Scott Milnor may live just over the town line in Weston, but he was concerned enough about recent events in Wilton to make a public response. That’s what’s motivating him to organize a March Against Hate in Wilton event this Saturday afternoon, Nov. 11.
The march will be Milnor’s second demonstration in Wilton; the first was on Saturday, Oct. 28, two days after the discovery of an anti-Semitic note posted on a Middlebrook locker. Milnor and his wife, Marcela Penaranda stood in Wilton Center holding a sign that said, “No Place for Anti-Semitism in Wilton.” They connected with a woman named Susan Cutler who was similarly upset. Together they’re planning Saturday’s march, which will start at the Wilton Train Station parking lot at 2 p.m. and proceed through Wilton Center.
Milnor and Cutler are inviting the public to join them on the march.
“It is tempting in this political climate to try to make a large statement, but this is not the purpose or mission of this March. This march is a response to specific acts of hate, of which there has been a noticeable increase in Wilton recently. The most recent one was the note on a 6th graders locker “burn the Jews “ which spurred me to protest and Susan to join. Many people approached us with similar concerns that day two Saturdays ago in Wilton Center and so the march was born,” Milnor writes in a statement emailed to GMW.
Milnor says that Saturday’s march is “aimed at all acts of intolerance, bigotry and hate.” He notes that the recent vandalism of the Hindu Temple is another example of what he says is also an act of hate.
“It is certain that other less obvious but just as hurtful acts have gone unnoticed towards individuals and groups,” Milnor adds.
He credits town and school officials, as well as religious and community leaders with being proactive: “The response has been real and genuine.” But, Milnor says, he wants to make another, more noticeable stand.
“As good as words and plans are, sometimes our feet are the best way to make a statement. Stand up, be seen, let us come together and be united against all acts of hate , bigotry, and intolerance. Please join our march this Saturday,” he says.