Love, Not Hate
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118535)
Gainesville, Florida
October 19, 2017 10:52am CST
Unfortunately, the beautiful, peaceful and diverse city I live in may be in the news today for all the wrong reasons. If you happen to watch any of the national news networks this afternoon or evening, you may see a lot of focus on Gainesville, Florida. That’s because Richard Spencer, director of the National Policy Institute (i.e. a white nationalist organization), is speaking at the University of Florida. Spencer will be spewing his message of hatred and intolerance, and busloads of his followers will be rolling into town today seeking to start controversy and trouble. For those who have never heard of Spencer, he was the leader of the events in Charlottesville awhile back that turned violent and deadly. This will be his first speaking event since the tragic events in Charlottesville.
Because of the anticipated threats to peace and civility, the government will be providing over a half million dollars in law enforcement assistance during the event. The governor of Florida has declared a state of emergency in Gainesville, and has called in military troops to assist law enforcement officers.
Please understand that if violence breaks out today, it’s not because of the wonderful people who live here. We don’t want Spencer here, and our tolerant and diverse community preaches a message of love, not hate. If there is trouble today, it is because of the hundreds of thugs that are converging on Gainesville from other places to start trouble.
My prayer today is that nobody shows up to listen to Spencer speak, or if they do show up, that everything remains peaceful.
Love, not hate!
20 people like this
20 responses
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
19 Oct 17
It's a shame he's even allowed to speak with the problems he causes. 
Hopefully and prayerfully it will remain civil and safe there.
Hopefully and prayerfully it will remain civil and safe there.4 people like this
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
19 Oct 17
@moffittjc I do understand freedom of speech but with all the hate lately, it's a shame to keep spreading more...
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
@LovingMyBabies I agree. But this guy would fade to a distant memory if he wasn’t able to stir up controversy. That’s what fuels his hatred.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
I fully believe in his protected right of free speech. What is the true shame here is that people like him still think the way they do. I guess haters are gonna hate!
3 people like this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
19 Oct 17
"He has advocated for a white homeland for a dispossessed white race and called for peaceful ethnic cleansing to halt the deconstruction of European culture."
Do you know what this guy means by peaceful ethnic cleansing? Doesn't seem to be too peaceful to me. It sounds like it would be better if he just stayed at home and wrote another book.
This identitarian movement did originate in France and not with him.
He is an atheist but calls himself a cultural Christian. Well, well is he confused?
3 people like this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
21 Oct 17
Perhaps you are right if people didn't go out and cause trouble by protesting then it wouldn't be so disturbing. Is this event over now you think? I'm not promoting his ideology, whatever his idea's are. I don't want to stop learning. Not saying @moffittjc that I understand it because I don't. Don't even know if it is hate except that some people say it is. Don't know why or much about it. There does seem to be a lot of angry people these days though that's for sure. How are you doing?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
I have no plans of trying to figure out what he stands for, or whether or not he wants peaceful change or violent change. I will not give him the time of day. There is no place in our world today for hatred of any shape or form.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 17
@Bluedoll The event ran very smoothly, and there was very little violence. The pro-love crowd outnumber the pro-hate crowd by about 100 to 1. The chants for peace, love and tolerance were so loud that Spencer could not even give his speech. He got so frustrated he stormed off the stage early and left town. There were only two arrests the entire time, which is great considering tens of thousands of people attended the event.
3 people like this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
20 Oct 17
We have a chap just like him over here ... you can find morons who follow these hate preachers in all four corners of the world.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Oct 17
It's sad that there are still people in this world who subscribe to such hate. There's just no place in this modern world for such views.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Oct 17
With over 1000 law enforcement and military personnel on hand, they were ready for anything. But luckily, with such a show of force from the government, nobody in their right mind thought of causing trouble! lol
The protesters outnumbered the hate supporters by about 100 to 1, so those idiots we're completely outnumbered.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Oct 17
@RubyHawk Unfortunately, we know that haters are everywhere. Let's just hope that they don't show their ugly faces again for a while.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99423)
• Atlanta, Georgia
22 Oct 17
@moffittjc I'm very glad to hear it.Hope it's the last you see of the haters.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (58178)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
19 Oct 17
You and the kids stay safe. Things like that can take over a city and make things crazy. 
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
I let the kids stay home from school today, so they will be safe. We’ve already seen random pop-up protests take place all over town, and his speech isn’t even until 2:30pm.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (58178)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
19 Oct 17
@moffittjc are you staying home too? That's rediculous. I hope it doesn't get out of hand
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
@thislittlepennyearns No, I am required to work. I’m on the city’s emergency response team. I’ll most likely be stuck in the middle of it all today.
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
Yes, he is protected under the First Amendment. He has a right to speak his mind. But just because he has a right to speak doesn’t mean we are obligated to listen! My wish would be for no one to show up today to listen to him.
2 people like this
@Kandae11 (53677)
•
19 Oct 17
@moffittjc That would be awesome if he speaks to an almost empty venue.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
6 Nov 17
These hate mongers are horrible people and what does that say about those who invite them to speak???
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
6 Nov 17
@moffittjc I suspect if no one showed u for his speeches he would stop giving them, he needs an audience.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Nov 17
@BelleStarr The problem is, his supporters follow him around the country by the busload, so he always has a built-in audience. Plus, all the people that come out to protest him actually make the crowd even larger, giving him the publicity he so desperately craves.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Nov 17
He wasn't invited to speak. He reacted space at a university facility to give his speech. As a public university, they could not legally deny him the ability to rent space from them. Auburn University tried to deny him, and he sued them and won, and so they were forced to let him speak there. So now, because he knows that legal precedent has been set, he goes around to universities to give his hate speeches.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Oct 17
Florida stood strong against hate. The people who came out to protest his speech were so loud in their chants and boos that the guy's speech was completely drowned out, and he couldn't be heard at all. He got so frustrated that he gave up and left before his scheduled time was up. He high-tailed it out of town. In this particular situation, love won over hate!
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
19 Oct 17
I am so sorry to hear this, Jeff. I hope that many will stay away, let him speak to near emptiness. @moffittjc , please stay safe, I know by now you need to be at work for this.
2 people like this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
21 Oct 17
@moffittjc I hope everything stayed calm.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
So far, everything is running smoothly. Well...about as smooth as something like this can go.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 17
@bluesa Everything went very smoothly. The people of Gainesville and the students of the University of Florida showed up in masses to demonstrate love over hate. That bigot Spencer couldn't even give his speech of hate because the anti-racist crowd was so loud. He became so frustrated that he left the stage early and high-tailed it out of town.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
Thanks for thinking of me. I’m doing well. In anticipation of riots and protests, the Feds have brought in heavy barricades and barriers to place around public buildings such as the one i’m In, and we have both military and FBI agents stationed at every building entrance.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
@DianneN I wish I could say that there is hope for things getting better in the future, but sadly I foresee continued division in this country.
2 people like this
@DianneN (247168)
• United States
19 Oct 17
@moffittjc I hope you stay safe, even with the heavy security. Crazy times we live in.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Oct 17
Everything ran very smoothly. No violence, no one hurt, no one killed. The "love" crowd outnumbered the "hate" crowd by 100 to 1, and they were chanting so loudly that the idiot nazi guy couldn't even give his speech! He cut his speech short and left town!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Oct 17
@JudyEv He was whining and crying about how he was treated here, but nobody treated him badly. All the loud chants and cheers and whatnot that the protesters were shouting were not vulgar or bad at all. In fact, most of the time the crowd was signing University of Florida songs or football cheers. The crowd was just so loud that it drowned out his voice over the microphone!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (326098)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Oct 17
@moffittjc Yay!! You all ran him out of town! Well done.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Nov 17
He knows that most places don't want him. That's specifically why he goes to those places, to stir up controversy, which then gives him the attention he so desperately craves.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Nov 17
@paigea I think we should just deport him to Canada! What do you think? lol
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
19 Oct 17
I sure hope that nothing bad happens and he just does his thing and everyone ignores him and they leave.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
There’s over 400 members of the media here today. They only add to the problem by giving him a platform to spread his message of hate. I feel that if we truly want to diffuse his power base, then we should ban the media from covering his speeches and events.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Oct 17
Three nazi thugs were arrested for attempted murder for shooting into a crowd of people (nobody was hit thankfully), but other than that the entire event was pretty calm.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Oct 17
@YrNemo I don't know if the police stopped the violence more than the overwhelming crowd stopped it.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
•
23 Oct 17
@moffittjc Thank you for the update. Glad to know that the police did manage to stop something which could have turned much worse. 
1 person likes this
@OreoBrownie (3755)
• Commerce, Georgia
19 Oct 17
That's just awful. I get South Carolina news mostly because I live 8 miles from the border.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
All the major networks are here in town today...CNN, Fox Nees, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC. It’s like the media is salivating and looking for trouble just so they can get a story.
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
20 Oct 17
@moffittjc Every cloud has its silver lining ;)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
He couldn't even give his speech today, because the crowd kept chanting "Go home Spencer!" over and over, so loud that they drowned him out up on the stage. In frustration, he stormed off the stage before finishing his speech and high-tailed it out of town. The good guys won today.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Oct 17
There were three Nazis that were arrested for attempted murder, as they fire shots into a crowd of people, but luckily they didn't hit anyone. There was also a story about a skinhead that was getting beaten by a crowd of protesters, and as he tried to flee the mob, a black guy grabbed him up in his car and took him to safety. The black guy and the skinhead ended up having a conversation with each other about the situation, and somehow became friends.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Oct 17
@HazySue That's half the battle to erasing hate...getting people to communicate with each other.
2 people like this
@HazySue (39264)
• Gouverneur, New York
23 Oct 17
@moffittjc that is amazing that no one got hurt. As for the two man striking up a conversation and becoming friends, it just goes to show you the power of communication.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66918)
• United States
19 Oct 17
Oh boy. Glad I'm not there. Stay safe
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
Thanks Courtney. I’m being extra cautious and vigilant today.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118535)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 17
@Courtlynn Hugs are always welcome over hate!
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94791)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
19 Oct 17
That is one my pet peeves is that some people on You Tube who have a bone to pick me use some of the most vile insults over my views. I respond to them "Takes one to know one." and then delete them. Revenge sweet revenge.
1 person likes this
