen to engage in Free Speech and Peaceable Assembly.
If you would like to contact the Plymouth No Place for Hate Committee, please do so by emailing us at NPFHChair@gmail.com or you can call the Board of Selectmen at 508-747-1620.