Groups work together to shut down Minds New Jersey event in Pitman

Kim Mulford
The Courier-Post
The Broadway Theatre of Pitman

PITMAN - A coalition of South Jersey groups is working to shut down a daylong Minds New Jersey event planned in the borough later this month, calling it an "anti-woman, white supremacist" conference featuring speakers who represent extreme views. 

After an alert by a New Jersey group called the One People's Project, Cooper River Indivisible and several progressive Democratic organizations launched a social media campaign this week to shut down the conference.

Minds New Jersey is selling tickets online for $75 to $150 each for its "Ending Racism, Violence and Authoritarianism" event at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman on Aug. 31. Its organizers say the event is designed to encourage civil discourse and de-escalate online rhetoric. 

A person who answered the phone at Broadway Theatre's box office Tuesday said the venue was no longer hosting the event. Efforts to reach the theater's president, Peter Slack, were unsuccessful Tuesday. The event was not listed on the theater's online calendar. 

Pitman Mayor Russell C. Johnson III said he talked with the theater's owner and verified the event won't be held there. He said the event appeared to represent both sides of the political spectrum, but he wanted "no part of it."    

"I'm as happy as I can be," Johnson said. "I don't want the ripple effects on my streets." 

But the event's organizers hope to hold it anyway. 

Bill Ottman, Minds' founder and CEO, said Tuesday his organization has sold more than 500 tickets for the event so far. Since local groups began organizing against the event, Ottman, 33, said the theater has "been bombarded with all kinds of things I can't necessarily get into," including a hacked Twitter account and threats.

"The event is still happening no matter what, and we are really trying to make it happen at the theater," Ottman said.

Pitman Police Chief Daniel J. McAteer said his department is investigating a pair of general threats made on social media. He said the theater did not report any threats made against it directly. 

Based in Norwalk, Connecticut, Minds counts 2 million users on what it calls its "open source platform for Internet freedom." A self-described activist, Ottman said the South Jersey event is an effort to host face-to-face conversations between people with opposing views.

Bill Ottman is founder and CEO of Minds.

He said one of the event's co-sponsors and panelists, Tim Pool, lives in Deptford.   

Among the questions the event hopes to explore is "what is real racism?" Ottman would not share his personal views on the question, and said his organization takes a neutral position.  

"It’s such a polarized world," he added. "We're trying to get people from left and right to sit down and have a conversation."

But protesters argue the conference also offers a platform to "foment hatred and bigotry."  

Panelists include Carl Benjamin (aka Sargon of Akkad) and Mark Meechan (aka Count Dankula), both described as far-right social media influencers by the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

Adam Sheridan, lead organizer for Cooper River Indivisible, said the event is disguised as a dialogue. 

"It’s more like a justification and legitimization for people who have pretty far-right views," Sheridan said. 

Chris Emrich, a member of Cooper River Indivisible and the Collingswood Progressive Democrats, is among those pushing to shut down the event. He watched YouTube videos of the event's panelists. 

"We find a lot of these speakers at the event to be bigoted, hateful individuals who just spread this message of hate," said Emrich, a Mount Laurel attorney. 

"This is something I never would have imagined would come to South Jersey," he added.  

The Rev. Ryan Paetzold, a Lutheran pastor and Cooper River Indivisible member, said some speakers represent views ranging from transphobia to anti-Semitism. 

"I don’t really think hate deserves an equal seat at the table," the Evesham Township resident said. "We wouldn’t invite a Klan member to a position of debate. Our culture and our community have rejected that."

Daryle Lamont Jenkins, executive director of One People's Project in New Brunswick, alerted South Jersey organizations about Minds' plans last weekend. He said his group has been working to shut down white supremacist events since 2000. Alarmed by the event's list of panelists, he plans to protest the Pitman event in person. 

"The fact of the matter is, it’s just another platform for fascists and a platform to promote their agenda," Jenkins said. "It's not an agenda that has done well for this country ever." 

Kim Mulford is a senior reporter for the Courier Post and The Daily Journal, with an interest in health and human services. She is a South Jersey native. If you have a news tip or story we should tell, contact her at kmulford@gannett.com or (856) 486-2448. 

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