MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (OSBORNE) -- White Supremacist groups are planning what they’re calling “White Lives Matter” rallies in Murfreesboro and Shelbyville for the last Saturday of the month.
The Daily News Journal notes that anti-fascist groups are calling on their members to be here to confront them.
Now, local residents are organizing their own gatherings the same day. One such group is calling itself “Murfreesboro Loves” and organizers are scheduling events all over the city, except on the city square where the White Supremacists and counter protesters may clash.
Jason Bennett is one of the Murfreesboro Loves organizers.
“We want to be very visible, but we definitely don’t want to encourage something like what happened in Charlottesville. We can look back at that and see that it was a recipe for disaster.”
Bennett says the group is planning a long list of meetings and events leading up to the Murfreesboro Square protests on September 28. Those events include non-violent protest training sessions, meet-your-neighbor picnics, protest sign painting sessions and more.
He says there are also events planned for the day of the White Supremacist march.
“We’ll have people holding signs just all over the city…all over the city. I think so far we’ve got 1600 or 1700 people interested in participating.
Bennett says that, although Murfreesboro Loves participants won’t be on the square to confront protesters in person, they are encouraging the businesses that line the square to post the group’s inclusive messages in their front windows.
If you’d like to learn more, search Facebook for “Murfreesboro Loves.”