If a white supremacist who had traveled to Lewiston/Auburn in 2003 read the Sun Journal this summer, he would think he was winning. Supremacists don’t get excited about individual racists. They get excited about sympathetic institutions. Here are four institutions who seem to have displayed such sympathy:

The Lewiston police: One officer essentially sanctioned the severed pig’s head hate crime (Aug. 8).

Warden’s Bar & Grill: The owners bragged about a fundraising event for the hate crime’s defense fund. At the fundraiser, patriotic American songs were sung as symbols of the hate crime were displayed (Aug. 20).

The Sun Journal: The owners and editorial staff argued this past Sunday that Africans, simply by being victims of a hate crime, are part of a “cultural clash” with whites (Aug. 20).

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department: They have not yet given a comprehensive explanation for the death of Ahmed Samater while in custody.

Supremacists would think they were winning in L/A. People may say that restating these facts is polarizing, but we need to draw a line against supremacists. On one side of the line will be the people of Lewiston and Auburn – the side of basic safety, human rights and tolerance. These are the values of our Twin Cities.

Our leaders need to be challenged to stand with us.

Sandy Wright, Auburn