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Town in uproar after Nazis 'adopt a road'
County: Barring group from litter program would violate rights
PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) -- The American Nazi Party has volunteered to pick up trash along a quiet stretch of rural road in Oregon state, causing an uproar after getting a sign placed there crediting its work.
The issue has flared up in the same week that world leaders and aging survivors gathered in the Polish town of Auschwitz to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Nazi death camp.
"American Nazi Party" is written on the sign, which is part of the "Adopt-A-Road" program that encourages local groups to clean up road litter in exchange for recognition on small signs.
The sign, on a quiet stretch of road near Salem, Oregon, also lists the initials "NSM," which stands for the National Socialists Movement, another white supremacist group.
Marion County officials say there is nothing they can do about the Nazi litter pickup because barring the group from the program would violate its First Amendment free speech rights.
"I myself have gotten at least 30 complaints," Dan Estes, the senior policy advisor to the Marion County Board of Commissioners said. "We knew there was going to be a great deal of public outcry."
A branch of the Klu Klux Klan has "adopted" a stretch of road in Missouri. After several legal battles, U.S. courts ruled that attempts to block the white supremacists from the litter program was a violation of its free speech rights.
Neither the American Nazi Party nor the National Socialists Movement immediately responded to attempts to reach them.
The Oregon county put up the two signs at a cost to taxpayers of about $500, Estes said. If the signs are destroyed, the sponsoring organization must pay for replacements.
Any group sponsoring a litter pickup must clean the roads twice a year. It must be a recognized organization, and is usually a Boy Scout troop or civic group.
County: Barring group from litter program would violate rights
PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) -- The American Nazi Party has volunteered to pick up trash along a quiet stretch of rural road in Oregon state, causing an uproar after getting a sign placed there crediting its work.
The issue has flared up in the same week that world leaders and aging survivors gathered in the Polish town of Auschwitz to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Nazi death camp.
"American Nazi Party" is written on the sign, which is part of the "Adopt-A-Road" program that encourages local groups to clean up road litter in exchange for recognition on small signs.
The sign, on a quiet stretch of road near Salem, Oregon, also lists the initials "NSM," which stands for the National Socialists Movement, another white supremacist group.
Marion County officials say there is nothing they can do about the Nazi litter pickup because barring the group from the program would violate its First Amendment free speech rights.
"I myself have gotten at least 30 complaints," Dan Estes, the senior policy advisor to the Marion County Board of Commissioners said. "We knew there was going to be a great deal of public outcry."
A branch of the Klu Klux Klan has "adopted" a stretch of road in Missouri. After several legal battles, U.S. courts ruled that attempts to block the white supremacists from the litter program was a violation of its free speech rights.
Neither the American Nazi Party nor the National Socialists Movement immediately responded to attempts to reach them.
The Oregon county put up the two signs at a cost to taxpayers of about $500, Estes said. If the signs are destroyed, the sponsoring organization must pay for replacements.
Any group sponsoring a litter pickup must clean the roads twice a year. It must be a recognized organization, and is usually a Boy Scout troop or civic group.
So what do you think, is it OK for Nazis to adopt roads?
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